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In October 2016 Empower was commissioned by St Christophers school to run their first Volunteer to Employment program.


PROJECT AIM

  1. Build individual confidence to successfully complete a volunteer placement in the community.
  2. Build individual confidence and self-awareness to enable each student to make an informed choice about their future career/education plans.
  3. To enhance their skills as a sports leader over and above the technical coaching skills  required to undertake this role.

To measure and track progress Empower used a robust psycho metric measure MTQ48 – Mental Toughness 48 Questionnaire at 3 intervention points.


KEY FINDINGS

  • Across the group overall Mental Toughness increased by 0.75 sten points with 5 of the group also shifting into a different sten range.
  • The biggest change in the group is in overall confidence, increasing by 1.15  sten points and notably inter-personal confidence by 1.45 points.This was the primary focus of the program as we wanted the students to develop greater confidence and belief in both their abilities and also in their interactions with people outside of the security of the school setting.

Across all control elements the group scores reduced slightly by 0.34 sten points.

At an individual level only 4 pupils scored lower on these scales with the majority of the group remaining the same. We did not expect this element to change significantly because of the age and nature of the group and the limited opportunities for the students to increase their level of “control”. 


WHAT EMPOWER SAID

The MTQ48 has provided an invaluable tool in tracking both individuals and the overall impact of the program. In reviewing the data both Empower and St Christophers are confident that the program achieved the outcomes originally set out.

The volunteer placements have had a profound impact on the group with some individuals completing in excess of 50 hours volunteering and many opting to continue volunteering over and above the requisite 20 community hours. This is further supported by the testimonials received from the students.

WHAT THE PARTICIPANTS SAID

“The course has given me confidence to explore volunteering opportunities outside of the school environment.”

“The course has given me the confidence to work in the community without the support of my teachers and peers.”

Read the Full Case Study