A little bit of support goes a long way

YPJ started our Parkour after-school club part way through autumn term, and you could tell that they weren’t too sure if this was their thing.

In their first session, YPJ needed a lot of support from our team because sometimes they struggled to do some of the parkour skills and would be very negative about themself, for example, saying “I can’t do this” and leaving the activity. Their ADHD meant that at times in the sessions they couldn’t stay engaged and so we adapted to create other activities that YPJ could do whilst waiting to participate in the parkour activities.

I noticed that YPJ responded well when they saw me do the activities first.  This little bit of encouragement from me sparked a more confident YPJ by their third session. It was amazing to watch this growth because YPJ now takes part in parkour club largely without my assistance and gives most things a shot on their own. I think they like to know I’m there if they need me. They’ve become a popular member of the club with many of the other young people offering to help them to achieve the parkour moves. Plus, they are super funny, and bright and have a wonderful personality that shines at the club. It’s this nurturing environment that makes such a difference.