Yet another action packed week for Activ8 as we stepped up our work in preparation for exam and qualification season. We have 4 boys aiming to complete their GCSE PE coursework which includes the practical section. As a result, we re-started our rugby league training on Wednesday and recapped our tackling from last term, looking to see what the group had remembered in terms of safety and correct technique. The retention was amazing and we quickly moved past using the tackling shields and on to some ‘wrestling’ type activities concentrating on strength, the aim being to turn your opponent from their front to their back. Some of the boys enjoyed this a little more than others and were rolling around in the mud as you can see..

Another part of our GCSE work looks at gym training. The boys have really embraced the gym this year and are in prime condition to deal with the course demands..

We have also upped our work on Sports Leaders in preparation for the group going onto deliver sports sessions in various places both in and outside of school to give them their experience hours.

You may have heard the exciting news about a new initiative at Medtia Square. Mr Greenway is starting our own New Bridge ‘Andy’s Man Club’ group on the site just for the young men in our organisation. ‘Andy’s Man Club’ was launched last year by Luke Ambler, a professional Rugby League player from Halifax after losing his brother in law to suicide..

‘Andy’s Man Club’ is a talking group, a place for men to come together in a safe environment to talk about issues or problems they have encountered or are currently facing. They can benefit from talking to others who have been in similar situations who can help with advice on how they have dealt with things. Luke came to Medtia before Christmas and our young people took part in a very positive workshop with him which you can read about here. You may already be familiar with the #itsoktotalk hash tag if you use Twitter or Facebook and the ‘OK’ sign used in the selfie campaign last year. Our New Bridge sessions start on Monday at 4pm in the Lumenus room at Medtia and we have already had lots of interest from students as well as staff wanting to help out..

For more information, you can find Andy’s Man Club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit the website here. We’re looking forward to bringing you news of our new group at Medtia Square, watch this space!

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