- Shanaya attends a weekly Leicester City in the Community youth provision programme
- Over time, she has developed her confidence during the sessions at New Parks
- She now helps Community Engagement Coach Patrick Cox to deliver the session
- Youth Power is funded by the Premier League Professional Footballers Association Fund
A young person in Leicester has found an after-school Leicester City in the Community programme, which has helped her improve her general mood.
That programme, Youth Power, is a youth provision programme delivered by Leicester City’s charitable arm, Leicester City in the Community.
Shanaya attends Youth Power at New Parks Adventure Playground each week with her siblings and has thrived over time.
Community Engagement Coach at Leicester City in the Community, Patrick Cox, has adapted his delivery to suit Shanaya’s needs, which has helped boost her confidence and enjoyment of the session.
“Our Youth Power programme is about getting young people to try new skills and learn different things about themselves,” he explained.
“Shanaya is a very self-confident person; but is really quiet so she doesn’t say a lot about how she’s feeling or what’s going on.
“She helps me deliver the session, which has improved her self-esteem and confidence - she is well respected by a lot of her peers.”
Shanaya has gone from a shy girl that would barely partake in activities, to a confident young person, who helps run the session.
A huge factor behind her development is her relationship with Patrick and Phil Hollis, Playworker at New Parks Adventure Playground.
Hollis commented: “She has a lot of pressures at home, so the session is a sort of release where her younger siblings could go and play.
“Patrick and Shanaya’s relationship has grown quite a bit over the time Patrick started running the session.
“You can see the change in her and how she’s grown, from being a young child with all the pressures that comes with it, to coming here and actually starting to enjoy herself.”
You can watch Shanaya’s story HERE. To find out more on Youth Power, please contact Patrick Cox via email: patrick.cox@lcfc.co.uk.