APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021 , Vol . 7
way to form positive connections with individuals as well as their families . Inclusivity , respect and fun are core values , and these values run through all aspects of project delivery . In line with Sport England recommendations , coaching staff at BCP consider the wider context of people ’ s lives . They recognise that many young people face a number of interrelated problems , including poverty , lack of education , unemployment , crime , low self-esteem and low aspirations . Sport is not viewed as a cure for these problems , rather the project aims to provide a non-judgemental and supportive space where young people feel like they have a voice and that they are valued . External stakeholders have voiced their praise of the project , for instance representatives from Birmingham County Football Association had the following to say about staff at BCP :
" They have inspired so many to take part , go places and become a valuable member of the community where others have judged that they aren ’ t welcome ."
Helping individuals overcome difficulties to become the best they can be is a core aim of the project . BCP has a reputation for being there for the community . Volunteers at BCP offer support , guidance and signposting to other services when required .
Evaluation An independent evaluation of how BCP supports individual development was undertaken by the University of Wolverhampton . The purpose of the evaluation was to collect data that the organisation could use to demonstrate impact to future funders and also to inform the future development of the programme . Observations were undertaken over a 5-week period . The aim of the observations was to understand the culture of the project , and in particular , observe how coaches interacted with participants . As a follow-up to the observations , six semi-structured interviews were conducted with volunteer staff from the project . Semi-structured interviews are an effective method of gathering rich data about personal experiences . In this instance the questioning aimed to capture responses about how the project supports individual development . All interviews were recorded using a dictaphone and transcribed . Each transcript was coded using a software package called NVivo to identify key themes . In order to protect their identity , coaches were given pseudonyms for the write-up of the research .
Results The analysis of the data produced four themes . Each of these will be discussed in turn .
Safe space Creating a safe space where young people can play , have fun and be themselves is at the heart of BCP . For many young people who come to the project , sport provides an escape where they can switch off from other areas of their life including bad educational environments , turbulent home lives and poverty :
" People love coming to Benson because they can be themselves . When they get in that cage , they ’ re free , free of family , free of friends , they go and make new ones and have fun along the way ." ( Mark )
For many young people , socialisation is a primary motive for sport participation ( Street Games , 2016 ). Attending the project allows young people to develop new social relationships with their peers and coaches . Through meeting new people and widening their social circle , the young people attending the sessions grow in confidence and are more prepared to enter unfamiliar environments in the future .
As the start time of the evening sessions approaches , groups of young people start drifting in . Leon explains that when they first started the project , many young people were worried about walking down to the sessions in the dark . Now they meet beforehand and walk down together for safety :
" When we started down here , a lot of the kids wouldn ’ t come down this street because it was dark . Then kids talk and now they come down together ." ( Leon )
At the gate , everyone arriving for the sessions is met with a smile and a greeting from the coaches , setting a positive tone for the evening . Inevitably , there are occasions where other areas of life are brought down to the project :
" You have to try and understand how they feel and how they do things because sometimes that kid ’ s having a bad time at home and he ’ ll come out and he ’ s angry . And sometimes he ’ ll walk up to the gates and me and Mark will say ' come here ' and he ’ ll say ' you alright , what ’ s happening ?'" ( Leon )
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