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The Sheffield Academy of Young Leaders (SAYLs) was created in 2006. Each year students are selected from across the City’s schools for their potential ability as leaders. This selection is based on evidence of what they have already demonstrated in their work within school and / or the community.
The emphasis is on developing leadership and taking responsibility for planning, implementing and evaluating events, not just volunteering in the sense of giving time to help.
The Academy is a key element of a volunteering and leadership network for young people of school age and beyond being developed in Sheffield. This involves work at school level, not only for the 14-16 age group but even younger children, such as Playground Leaders (9-11), a 16-19 project in Further Education and opportunities for the City’s University students.
The Academy is now a registered charity (Charity Number 1143856) and works very closely with the cities four School Sports Partnerships. Other partners who support the Academy are Sheffield Hallam University, Activity Sheffield, Sheffield Major Sports Events Unit, schools and some National Governing Bodies of specific sports.
The Academy programme is in part a taught syllabus (e.g. qualities of leadership, working with children and young people, Child Protection, equity and access, sports specific coaching and / or officiating) and in part mentored experiential learning using real activities and events.
All Young Leaders have to undertake leadership roles at events. These range from working with primary children at School Sport Partnership festivals through to speaking at national conferences and volunteering at major events such as the British University & Colleges Sport Championships.
Throughout the programme the Young Leaders record their experiences and evaluate their performance whilst they are mentored by Team Leader's. These Team Leaders are University students and also Young Leaders who have been through the Academy.
The ambition is to create a cadre of high quality Young Leaders year on year and thus contribute to growing and strengthening the Sheffield community infrastructure. Some Academy graduates will follow this work into a linked career pathway, but others will continue to work as high quality volunteers in local community clubs.
In 2011 Sheffield hosted the final Sainsbury's UK School Games before the 2012 London Olympics. Many of the Young Leaders from SAYLs volunteered at the Sainsbury's UK School Games, this had been one of the long term aims of the Academy.
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