The game of rugby inspires a stronger sense of camaraderie than any other I know. For the people we work with, it also provides the validation, motivation and sense of belonging that is needed to help get them back on track.
Since 2012, we have helped over 700 adults through our Adult Employability courses, tackling unemployment, anti-social behaviour, crime and poor health. Our SOHK for Schools programme, targets the school children commonly left behind in the system, who are most at-risk of permanent exclusion. Through a proven method of sport coaching and specialist mentoring, we have helped so many people change their lives and create better futures.
To sustain the work we do, we’re looking for new friends. If you become a Friend of SOHK and pledge £3 a month, you will join a growing army of supporters, committed to helping us change the game.
By the blow of the final whistle at the Rugby World Cup 2019, we would love for 5,000 amazing individuals to be Friends of SOHK, donating £3 per month. With gift aid factored in, this could eventually create a steady revenue of £250,000 per year - enough to change the lives of 500 vulnerable children each year. How incredible is that?
£3 might not sound like a lot, but to us this will enable us to create a platform for sustained growth. For the price of your morning coffee, you can bring long term security to what we can do at School of Hard Knocks.
For every £1 donated to School of Hard Knocks, we spend at least 87 pence on supporting adults and children create better futures for themselves, through expert coaching and mentoring. Find out more.
As Club Ambassadors, we would like you, over period eighteen months, to sign up at least 30 Friends of SOHK, who will give just £3 a month by direct debit. That’s less than the cost of a pint or a coffee! Unlike one-off donations, which are unreliable, regular small amounts like this allow us to plan for the long-term, which is absolutely vital for us to be able to keep providing for people in our care. SOHK participants often feel as if they are being thrown in the deep end when we first chuck them a rugby ball – and you may well be feeling a bit like that by being asked to approach your friends, colleagues, teammates and coaches to get behind this campaign.
The need for programmes like SOHK to exist is huge. Permanently excluded children have very poor chances of gaining qualifications and becoming employed, with over 50% going on to offend and less than 30% achieving even one GCSE. Each child that is excluded from school is estimated to cost society £371,000 over the course of their lifetime through crime, unemployment and poor health.
Friends of SOHK campaign needs to secure 5,000 new regular donors in order to sustain our work, help us reach new participants and give us the financial security to deliver the best possible services across the UK. This is why we really need your support in this campaign.
£5
Provides boxing wraps for a participant.
£10
Provides one mentoring session for an adult participant.
£75
Funds an adult participant for the day.
£100
Trains and matches a volunteer mentor with an adult beneficiary.
£600
Supports a school pupil at risk of exclusion with rugby coaching and mentoring every week for a year.
£1000
Funds an unemployed adult through an SOHK programme to help them find sustainable employment.
Donate now