The Limes Academy goes live . . .

17 AUG 2011

Chapter 1’s Manchester hostel for young homeless men, The Limes, is providing support in a holistic way. They’ve created workshops to develop the residents’ life skills and provide a platform for further progression in education, employment and independent living.
They’ve devised a structured plan for the week, with the help from their residents. It has been developed firstly to improve motivation, progressively improve confidence, and to implement key skills along the way.
Each day consists of some form of activity from keeping fit, to creating art. Within each  activity, residents are required to complete the academy manual, where participants must abide by the code of conduct, and complete a table of goals and objectives they would like to achieve from taking part in the various activities on offer:
Sports Activities:
Running club, fitness class (strength, circuit, Interval and abs classes), football session in partnership with Manchester City, wing chun (meditation and breathing exercises), basketball and swimming.
Fun Activities:
Wii console nights; cooking sessions; art class; film nights; and tea, coffee and toast day for resident feedback.
Residents are provided with various workshops and classes, which run in tandem with the support plan.
The employability class runs every Wednesday morning, working with CVs and interview techniques.  The Limes partnership with the JobCentre Plus enables candidates who attend the class to obtain information on various job vacancies in the area. There are state of the art computers with internet access to search for jobs and create CVs and cover letters. These classes are conducted by an ex-employee of the Jobcentre Plus who is now works for Chapter 1 at the Limes.
A move-on workshop helps residents to improve DIY skills such as fixing doors, painting and decorating, and learning about electricity and gas in the home. These classes are run by tutors from Manchester College.
Other courses include the weekly sports leaders course which will be amalgamated into the academy and helps residents attain life skills such as confidence, respect, planning, organising and motivation. This course is led by Dean Ashton, a Chapter 1 staff member.
Finally, something special to celebrate . . .
Chapter 1The Limes already has a proven track record for involving young homeless people in sport, but they have even more to celebrate now. One of their residents, Courtney Wallace, has been selected to play for England in the football Homeless World Cup in Paris in August.
Well done, Courtney.