A charity in Milton Keynes has had its biggest finals yet, with over 200 teenagers across the city attending its free summer camp.
5 On It Foundation has had its biggest ‘Hang Out Games’ finals yet, with over 200 teenagers aged 12-16 across Milton Keynes attending the summer camp, spending their time on outdoor courts at a two-week camp, run by the charity, at St Paul’s Catholic School.
The Hang Out Games, launched last year, aims to ensure teenagers have access to free activities and food during school holidays.
The programme has been supported by Milton Keynes City Council, Sport England, Postcode Trust and Milton Keynes Christian Centre. Participants played in exhilarating finals events across three key sports - basketball, football, and netball - it was tense and exciting to the end.
Deputy Mayor Councilor, John Lancaster, attended the Games and enjoyed a delicious lunch of curry and jollof rice with the 5 On It team and gave some words of motivation to the young athletes before their finals.
Sports were not the only feature of the Hang Out Games; a fantastic Nutri Troops Animation Workshop was run for special educational needs (SEN) students who wanted to embellish their creative skills with artist and famous YouTuber, Raven Delgado, plus a DJ workshop with worldwide DJ, DJ Cinderella.
On finals day budding DJs tried their hands at mixing with DJ Cinderella, who DJ’s for number-one artists Becky Hill, Neyo and Lloyd. There was something for everyone this summer.
Peter Bakare, 2012 Volleyball Olympian and Programmes Director, said, “The Hang Out Games provides an opportunity for young people to come together in a safe setting, to hang out, have fun, play sports, try something new and receive free coaching from professional athletes and industry professions. Young people across the country are being exploited by criminal gangs so it is so important that we as a community give young people a safe place to play and learn. It’s fantastic to see so much talent, enthusiasm and smiling faces amongst participants.”
At the heart of the Hang Out Games is the anti-gang message, ‘Gang Today, Gone Tomorrow’, created by the 5 On It Foundation. The local charity strives to keep young people on the right path by providing free sports and creative arts programmes that help teenagers focus on healthy activities and socialise in healthy spaces.
Role Models are at the heart of the charity, which was set up by professional athletes in the city. The sports team consists of Coaches, Nigel Lloyd (Pro Basketball player and former Head Coach for Barbados), Jordan Spencer and Kai Williams (Pro Basketballer players), Stacy Lloyd (former Netballer for Barbados National team), Axel Ampedu (Pro Footballer), and Assistant Coach William Issekya (USA College Bound).
Nigel Lloyd, 5 On It’s Head Coach said, “Role models who live in Milton Keynes are so important because they help guide the young people in the right direction as they begin to make life decisions. They provide inspiration and support when they need it most and they can observe and learn how they tackle and face difficult situations. It’s great for young people to see the likes of Jordan Spencer, one of our coaches who grew up in Emerson Valley, who is now playing professional basketball for Newcastle Eagles. It makes young people think… ‘if he can do it, maybe I can too!”
One of the great things about the Hangout Games was that young people had the opportunity to be rewarded for their hard work each day, whilst learning soft skills, winning prizes such as sports vouchers, and collecting points working in teams leading to a finals on the last day. The top players from each sport with the most amount of points over the summer were awarded a pair of Nike Sports Trainers for their chosen sport.
This week the young sports stars will meet with their coaches to pick their trainers.
5 On It Foundation currently has no funding for their Winter Hang Out Games which is planned for December 2024, and they would love to hear from businesses who want to join them in their drive to keep future generations healthier and happier.
For more information about sponsorship packages or to donate prizes for future programmes please email Lolly Marlborough on admin@5onit.co.uk.
