After a very challenging year with the Covid-19 pandemic Saints Foundation has seen a significant increase in the number of students being referred to its Engage primary and secondary programme.
To accommodate the number of students, who are in need of the Foundation’s support, we are delighted to announce a second hub has opened, based at Franklin’s Gardens.
The ACS suite has a spacious room for practical activities which help students to increase confidence and boost self-esteem and overlooks the pitch enabling students, at times, to watch the team train. The move comes five months after the programme relocated from the Foundation building to Old Northamptonians Rugby Club to open additional spaces, and the uplift in demand for the Engage programme has accelerated our growth plan. Delivering this programme from a lovely space back at Franklin’s Gardens connects the Foundation and its work with the roots of the Club and its start in 1880 as the “naughty boys club” established by Reverend Wathan Wigg.
Since the move the Engage mentors have been busy putting together a range of activities for the students to develop their teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving and memory with quizzes, a remote control obstacle course and mentor versus student challenges.
“Expanding Engage was always part of our growth strategy, the pandemic has, almost certainly, caused an uplift in the number of referrals we are receiving into this programme so bringing forward this plan to accommodate and offer support to as many young people as we can in recognition of the need was a necessity". said Catherine Deans, Managing Director at Northampton Saints Foundation.
"I am grateful to the Engage team whose efforts to bring this hub to life in a very short time and during lockdown was exceptional, and they have kicked off the programme with some brilliantly creative and innovative activities to start the journey on a positive pathway for the young people on the programme".
Harry Mallinder, Northampton Saints Foundation Ambassador adds "It’s great to see the Engage programme expanding once more as I know the difference the programme makes to young people who are struggling in education. I can’t wait to see the hub in action”.
