Bronze Martial Arts and Rugby Programmes with Khadijah Safari BEM and Zoe Harrison at Hazel Leys Academy

“Inspire and be inspired, as you never know who's watching" - Khadijah Safari BEM

Building on the success of previous Mintridge programmes with the Mintridge Ambassadors and an earlier visit in the term from the amazing Iona Lake, it was now the turn of Team Mintridge Ambassador, Khadijah Safari BEM to make her way to Hazel Leys Academy for the second of three summer programmes at the school this year.

The Mintridge Foundation is dedicated to helping young people find their mental fitness superpowers. Following research conducted by Loughborough University, Mintridge successfully replaces any negative notion of pressure around physical activity with fun, breaking down barriers and levelling the playing field. That is exactly what Khadijah did during her visit on 13th July 2022.

A fun-filled day of martial arts was in store for the Hazel Leys Academy students as Khadijah (the Founder of Safari MMA based in Milton Keynes that focuses on Muay Thai and MMA) used her expertise and impactful role modelling to inspire the next generation of young ninjas to be the best they can be and try a completely new sport.

 The day began with an assembly led by Khadijah who shared her sporting journey with the children and how she fell in love with the sport. The presentation had themes of fairness, respect and enjoyment flowing throughout tales of her Black Belt, founding the UK’s first women’s only martial arts club and becoming part of Lucozade Sport and the Independent’s Top 50 Movers List that led to an array of questions from pupils.

When did you start Muay Thai?

Why did you want to take part in martial arts?

Can a person with a disability take part in Muay Thai?

What is the hardest skill you can perform?

Does it hurt when you kick someone?

How high can you jump off the ground?

 The students were soon introduced to kickboxing in their coaching sessions as “Guard Up” and “Jab Cross” could be heard throughout the school grounds as energy levels gradually rose throughout each session. Demonstrations and teacher participation meant that there was a high level of engagement from all students and confidently everyone began to showcase controlled yet powerful movement.

Each session ended with autographs and photos as well as a medal for pupils that showcased their own hard work and enthusiasm in the sessions. Team Mintridge always encourage students to go and seek out clubs or other opportunities to get involved in the sports they try with the Mintridge Ambassadors and Khadijah encouraged every pupil to join a club nearby if they enjoyed their session with her.

Thank you very much to the staff of Hazel Leys Academy for welcoming us back for the second of the three programmes we delivered with them this summer. We absolutely loved our time with you!

England Women’s Rugby Fly Half Zoe Harrison visits Hazel Leys Academy

   “Rugby is a sport for everyone as there are so many different positions and roles that people can get involved in.”

What a brilliant day at Hazel Leys Academy with our fantastic Ambassador Zoe Harrison!

Zoe, who plays professional rugby for both England and Saracens – spent the day inspiring students at Hazel Leys Academy, and for many, introducing them to rugby for the first time.

To begin the day, Zoe talked to the pupils about her career progression, having started playing rugby at the age of five and combating injuries with a resilient and positive growth mindset, in order to reach the professional level of play she is at now.

For Zoe, it is important to challenge the perceptions around female sport and the stereotypes in rugby, which is why she was so passionate about promoting rugby as a sport for anyone, during our visit, and encouraging greater female participation in the sport. This went hand in hand with instilling greater confidence in the girls taking part in the sessions and instilling some confidence in them to compete in the game outside of school.

After the morning’s inspiring presentation, Zoe led several tag rugby coaching sessions with the students and lots of fun rugby games so the students could show off their speed and agility in the sessions. It was lovely to see so many smiling faces during the sessions and see the students having so much fun learning some new skills.

Many of the students who had never played rugby before expressed an interest in exploring local rugby and other sporting clubs outside of school and this is definitely something Zoe encouraged all of the students to try and do.

During the presentation and the coaching sessions, the students asked Zoe lots of questions about her career so far. Some of the best questions were:

Have you ever won a world cup? What did it feel like to win?

How many games have you played?

How many hours do you train for?

When did you start playing rugby?

Have you ever played any other sports?

What is the hardest match you have ever played in?

What was your favourite match to play in?

We saw incredible enthusiasm from the staff and students throughout Zoe’s coaching sessions and it was fantastic to see so many excited and happy faces throughout the day. We look forward to hopefully visiting everyone again next year with more of our Mintridge Ambassadors!

If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with Khadijah Safari BEM, Zoe Harrison or any of our other inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website or with Katie.

Have a great summer everyone!

Team Mintridge

The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.

Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.

The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.

To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.

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