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“We are delighted to have found
great partners to work with and so many people willing to try
something new.” The project, funded by Legacy Trust UK and the
European Social Fund, involves specially tailored courses and
placements around arts and sports event management combined with
opportunities to volunteer at local events.
Recently Creative Arts East
partnered Inspire International and St John’s
Housing Trust to bring Team East for Skills to Lowestoft.
‘Get in the Game’ offered residents at the Trust a chance to get
involved in organising a local, live sports event as a way of
building confidence, recognising existing skills and developing new
skills for the work place. Gavin Drake, Managing Director of
Inspire International and lead tutor on the course said:
“Participants leave the programme with more desire to stretch
themselves and get out of their comfort zone as a result of making
a difference to the lives of others.”
St John’s Housing resident James Mason (pictured
volunteering at this years Great East
Swim) originally got involved with Team East for Skills to build
self confidence and to help others. While progressing through the
first Get in the Game course he commented: “My confidence is
improving with every day that passes.” On successfully finishing
the ‘warm-up’ and ‘bronze’ level activities Jim progressed to gain
his ‘silver’ level award by mentoring new participants on the next
programme. As a result he has realised his ambition to pursue a
career in social work and said: “My life has found a new
direction and I feel after 36 years I have finally found what I’d
like to do.”
The next Suffolk
programmes will take place later in the year at Ipswich Town
Football Club and Gainsborough Library, Ipswich.
Anyone interested in finding out about these and any other
programmes should contact Natalie Jode on 01953 713396 or visit www.teameast.org
and click on ‘What are we doing?’
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