why sport relief
matters for young people

Ask any teacher what young people need to succeed, and the answers are often the same: confidence, resilience, positive relationships and a sense of belonging. Yet for too many children growing up in the UK today, those foundations cannot be taken for granted.

At School of Hard Knocks (SOHK), we work with young people who are at risk of disengaging from education and missing out on opportunities that can shape the rest of their lives. Many arrive on our programme lacking confidence, struggling to manage emotions, or feeling disconnected from school and their peers. What they need is not simply intervention, but connection: trusted adults, supportive environments and the chance to believe in themselves again.

That is why support from Comic Relief’s Sport Relief campaign is so important.

Earlier this year, SOHK was proud to feature in Jill Scott’s Coming Home Challenge, a Sport Relief campaign celebrating the organisations and individuals using sport to create stronger, more connected communities. The campaign explored a simple but powerful idea: home is not just where we live, but where we feel accepted, supported and that we belong. It is an idea that sits at the heart of our work.

Across our partner schools, SOHK delivers a two-year programme that combines rugby, evidence-based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and one-to-one mentoring. Through weekly sessions, young people learn how to manage conflict, build positive relationships, develop self-awareness and grow their confidence. Alongside this, they receive support from qualified practitioners who provide consistency, encouragement and guidance during some of the most challenging years of adolescence.

The impact can be profound. Young people who once struggled to engage in school begin participating more fully in lessons. Those who found it difficult to trust adults develop meaningful relationships with mentors. Many discover strengths and capabilities they did not know they possessed.

None of this happens in isolation. It is made possible by partnerships and supporters who understand that sport can be a powerful catalyst for change.

The Big Swim

This September, Sport Relief is once again inviting people to turn physical activity into positive action through The Big Swim. Whether participants take on a personal challenge, swim with friends or simply get back in the water for a good cause, every stroke can help fund organisations supporting young people and communities across the UK.

For the children and young people we work with, that support translates into real opportunities: a safe space to be heard, a trusted adult who is there week after week, and the skills and confidence to navigate life’s challenges.

The connection between swimming a few lengths and transforming a young person’s future may not seem obvious at first. Yet that is the power of collective action. When thousands of people come together behind a shared cause, they help create opportunities that can change lives.

At SOHK, we are grateful to Sport Relief and everyone taking part in campaigns such as Jill Scott’s Coming Home Challenge and The Big Swim. Their support helps ensure more young people can develop the confidence, resilience and sense of belonging they need to thrive, in school today and in life beyond the classroom.

This September, dive in for something bigger. Join The Big Swim and help create brighter futures for young people across the UK. 💙