When Lisa started on SOHK’s Adult Course, she felt as though she wasn’t doing anything with her life. She spent her days alone inside her house and had few people to talk to which impacted negatively on her mental health. Just under a year later and Lisa has completely transformed. She has gone back to playing rugby and has found full-time employment doing something she loves.
The physical element of our Adult Courses was why Aggie started at SOHK, but the people were why she stayed. She found that though her course-mates had different stories, their experience of life was very similar to her own. After completing the course, Aggie to set herself on the right path to becoming a sports therapist, a passion that she rediscovered whilst at SOHK.
When we met Karen, she had a lung condition called COPD which was gradually getting worse. She was a heavy smoker and was rarely active. Upon completing SOHK's Adult Course, Karen not only found a job that she now loves but also found an incredible passion for rugby. She has also almost completely stopped smoking and has been told that her lung condition is remarkably better.
When SOHK started working with Macy two years ago on the Schools Programme, she was getting involved in fights on a regular basis. Not knowing how to deal with Macy’s attitude, her school recommended she get involved with School of Hard Knocks. Each week the team engaged Macy more and more with the rugby sessions so as to help her improve her confidence. Macy recently went to her first Quins Girls Rugby training and now dreams of playing internationally for Wales.
Jamie started on School of Hard Knocks’ Schools Programme just over a year ago. His behaviour had become unmanageable at school and he constantly found himself in trouble. Since starting the programme Jamie’s behaviour and way of thinking has changed dramatically. Jamie’s teachers not only find him much easier to handle, but have noticed that he contributes positively in lessons, asks insightful questions and has more respect for others.
When we met Jo, her attendance at school was well below average. She had started to find it increasingly difficult to control her emotions, which in turn caused her relationships with peers and teachers to suffer. After being with SOHK for just over a year, Jo now feels much happier, more confident and secure in herself. Her attendance has dramatically improved as have her relationships with her peers, teachers and her mum Angela.