FITCAP has helped and supported many people over the past decade (and more!). Read some of their stories here
As an at home mother of 6 at the time of 1st being introduced to FITCAP I was very reserved, majorly lacking confidence and had very low self-esteem. I was in a very toxic DV relationship with no family support or sight of a way out. Attending the weekly kickboxing sessions at the Meadway with my children was a lifeline for me. I didn't know at the time just how massive a role that FITCAP and the people attached to it would play in my growth as a woman, a mother, as Leeann. FITCAP has at times been a safe place for myself and my children.
Through being associated with FITCAP and Alison, I learnt who I was, who I am and who I have the potential to be. FITCAP has given me ample opportunities in the form of mentoring, life coaching, emotional support, upskilling and much more. I volunteered with FITCAP for about 7 years. This involved coaching at camps, running sports clubs and bootcamps, running 'US GIRLS' projects and attending courses amongst other things. One of the courses that I completed was a level 3 personal trainer and fitness instructor course enabling me to be better equipped when coordinating projects.
I'm currently doing a mentoring course in hope of being able to give back to people what FITCAP has given to me when I needed it the most. Volunteering has helped me to secure paid long-term employment. My children have grown up around FITCAP and now too actively volunteer and attend the camps as well as gaining qualifications and experience allowing them to teach other young people and be responsible, respectful, empathetic young leaders. Through using my life experiences and the support of FITCAP I now coordinate projects that benefit young people and their families, run youth clubs, provide logistics for holiday camps, manage a food bank, run Freedom Programme sessions, support communities, have the confidence to stand and talk in front of people and manage a warm space. I would not have been able to do any of this if I hadn't met Alison, FITCAP and some of the amazing people within FITCAP.
If it wasn't for FITCAP I can honestly say that I have no idea where I would be today.
At the age of 14 attended a FITCAP summer camp and football tournament, the staff FITCAP had at the time gave me confidence and supported in becoming a volunteer for FITCAP. The FITCAP team showed me patience and empathy as well supporting me with gaining qualification in coaching. This gave me a opportunity to be a role model to other young people in the community who faced similar challenges in life to me. During my years between the age of 16-18 FITCAP played a massive part in helping understand the world is bigger than Birmingham. They achieved this by taking me abroad to Holland and Belgium to play football as well as talking to other young people across Europe about volunteering and using sport a tool for good.
FITCAP continued to develop me as a coach and a person to get into paid work as a coach as well as supporting me to get into university. Having struggled in school academically FITCAP gave me the confidence to challenge myself which led to me finishing university and going into full time work. Looking back on my journey of being involved with sports & community sector for 15years, I am truly thankful for all the support FITCAP has given me. Supporting me as a person to challenge myself and stay away from trouble in the community as well as, support me as a professional with qualifications & CPD.
This has led to me taking on many different roles within the industry such as being a PE Lead, Mentor, Youth Engagement Lead to my current role as Youth Operations Manager.
The success I have today is down to support I received form FITCAP earlier in my life. Life could have been very different for me and my friends in the community if FITCAP was not around!
My name is John McDougall and I started volunteering with Fitcap at aged 18. It actually came about in a very strange way. My Grandad met the CEO of Fitcap, Alison, in KFC. That probably sums up Fitcap in one sentence! They got chatting and he was telling Alison about his Grandson who was a newly qualified football coach. Alison swapped numbers and invited me in, that is how the start of the next 16 years began.
At that time I had left college with a Football level 1 qualification and not a lot more. I did not really have much coaching experience and having grown up with a disability ( partially sighted ) I honestly never really knew if I would get employment or not. I was playing for the England Partially sighted national team at the time, I still play for England now and captain my country. Alison was always telling people about this and looking back now, she was trying to create as many positive role models for all the kids we had on the programme. Alison always had a great way of finding out peoples strengths and focusing on them.
After volunteering at a few after school clubs and helping out at a evening session or two, I was offered my first paid role with Fitcap, helping to coach at a half term camp. I was over the moon at this opportunity and enjoyed every second of it. We were working with some really tricky kids at the time, but once we were able to create a rapport with them, we had them onside, little did I know at the time, that we would be using this strategy for the next 15 years. Alison would secure funding that would allow us to work basically every half term and then the 6 week summer camp, these were fantastic. All the staff would love the summer camp as much as the kids did. We made great friendships and began to create great professional relationships with parents. We were so lucky to watch these young people develop and start to make better life decisions.
During my time at Fitcap, Alison allowed me to complete my FA level 2 and help mentor others, when they were doing the same qualifications. I also took on a local woman's and girls team, something I had never thought about before. Alison helped me massively with this move and supported me to complete my UEFA B Football qualification. This was not just ascribe for my portfolio, it was also to drive me there and support with the delivery of sessions. It was not just me she went above and beyond for, it was every single member of staff, paid or volunteer.
Fitcap managed to get all of us into different schools and most of them took us all on. I ended up staying at one for five years becoming a sports coordinator which has allowed me to move onto bigger things in the fields I wanted to work in. Another thing that Fitcap gave us the opportunity to do, was mentor the younger ones and help develop them, not just as coaches, but as people.
Another thing I would like to mention; while working at Fitcap, I unfortunately got in trouble for fighting on a football pitch, something I am not proud of. Everyone completely panicked, distanced themselves from me and tried to stop me coaching and working with young people. Fitcap, along with the school that they got me into, stood by me and supported me through this. This was a really tough time for me and Fitcap along with Alison.- this is a prime example of backing people and giving people chances.
Fitcap has taught me about the importance of community, trust and giving people second chances. It has helped with me coming to terms with sight loss and allowed me to meet some amazing people that I will never forget. If Fitcap had not been around at the time, I honestly do not know where I would be today. I can confidently say, Fitcap has changed many lives.
At 13 I engaged in an outreach activity ran by FITCAP, they supported me to access some free football sessions which kept me out of trouble. I was then supported with gaining qualification and given the opportunity to volunteer which gave me invaluable experience in coaching and improved my confidence and self-esteem giving me purpose and direction in where I wanted to go with my career.
FITCAP continued to develop me with lots of training opportunities and I started working with them as a paid sessional worker. I then went on to study sports at college and university obtaining a degree in sports studies this led me to becoming head of PE in a primary school which I worked for 12 years achieving great success.
I now have taken the decision to leave that post and have now become a proud and passion director at FITCAP this investment impacted my life significantly I now want to do the same for others