2x Champions of the Month for June!

Massive congratulations to Caleb (not his real name) and Charlie for tieing our Champion of the Month competition! Both have made so much progress that we couldn't choose between the two of them this time around, so we decided to give them both an Illustrate bag and our framed certificate.

I started to notice a clear increase in his motivation and conscientiousness as we set goals together, as he took the initiative to ask me for guidance on eating plans, weightlifting routines for the gym and overall fitness. We set 3 goals for the month of May, leading up to his GCSEs; to run regularly once a week, to come up with a revision plan for the exams and to limit fizzy drinks to 2 drinks a week. He stuck to all of them.

The biggest change I have noticed in Charlie is how he manages his thoughts now. Notably, his Nan has said that the whole family has been incredibly impressed with how calm Charlie has been since the GCSEs started. I have told him how proud I am of him as he has continued coming for his sessions even after having exams in the day time as he understands that it is critical for his mental health and wellbeing. He has even asked me to design a weightlifting regime for him to do throughout the GCSEs. This has been something we have worked on together in terms of personal development through discussing the magic of mini goals, the importance of mindfulness and being present and how performance is better when we are calm.

Coach Shiren talking about Charlie's improvement during his time at Empire Fighting Chance

And coach Zac's comments on Caleb's progress...

Since attending sessions, Caleb has improved his concentration levels considerably and says that coming to the gym has helped him with his emotions and he feels a lot better.  After building a strong bond with his coach he now understands that it is okay to be angry or upset and realises that it’s the way we handle it that matters, not the feeling itself.

He has attended two career visits with our “Hello Future” programme with other young people similar in age to him whom he didn’t previously know. He now presents as a more confident young person and is clearly more comfortable around others he does not know.

Caleb now acts as a mentor for children in year 7 at his school helping them get to know the school.  Caleb says “I enjoy helping the younger kids, sometimes they don't know where to go or what to do and it used to happen to me, so I like helping” 
Caleb has admitted he is much happier and manages his emotions better since coming to Empire Fighting Chance and can concentrate for longer periods in school which he has really struggled with in the past.  

Caleb's name has been changed here to protect his identity on social media.

Keep up the good work!