Passing knowledge through the generations

How do you get six year-olds to understand all about the importance of healthy lifestyles and exercise? Get a bunch of enthusiastic 11 year-olds to deliver the message, with a little help from some new computer skills. Alix Molyneux, age 11, admits that coaching and presenting to a class of six year-olds was "a bit scary", but it was still a lot of fun. She also knows that the subject of her talk, living a healthy lifestyle, is a very important one for young people to learn about.

She explains: "I don't think young people exercise or eat healthily enough at the moment. They watch TV and play video games instead."

Taking over an after-school session at her school as assistant coach was the final session of a Communicating for Success (CfS) course run by Manchester City Football Club’s registered charity, City in the Community. CfS is a £1 million nationwide initiative from BT and the Football Foundation.

The goal of the Manchester CfS course is to help young people ages 10 and 11 use computer skills to develop a programme of activities highlighting the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise.

This includes the making of their own video on the topics, with all of them taking part in filming and creation of a DVD. They in turn present their programme and video to younger children at their own schools.

The IT tools for the job

The first part of this CfS course took place during the February half-term. For three days Alix and the other young participants were helped by the course teacher, study centre instructors and the City in the Community coaches to develop their sport and health programme and then to create a DVD using presentation and video software.

This proved to be a really fun and engaging exercise for all the youngsters. Alan Dixon is the City in the Community coach who oversaw the fitness aspects of the course.

He says: "All the children were really excited about the making of the video, learning the different elements along the way and then seeing all the clips come together as a film. Of course, they are not only learning computer skills and about healthy lifestyles, they are also learning teamwork and communication skills as well."

There was also exercise in the form of football and other sporting skills. Alix says she was excited about the course from the beginning because she likes sports, it was an opportunity to help others and to meet new friends, as the course was attended by children from more than one school.

Alan says he could see clearly how much Alix had progressed by the end of the course, particularly in her ability to concentrate for long periods, complete all the tasks and take instruction from the coaches.

He says: "She probably benefited the most of the young people on the course. She was far more focussed and patient as she progressed through it. In the follow up sessions where Alix had the responsibility to present in front of the Year Two students she was a different girl to the one who started the course at half-term."

By its nature the course is quite a challenge for all the 11 year-olds, who have to be creative with the content of the video, then be brave enough to stand up in front of lots of other children when they become 'coach' for a session.

Alan says: "It is a big step for some of them, but the responsibility does build their confidence. Alix is a good example of this. And we think it does help the healthy lifestyle concept hit home with the younger children when they see someone they know delivering the message."

Alix admits she didn't know much about healthy eating and exercise before she did the course, but in a short time really got to understand the topics. Alix says that the course also helped her understand that computer skills are important.

Alix also designed some certificates for presentation to the younger children taking part in the after school sessions. She enjoyed taking part in all the exercise, including dancing, which she loves.

Alix says: "My favourite was all the pop music 'cause it has a good beat and we could be really energetic."

Taking responsibility

After the half-term course, there were follow-up sessions after school over a period of six weeks at their own school.

These required the course participants to assist in the delivery of fitness sessions to Year Two and then prepare the final session where they became 'coach', delivering their own class. Each week different coaching skills were worked on, and topics such as fun, teamwork, communication, being a role model and organisation and achievement at the final session.

Alan says: "Alix displayed her skills very effectively in front of the Year Two children in her role as an assistant coach and she thrived on the responsibility. She was encouraging to others, was able to motivate the children and throughout the six weeks displayed different characteristics that weren’t evident previously. Hopefully she will be able to transfer her improvements during the programme into her goals in life."

More than 300 children from schools across Manchester have taken part in a Communicating for Success course over the past six months. Alix has no doubt that she benefitted and that other young people could too.

She explains: "The best thing about the course was all the different types of sports and exercise we did and meeting lots of new people. Since the course I have been happier and more confident speaking to others. It is worth taking part - it can make a difference and it is great fun too!"

Alix was involved in Communicating for Success, , which motivates people who are not confident with technology, by enabling them to produce content for a national TV channel as they learn about using digital devices and software. The Communicating for Success TV channel is BT Vision’s first community channel  and underpins a groundbreaking partnership between BT and the Football Foundation designed to tackle digital exclusion.. For more information visit www.footballfoundation.org.uk/cfs