“Inspire and be inspired, as you never know who's watching" - Khadijah Safari BEM Visits Our Lady's Catholic Primary School
“Inspire and be inspired, as you never know who's watching" - Khadijah Safari BEM Visits Our Lady's Catholic Primary School
Building on the success of previous Mintridge programmes with Laura Sugar MBE, Fil Kamps, Jordan Jarrett – Bryan and Eboni Usoro – Brown, it was now the turn of Team Mintridge Ambassador, Khadijah Safari BEM to make her way to Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
The Mintridge Foundation is dedicated to helping young people find their mental fitness superpowers. Following research conducted by Loughborough University, Mintridge successfully replaces any negative notion of pressure around physical activity with fun, breaking down barriers and levelling the playing field. That is exactly what Khadijah did during her visit on 30th June 2022.
A fun filled day of kickboxing was in store for the Our Lady’s students as Khadijah (the Founder of Safari MMA based in Milton Keynes that focusses on Muay Thai and MMA) used her expertise and impactful role modelling to be the perfect visitor for the Our Lady’s students.
The day began with an assembly led by the Diversity and Inclusion advocate as Khadijah shared her sporting journey with the children. The presentation had themes of fairness, respect and enjoyment flowing throughout tales of her Black Belt, founding the UK’s first women’s only martial arts club and becoming part of Lucozade Sport and the Independent’s Top 50 Movers List that led to an array of questions from pupils.
The students were soon introduced to kickboxing in coaching sessions in their year groups as “Guard Up” and “Jab Cross” could be heard throughout the school grounds as energy levels gradually rose throughout each session. Demonstrations and teacher participation meant that there was a high level of engagement from all students and confidently everyone began to showcase controlled yet powerful movement.
Each session ended with autographs and photos as well as a medal for pupils that showcased development and enthusiasm; the perfect end to the class before the Mintridge Foundation left a team of inspired children behind them to go onto achieve whatever they wish to. For pupils that really enjoyed their session with Khadijah and would like to look into clubs in your local area of Wellingborough, please contact Shudan Martial Arts or Fighting Fit Academy.
Thank you very much to the staff of Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School for welcoming us back on a fifth occasion, we absolutely loved our time with you, and we look forward to hearing how everyone progresses.
Have a brilliant summer everyone!
The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.
Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as Fitswarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.
The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.
The Mintridge Foundation
Unit 4, Shieling Court
Northfolds Road
Corby
Northants
NN18 9QD
Tel: +44 (0) 1536 447106
www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk