A week of work experience at Empire Fighting Chance

I originally stumbled upon Empire almost accidentally. I was referred here by the Wellness councillor at my new sixth form, never having heard of Empire, and struggling primarily with depression. By that point, I’d been to several different types of therapy, through several different services/charities (CAMHS, OTR, Creative Youth Network), yet I still felt as though I hadn’t fully gotten to the core of what was wrong.

By the time I was just getting comfortable enough with my Therapist to realise these things, my sessions were over.

But all of that changed when I came to Empire.

I can safely say that my time with Thobile in Boxing Therapy was one of the most constructive periods of my life. Truthfully, I didn’t know what to expect with Boxing, but through it, I learnt focus and persistence. After battling an Eating Disorder since COVID, I was looking for a form of exercise that I genuinely enjoyed- and through Empire, I found that. I love skipping to this day. Mentally, by taking a holistic look at what was affecting me, past experiences, self-care, habits that weren’t serving me, I could finally make room for the things that I enjoyed, one step at a time- being in a safe, non-judgemental environment with the time and space to explore that. 

And, as our sessions were drawing to a close, the timing felt right. I felt as though I’d completely shed my old skin, for one that was infinitely more comfortable.

So, naturally, when Chris proposed I do work experience here, I jumped at the opportunity- to come back, to understand how all the different branches work and interact with one another to deliver all of Empire’s programmes, to get to know the charity in a new light, and possibly, even, to give back in my own way.

The beginning of my week was mostly comprised of shadowing sessions and understanding what they’re like from a therapist’s point of view. Looking at it from that vantage point, and to see so much potential in young people from all walks of life- to use a time-old cliché- was so inspiring and rewarding. I read up on Empire’s values, too, and how that links in with what a therapist will encourage a young person to do. For instance, one of my personal favourites- ‘Feel the Fear’, can relate to performing well in the ring. When you stop assigning energy on trying to make uncomfortable feelings go away, instead, sitting through them, means that they lose their power over you. 

Whilst in Delivery, I also learnt how to use Boxing Pads. This is something that greatly intimidated me as someone who is, quite frankly, intimidated by the prospect of having to swat a fly, but with practice I improved a whole lot, beginning to let go of overthinking and getting into the groove of making new combinations (“Gimme six! 1, 2, Uppercut, Hook!”).

Chris also sent me off on a research project: looking into ‘What factors affect involvement’ in mental health programmes. It was fascinating to sink my teeth into academic papers on the topic- and surprisingly enough, there is a huge research gap in this field. Eventually, what I found was that Socio-economic factors, closely relating to Someone’s Background and Upbringing, what beliefs and/or stigma someone has internalised, their Hopes for the Future, alongside a Therapeutic alliance and overall Enjoyment of the programme all affected involvement.

Mid-way through the week, I moved over to the office of operations (more humbly situated and known as the Porta Cabin) to look at how Empire generates funding to do what they do: learning about grant types from different kinds of Trusts and Foundations, before linking this with new accounting knowledge to break down how it is used specifically, and over time.

I then went on to investigate the nature of data collection at Empire, and how quantitative and qualitative knowledge in impact reports can be presented and utilised in the most effective way. Looking at changing statistic reports over time was surprisingly (given that I take all essay-based humanities subjects), something that really interested me. I was also shown how much, and what kind of work it takes to fully and safely deliver Empire’s programmes outside of the gym in schools.

I was sold a well-rounded experience, and a well-rounded experience was exactly what I received. Through Work Experience, I am leaving here with a much broader understanding and appreciation of how Empire works. Not only that, but with a greater awareness of relevant skills that can be utilised in the workplace.

With that, I cannot overstate how amazing Empire is. I will forever be grateful for my experiences here, and to the people that made it feel like home. To anyone even vaguely considering work experience (or therapy), Jump. Do It. It was tailored to my strengths and interests in a way that I have not seen anywhere else. No matter what your future looks like, Empire has something in it for everybody. Without a doubt, you will leave here a better person than when you came in. I, for one, know that I have.

To find out more about our Box Careers programme click here

And if you want to be involved with work experience at Empire then send an email to [email protected]