Finlay Smith: My work placement with Streetsport
“Last week I spent my time doing a work placement with Streetsport at the Denis Law Legacy Trust which has been an all-round great experience.
“As soon as I walked through the door I have been made to feel welcome by everyone working in and around the office. On top of that I’ve had the chance to see exactly what the work everyone does consists of while also being able to attend some of the sessions that are done by Streetsport throughout the week.
“Every day I have done a variety of different things that are involved in the running of Streetsport with some of those tasks being ones I wouldn’t have necessarily associated with the charity when I first arrived.
“I originally came in with the idea that the work is mainly just the running of sport sessions, however I soon found this was not the case and was able to have the chance to collate media coverage from the opening of the new Cruyff Court Neale Cooper as well as looking for companies that would be able to embroider the Streetsport logo onto different work clothing.
“These may seem like smaller tasks but they are ones that are needed to be done and are important to make sure that people know as much as possible about who Streetsport are.
“I have always enjoyed working on media stuff so this allowed me to have the chance to work hard on it in a real-life working situation which will be incredibly valuable in the future.
“As well as the in-office work, I also tagged along to one of the evening sessions at the new Cruyff Court Neale Cooper in Tullos. This session was later on in the night and the rain was pouring down so I was unsure whether there would be that big of a turnout.
“However, my doubts were thrown to one side because 30 young people had turned up to make sure they were there for a great kick-about. I took a massive amount of enjoyment from seeing how committed the young boys and girls were to turning up as well as it being great to see how much they enjoyed the session itself.
“On Thursday, I had the chance to do a session close to home at Inverurie Academy. We had a range of sports available to play, from football and dodgeball to spike ball and head tennis. We had a great turnout, especially since it was during a lunch time, and I was able to get stuck in and see how much everyone was enjoying the opportunity to play. The trip allowed me to understand how these sessions are carried out and would definitely be something I would consider doing again in the future.
“Having the chance to reflect on my week with the Streetsport team, it has really opened up my eyes to how important their work is across Aberdeen and the incredible impact it has on young people across the city.
“I would certainly recommend to anyone that if they ever have the chance to become involved with Streetsport in any way possible, that they should jump at the opportunity straight away and grab it with two hands.
“I have got to give a huge thanks to everyone that has helped me and welcomed me throughout my week. Everyone has allowed me to get a better perspective of what Denis Law Legacy Trust and its programmes are all about but most of all have made the week one that I have enjoyed massively and will certainly take with me into later life.”
Finlay, 5th year at Kemnay Academy.
From all of us at Streetsport and the Trust as a whole, thanks very much Finlay for your efforts and good luck with your exams and future! You’re more than welcome back any time.