Ulster Rugby vs Glasgow

SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE IN CARE

NAME: SAM AGE: 19 LIVES: CARRICKFERGUS INCLUDE YOUTH PROJECT: GIVE & TAKE: CORE

#CareDay

"My attendance at school was really bad and I quit tech three years in a row. Now my attendance at Include Youth is almost 100%. I feel really motivated and have made lots of friends on the Scheme." #CAREDAY

I quit college and my social worker told me about Include Youth. I travelled down to Ballymena and met with the youth worker who told me a bit more about the programme.

I am currently doing my Essential skills in English, Maths and ICT and getting help with building my CV. I am also doing my Duke of Edinburgh Bronze physical and skills Award. I really enjoy the Activate Programme, which is fitness and personal development, on a Thursday because we do a range of activities from spin class to the gym or learning how to cook healthy meals and make smoothies. Sport is really important to me as I enjoy it and feel good afterwards. I am part of a hip hop dance group and we train twice a week. I really enjoy dancing and am going to be taking part in my first dance competition in April. I also do boxing on a Tuesday and running on a Thursday.

I started off as a beginner with the running club, doing 5k runs for the first few weeks, but now I run with the intermediate group doing 10k runs. It is definitely much harder, but I can do it. I’ve been to three Ulster matches with Include Youth, although I don’t know whether to count my first one as it was postponed due to the pitch conditions. I got a lift from Carrickfergus to the match, because Include Youth staff and young people were due to volunteer, and I just remembered thinking it is really really cold. I was also at the Guinness PRO12 match on Friday and saw Ulster beat Edinburgh, which was great. There is only one bad thing about rugby, and that’s the weather!

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