Events

In August the JRF joined forces with local partners, Cricklewood Boxing Club and First Round Fitness, to promote their new weekly Boxing sessions.

The event held at Bridgestone Arena, the ‘home’ of the Foundation since it’s launch in 2007,  proved to be very popular with people of all ages and abilities using punch bags in the new gym area that has been created at the centre, or sparring for those who already had some experience in the sport.

The male and female coaches from Cricklewood Boxing Club and First Round Fitness ensured everyone who attended the event were armed with some of the moves including how to jab, cross, hook, and upper cut, as well as how to guard against their opponents’ punches.

Girls proved to be as quick on the jab as the boys, and many left the event with the enthusiasm to take part in the weekly sessions on offer.

Otis Roberts, CEO of the Foundation commented, “It was great to see so many people take part in our Boxing Clever event, and we were especially pleased to see an increased number of girls getting involved. We are grateful to our partners Cricklewood Boxing Club and First Round Fitness for their support in hosting this event and we hope to do another one soon.”

JRF Boxing sessions are held at Bridgestone Arena, NW10 8LW on the following days:

Wednesday 7 – 8pm for all ages

Thursday 5 – 6 pm for 5 – 8-yrs / 7 – 8pm for Girls / 8 – 9pm for 16+ yrs

Saturday 12.30 – 1.30 pm for all ages

Sunday 1 – 2 pm

For details of Cricklewood Boxing Club classes go to https://www.cricklewoodboxinggym.com/timetable-and-classes/

For information on First Round Fitness go to https://www.firstroundfitness.co.uk/

Earlier this month JRF added Health in the Community to the ever-growing agenda of sports, fitness, and participation programmes on offer, with a Health Matters Event at Bridgestone Arena.

Over 200 people from the Brent community attended the event and had the opportunity to hear from several health professionals against a backdrop of sporting activities that they could participate in.

Delegates from Brent Health Matters including Andre the agency’s Clinical Lead, and representatives from Mental Health and Sexual Health were on hand to speak to the community about these important topics.

Lyndon Wissart – the Inspired Diabetic and professional Chef was also present to provide nutrition and diet guidance as well as information on Diabetes as were the 360 Well-being Company.

A series of short talks with the young people and elders who attended, with interviews and pep talks providing much needed advice continued into the evening and the over 50s were given a masterclass in nutrition and diet before their football match.

Otis Roberts, CEO of the Foundation commented, “It was extremely pleasing to see so many members of the Brent community – young and old, come along to this Health event. It’s clear that Health Matters to many people and we are grateful to the support from local health organisations and professionals by attending.

We were delighted to welcome Esther, one of our regulars on the weekly online fitness sessions delivered by Cherrelle and Michael, to the centre and we look forward to seeing her more.”

JRF hope to continue these types of events that provide vital information to the Brent community on a more frequent basis throughout the rest of the year and beyond.

Watch the video here https://vimeo.com/630981569

Links:

Lyndon Wissart – The Inspired Diabetic https://www.filamentpublishing.com/shop/health-fitness/the-inspired-diabetic/

Brent Health Matters https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-community/brent-health-matters/

The JRF are delighted to be supporting Brent Council’s upcoming Insight Day at the Civic Centre on Tuesday 26^th October to raise awareness about employment prospects for young people aged 16 – 25 years old.

Please see full details below:

Do you work with young people wanting some careers advice? The Insights days is for them and you.

Insight day

Brent Council, in partnership with Newman Catholic College, Ultra Education, West Side Young Leaders, Young Brent Foundation and Jason Roberts Foundation are holding a careers event at the Civic Centre on 26 October 2021 for young people aged 16-25 years old.

The event aims to raise awareness about employment prospects as well as offering support to develop job opportunities. An added focus of the event will be on employment prospects for members of the Black community.

The insight day is a free event open to all. Food will be available and it is hoped that this will become an annual occasion. Brent is a great place in which to work and live and this event is designed to ensure that the incredibly talented people in our borough can access the opportunities necessary to support a fulfilled and happy life.

Please encourage your young people to sign up using the Eventbrite link below.

Eventbrite link :https://bit.ly/Brentinsightday.

On Tuesday 3^rd August the Jason Roberts Foundation in partnership with the Cultural Media Centre hosted a live discussion on the COVID-19 vaccination specifically aimed at young people.

With Health experts on the panel, young people had the opportunity to join the discussion, ask questions about the vaccination and discuss with their peers what the jab means to them.

Doctors were on hand to answer the young people’s questions and to offer their professional advice and opinion on the vaccination, to enable them to make an informed decision.

The live discussion via Zoom was available for other young people from brent to join the conversation and help them to decide whether to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

The JRF Team are grateful to the Health professionals for their time in answering the young peoples questions, as well as the youth panel for taking part in the conversation.

To watch a recording of the discussion click here:https://vimeo.com/585813697

On Friday 3^rd September JRF hosted a community First Aid training day which was attended by JRF staff and coaches, community members, and leaders from across the Borough.

The training was part of JRF’s Building Communities programme funded by the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) through Brent Council, which aims to engage residents from targeted areas, and encourage them to access sports, fitness activities, training, and community events at Bridgestone Arena, the home of JRF.

As well as general first aid techniques the trainer gave life-saving advice and practical experience to the two groups of 12 trainees. The groups were also given a focused training session on how to use a defibrillator which was timely, as the JRF were recently given one by the Justin Edinburgh Foundation.

The feedback from the day was very positive with participants feeling better equipped and informed on such an important topic.

Local resident Hussein who took part in the training said, “When I heard the Foundation were running this course, I immediately jumped at the chance to attend and to upskill myself. I now feel in a better position to save a life.”

JRF Safeguarding Officer Valerie Robert said, “We have a lot of local volunteers and community members who access the centre, and we were pleased to be able to offer them this vital training. I was delighted by the response and enthusiasm from the two groups during the sessions and I’m sure we will be offering more community training courses in the future.”

As the British Heart Foundation say on their website , “Communities can play a big part in creating a nation of life savers. Having a defibrillator in your community and training people in CPR means that more people will know what to do when someone has a cardiac arrest.” https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/cpr-training-in-communities/defibrillators-in-communities

These Brent residents now know how to save a life.

If you would like to learn more about the Building Communities programme, or would like to be informed of future community training courses please contact the JRF at info@jasonrobertsfoundation.org

The JRF dance group were the pride of everyone at the Foundation when they were asked to perform at the Pride of Brent Youth Awards 2021 Ceremony in August.

After hours of dance rehearsals in preparation for the community event the group put on a brilliant performance that thrilled the audience of Councillors, local people and organisations.

The Pride of Brent Youth Awards organised by Brent Council, “is about recognising and celebrating the outstanding achievements of the brilliant young people in our borough, and to celebrate those who have gone above and beyond to help their local community and support others in 2020-2021.” In 2020 the Jason Roberts Foundation was honoured to be nominated as one of the community groups that had been recognised for supporting the Brent community through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shaq, the young pioneer leading the dance group had only recently started delivering dance coaching sessions with the JRF to develop young people in dance, expression, and movement, before the first National lockdown in March 2020. As restrictions gradually eased Shaq retained his regular Friday evening session, though online rather than in person. His dedication in delivering these dance classes via Zoom enabled Brent residents to keep fit and active during time spent at home.

The performance at Brent Town Hall was a great success and helped to make the Awards Ceremony a truly memorable occasion, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the organisers, and those working behind the scenes.

Patience one of the performers said, ‘At JRF we do sport, education, media, dance and pathways to employment. I take part in everything because opportunities in life sometimes are too good to miss.’

Shaquille, the dance group’s leader, added ‘ A lot of dancers were initially shy when the Friday sessions first started. But when we were told we had been chosen to perform at the ceremony it gave everyone a focus and helped to inspire them to believe that they had the ability to perform under pressure but still enjoy it. That’s exactly what they did and I’m so proud of them.’

The JRF Team couldn’t agree more.

A video of the performance can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/605429434

Shaq’s dance sessions are run on Friday’s starting at 7pm from the JRF Bridgestone Arena site.

The Jason Roberts Foundation are hosting a Careers Expo at Bridgestone Arena (formerly the Pavilion) NW10 8LW with the backdrop of the iconic Wembley Stadium on Wednesday 18^th August from 4.00 – 8.00 pm.

Young people aged 16 + will have the opportunity to come down and enjoy a range of sports activities including football, basketball, Teqball, and netball, and explore a range of career and training opportunities in a no-pressure environment.

Where careers and sport meet, the expo will host professionals from a range of industries, businesses, and large corporations to offer tips, advice, and information on Apprenticeships, internships, training programmes, and careers.

To open the gates towards their chosen career, this event is a great opportunity for young people to ask questions and gain insight from a range of local and national companies.

Please share with any young people aged 16 + who might be interested in attending this free event.

For business leaders and professionals – we still have spaces available if you would like to have a stand at the event. Please contact otis@jasonrobertsfoundation.org for more details.