Blitzing Barriers and Looking Fear in the Eye
We cannot let January pass us by without taking the time to celebrate the latest considerable milestones reached by our Connecting Communities Project; a project which is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Once again, our industrious Community Engagement Officer, Mitch, and our team of inspiring Confidence and Motivation Course Veteran Delivery Team have worked hard to reach out to individuals who have been open to take a chance on themselves and Active Plus’s unique offering.
Stepping up and out of their comfort zone recently were the students at Exeter University, Penryn Campus, who, having committed themselves to the four-week Veteran led course, reaped the benefits that so many of our participants experience.
As students, these participants were no strangers to hard work, applying themselves positively to academic tasks, but they were self-aware enough to appreciate there were certain aspects of life they found a challenge. Lack of confidence and low self-esteem has presented as a notable obstacle, and hindered potential.
As with many people Active Plus engage with, social interactions and general life skills have often felt overwhelming for these participants, and the fun parts of life have often passed them by. But not any longer! As always, we firmly believe everyone should be able to enjoy life to the full within their abilities; personalities are made to be seen and shine!
In fact, Mitch, our Community Engagement Officer, has enthused about this group, stating,
“They have been a super bunch to work with!”.
It is truly rewarding for the Delivery Team to see how much the confidence building course genuinely helps people – who have previously tended to hide away from the world and what it has to offer – to stand up and be counted; to take part, and engage with fellow participants as well as the Active Plus team.
The progress made by this small but mighty group of Exeter University students has been clear to see, and the positivity palpable.
As part of the Connecting Communities experience, the group, along with Mitch, attended the ‘Bioblitz’ event run by the Rock Pool Project. This was a nature inspired activity which took place on Castle Beach in Falmouth and, as such, presented its own set of trials…bitter temperatures, unsteady rocks, wet feet…! BUT, in true Active Plus spirit,
“…they kept on going and persevered and ultimately felt very proud of themselves at the end of the day!”
Rightly so! Not only that but the event helped them each to make amazing progress on a personal level and acted as a fantastic indicator as to the extent of their enjoyment and overall confidence levels.
Overcoming fears and looking their challenges in the eye also led to them successfully contributing to the Rock Pool Project, helping it to find over 600 different species, collectively, on the day! An impressive achievement and, as Engagement Officer Mitch observed, this was an extremely well-run event.
The student’s faces in the photographs taken on the day speak a thousand words! Ronnie, one of the Course instructors noted,
“The thing that strikes me is how [participant] is holding her head up and getting eye contact as well. Such great progress in such a short space of time. Amazing.”
Feedback from Gill Maliska, Pastoral Support within the FX Plus Team at Exeter University further compounded the evident progress, saying,
“…[the students] had an amazing time they really enjoyed it. I must say since [one particular participant] started attending your sessions [they are] starting to speak more than [they] previously did. [One participant] now has [the others] as friends which is good….Looking forward to the March sessions.”
Recognition and praise were also kindly given to the dedicated Active Plus team members involved, as Gill states,
“You and the team are amazing in what you do and a great support for students.”
Whilst our aim is always to shine a light on the achievements on the inspiring Active Plus course participants, it is always an honour when others can observe and understand the positive impact our Veteran led Courses do have. The entire Active Plus team are motivated by a desire to help people become everything they deserve to be, to help them break down barriers, build trust in themselves and others, develop personally and move on positively – to achieve their full potential.
A special thank you has to go to Community Engagement Officer, Mitch, who gave up her free time on a Saturday to accompany the students at the ‘Bioblitz’ event in Falmouth. A tangible testament to the dedication displayed by our team for the good of others.
To our Exeter University student participants, we applaud you. We are proud of you. And we are confident that you will go on to achieve great things. Thank YOU for helping US to keep motivated to continue doing what we do; using the skills, experience and expertise of injured and retired military veterans to deliver unique programmes that build confidence, improve motivation, generate a sense of belonging and self-worth.
It is a fantastic team effort that has life-changing results!
If you would like to find out more about Active Plus and are interested in benefiting from our support, why not give us a call on 01326 567174. We would be happy to chat to you and answer any course related questions.
See below for details of the new Confidence & Motivation Courses coming up in the Falmouth and Penryn areas, as part of our Connecting Communities Project. Fancy getting involved? Give our Community Engagement Officer, Mitch, a call on 07301040633 or 01326 567174. She would love to hear from you!
Blog Post: Suzanne Body, Active Plus
