An online football leadership programme for youngsters is kicking off this month as Scottish Cup finalists Caley Thistle teamed up with High Life Highland (HLH) to promote it.
The project called “Youth Football Leader” has been spearheaded by Alyn Gunn, who is an active schools’ co-ordinator in Thurso.
He is supported by HLH’s Elizabeth Macdonald, who oversees the scheme, which will be rolled out Highland-wide over the coming months.
The programme is open to people aged between 12 to 25, and although underpinned by leadership in sport and youth work, the awards can be utilised by youths volunteering in clubs, facilities, and schools.
Cardiac arrest course is also online
It is designed to encourage youngsters to get involved by undertaking the free Scottish FA online courses as well as offering students the chance to learn how to use a defibrillator during the cardiac arrest course, which is also an online course via UK Coaching.
The SFA courses are a prerequisite to getting on the coaching ladder and, along with the cardiac arrest course, they are certificated and would be a great addition to a young person’s education, according to the organisers.
The target is to “develop your experiences of leadership in both your school and community, giving you valuable skills and experiences for your future education and employment”.
Skills can be developed in many ways
The launch booklet adds that the course also aims to “support you to take full advantage of the opportunities available throughout your journey.
“From assisting at an active schools club, volunteering at a major sporting event, or shaping the future of your community through the Young Ambassadors programme, community sports hubs or Highland Youth Voice, these opportunities will enhance your development as a young leader, whilst helping you to develop skills in delivering high quality activities.”
Young people given the ‘right tools’
Gunn, who also runs Thurso Football Academy, hopes the opportunity of completing such valued courses at the touch of a keyboard will appeal to many.
He said: “I am delighted to be able to put this together for HLH as an active schools’ coordinator in Thurso.
“We are in an era where we are fortunate that youngsters are well-educated on how to use computers and mobiles, so by having the free online courses available to them, it’s all about giving them the right tools and opportunity to progress in life – as not very many people knew that these courses existed.
“By running this hand and hand with the Scottish Cup finalists Caley Thistle, we hope that we will get maximum exposure which will entice people to sign up to our free leadership programme, which is there to reward and acknowledge youngsters’ commitment and volunteering to sport.”
If you would like more details about the leadership project, email Elizabeth.McDonald@highlifehighland.com
Conversation