Part of the Etc.
A team of unemployed young people have been given a unique lesson in the versatility of sport.
The Prince’s Trust students from Stockton Riverside College were invited along to Catterick Garrison’s Gaza Barracks where they met with Help for Heroes soldiers and tried their hand at a variety of wheelchair sports.
Taking a group of children from Norton Primary Academy with them to share the experience, Team leader Melisa Marsden said: “The idea was to show the young people how sport can be accessible to all, to broaden their outlook and raise awareness.”
The session had all the more impact as it was led by the College’s own Prince’s Trust assistant team leader and Invictus Games 2014 gold medallist, Seveci Navelinikoro (Nav).
Former soldier Nav’s career in the army was brought to an abrupt end when he was injured in service by an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2012.
Suffering a brain trauma injury, loss of hearing in one ear and nerve damage to his lower back and hip, in that instant the dad-of-two’s life changed forever.
He is first to admit that the years that followed were tough. “The first hurdle was accepting that you are going to be out of the army,” he said. Then, he said, comes the fact that everything has changed.
With the support of Help for Heroes, Nav was gradually able to find a new way of life. He found work through the charity’s links with The Prince’s Trust and having previously been a keen sportsman he found he could still excel on the sports field, even going on to win a gold medal for sitting volleyball in the 2014 Invictus Games.
Today the 36-year-old enjoys a wide range of sports including sitting volleyball, wheelchair rugby, basketball and discus.
Visiting the barracks and getting to have a go at the wheelchair games, Stockton Riverside College Prince’s Trust student Jess Fox, 19, of Thornaby, said: “I am a real supporter of Help for Heroes so to get the opportunity to visit the barracks and see first-hand the work they do was really good.”
Having met and worked with Prince’s Trust assistant Nav and then to gain a better understanding of the journey he has been through, Jess said: “It shows that it doesn’t matter what happens in your life as there is always some sort of positive that you can get out of it.”
Fellow student Ryan Hutchinson, 18, also of Thornaby, said: “It was a really good day, everyone enjoyed themselves.”
Of the wheelchair sports he said: “It was difficult at first but once you got used to it, it was good.”
As for the Norton Primary Academy pupils, Learning Mentor Liam Corby said: “The day was brilliant and the kids absolutely loved it. You could really see them grow in confidence. My role as learning mentor is to raise the aspirations of the children and to make them aware of all different aspects of life and this certainly fit the bill.”
The Prince’s Trust Team programme is a 12-week personal development programme for unemployed young people aged from 16 to 25, helping to build their skills and confidence by taking part in a variety of tasks and challenges.
Help for Heroes has been working in partnership with The Prince’s Trust since 2010, and in that time it has been able to offer more than 130 work placements or secondments to wounded tri-service personnel.
The Prince’s Trust students from Stockton Riverside College were invited along to Catterick Garrison’s Gaza Barracks where they met with Help for Heroes soldiers and tried their hand at a variety of wheelchair sports.Taking a group of children from Norton Primary Academy with them to share the experience, Team leader Melisa Marsden said: “The idea was to show the young people how sport can be accessible to all, to broaden their outlook and raise awareness.”
The session had all the more impact as it was led by the College’s own Prince’s Trust assistant team leader and Invictus Games 2014 gold medallist, Seveci Navelinikoro (Nav).Former soldier Nav’s career in the army was brought to an abrupt end when he was injured in service by an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2012.
Suffering a brain trauma injury, loss of hearing in one ear and nerve damage to his lower back and hip, in that instant the dad-of-two’s life changed forever.
He is first to admit that the years that followed were tough. “The first hurdle was accepting that you are going to be out of the army,” he said. Then, he said, comes the fact that everything has changed.
With the support of Help for Heroes, Nav was gradually able to find a new way of life. He found work through the charity’s links with The Prince’s Trust and having previously been a keen sportsman he found he could still excel on the sports field, even going on to win a gold medal for sitting volleyball in the 2014 Invictus Games.
Today the 36-year-old enjoys a wide range of sports including sitting volleyball, wheelchair rugby, basketball and discus.
Visiting the barracks and getting to have a go at the wheelchair games, Stockton Riverside College Prince’s Trust student Jess Fox, 19, of Thornaby, said: “I am a real supporter of Help for Heroes so to get the opportunity to visit the barracks and see first-hand the work they do was really good.”Having met and worked with Prince’s Trust assistant Nav and then to gain a better understanding of the journey he has been through, Jess said: “It shows that it doesn’t matter what happens in your life as there is always some sort of positive that you can get out of it.”
Fellow student Ryan Hutchinson, 18, also of Thornaby, said: “It was a really good day, everyone enjoyed themselves.”
Of the wheelchair sports he said: “It was difficult at first but once you got used to it, it was good.”
As for the Norton Primary Academy pupils, Learning Mentor Liam Corby said: “The day was brilliant and the kids absolutely loved it. You could really see them grow in confidence. My role as learning mentor is to raise the aspirations of the children and to make them aware of all different aspects of life and this certainly fit the bill.”The Prince’s Trust Team programme is a 12-week personal development programme for unemployed young people aged from 16 to 25, helping to build their skills and confidence by taking part in a variety of tasks and challenges.
Help for Heroes has been working in partnership with The Prince’s Trust since 2010, and in that time it has been able to offer more than 130 work placements or secondments to wounded tri-service personnel.
