"I have learnt why looking after your overall wellbeing is so important and how to balance sport and other commitments." - Olivia Rae makes a huge impact during Little Big Sports Mentoring Programme
“During my calls with Olivia, I have used tools to monitor my activities and nutrition, learnt the importance of well being and feel a lot more confident because of this programme. I feel like I know how to make good decisions that will benefit me and I am a lot happier with recognising my achievements.”
Our Mintridge Mentoring Programmes are designed to inspire, develop and nurture the young people that we have the pleasure of working with. This is something that Little Big Sports also echo in their values as a sports equipment and clothing company, which is why we have been delighted to work with them to provide this amazing Silver Mentoring Programme that they kindly supported for two budding young cricketers, who applied to be mentored by the inspirational Olivia Rae.
The two mentees were chosen after applying to be ‘Minty’s Little Big Hero’ and were selected by Little Big Sports because of the commitment they already show to cricket but also because they displayed the values of what the sport endeavours to portray: fairness, integrity, excellence, accountability, teamwork, respect for diversity and commitment to the global game and its great spirit.
Despite this programme starting in the middle of some uncertainty and a global pandemic still bringing its own challenges, Olivia Rae has guided her Little Big Sports’ mentees through some challenging times, uncertainty at school and in their cricket settings and finished a brilliant mentoring journey with both her mentees, that will hopefully set them up for years to come.
Our mentors often uses the infographics produced by BelievePerform to help support their mentees during their programmes.
Olivia has worked really well with her mentees during this Silver Mentoring Programme to support them in all areas of their life. When talking about school and academic goals, Olivia’s mentees have responded well to her thought-provoking questions and tools she shared with them about managing their diaries and how to set realistic goals. Not only that, Olivia has worked with her mentees a lot on building a good foundation for their own mental well being and overall well being, which will set them up for life as they are faced with numerous challenges and choices during their time in Cricket and at home and school.
During their mentoring calls, Olivia and her mentees worked through lots of areas that they both wanted to develop. One of Olivia’s mentees worked with her to prepare a positive mindset for really challenging entrance exams, whilst also trying to manage sport and rest time during this period. It was so great to see Olivia’s other mentee creating logs and diaries that really focussed on what they had discussed during their mentoring calls and create a diary that she could go on to use when she finished this programme with Olivia.
Olivia’s mentee put together her own diary based on what she had been working on with Olivia during the mentoring programme.
”As I mentioned on our call this is so wonderful to see!! The workbook is authentic and unique, something to feel very proud of. Well done on taking ownership of your own well-being. You have inspired me and I’m now going to write a highlight of the day too!…”
Olivia said at the end of her programme, “The book my mentee has made to track her days is really amazing. She showed it to me today and she has become so much more confident since the first session!”
Olivia’s mentee practised in the garden using their Little Big Sport Feed Buddy
Little Big Sports, kindly donated a Feed Buddy device to the two selected mentees, to help them develop their skills at home and in their spare time.
Building a positive mindset and wellbeing has been a particular focus for Olivia and something she has deemed incredibly important to help support her mentees through this challenging time but also through their current situations at school and in their sports, which are only just returning to normal now.
Olivia has an incredible amount of knowledge, not only about cricket as a player but also about cricket from a coaching perspective, and the challenges that teams and players face on a daily basis, not only on the pitch but with having to compete at the top level and the pressures that can come with playing a sport that takes up a lot of your free time.
With this knowledge behind her, Olivia has been able to support her two Little Big Sport mentees through the challenges they have faced at school and cricket on the return from a pandemic and supported them in all areas of their development. One of Olivia’s mentees said, “During my calls with Olivia, I have used tools to monitor my activities and nutrition, learnt the importance of well being and feel a lot more confident because of this programme. I feel like I know how to make good decisions that will benefit me and I am a lot happier with recognising my achievements.”
As a firm believer in developing a growth mindset and looking at all challenges as a chance to learn or revaluate something, Olivia has left a lasting impression on her mentees, that they will use in all areas of their lives moving forward.
It has been so great to see the journey Olivia’s mentees have been on, from supporting them back into Cricket after a Pandemic and also sharing top tips for keeping a balance and performing well in major exams or trials, these Little Big Heroes will definitely do very well in the future when aiming t achieve their goals.
The partnership we have developed with Little Big Sports to bring this programme together and also support young people in schools with their sports equipment is extremely valuable and demonstrates the benefits sport can have on all areas of your life and show the values you can learn through sport and participation in any form.
We have really enjoyed following this mentoring journey and we are very grateful to Little Big Sports for their support and for selecting these two brilliant mentees to work with Olivia during this mentoring programme.
If you are interested in a Programme with Olivia or any of our other Mintridge Ambassadors, or you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with one of our team of inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk
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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.
