Our Foundation Skills and Level 1 Bricklaying students paid a visit to Empire Fighting Chance, one of our two chosen charities for the year.
Empire Fighting Chance was chosen as the staff’s charity of the year. The Bristol-based charity fights the impacts of deprivation on the lives of young people, using a combination of non-contact boxing and intensive personal support to challenge and inspire young people to realise their potential.
The charity, which was born out of the Empire Amateur Boxing Club in Bristol, has now grown to become a regional charity using a pioneering approach which harnesses the power of boxing.
During the visit, the students were given the opportunity to try their hand at boxing and learn some non-contact moves while working as a team.
The students were also taught about motivational team building, how to cope with anger and how to remain disciplined through the use of training, dietary and sleep plans.
Lecturer Wayne Coombs said: “It was incredible to see the students engaging with the charity and becoming gain some key learnings in anger management, discipline and team building. Empire Fighting Chance has transformed lives and to give our students the opportunity to see this first hand was brilliant. The visit also helped us to break down barriers and to improve their engagement and recover their attendance. A great day all in all!”
Speaking to students at the visit, many students commented on how the visit to Empire Fighting Chance has ‘improved their discipline’ and shown them ‘how to respect each other’.
A number of students took the opportunity to sign up to the charity and learn a new sport as well as grow in confidence.
To find out more about our chosen charities, including the students’ charity Brigstowe, read the full story here.
