Lee is a BTEC Sports Student at Dumfries and Galloway College.  She is working with Active Schools Co-ordinators from Dumfries and Galloway Council in conjunction with Dumfries Amateur Boxing club to deliver a wide range of sport sessions and coaching to the wider community.

Lee has been able to raise the profile of boxing by working with the Active School Coordinator to plan and deliver boxing courses in local schools.  This has shown how well partnerships can work together and provides a previously unavailable option in the schools programme.

Lee was no stranger to volunteering when she became a student as she was already involved with Dumfries Amateur Boxing Club as the Ladies Coach and Development Officer.  Becoming a sports student meant that Lee was encouraged to get involved with the Active Schools initiative and this has resulted in huge benefits for the College, for the club and for individuals in the community.

Lee is very much aware that her voluntary activity has greatly increased her employability skills, her confidence, and as she says, “It has made me a more responsible citizen helping me to make a difference in my community.  Volunteering personally benefits my performance on my college sports course enabling me to relate volunteering experiences to the theories of coaching and sports development.   I spend sixteen hours a week participating in events, coaching, delivering individualised training programmes, along with college volunteering activities as well as delivering PE and coaching sessions in local schools.  Volunteering gives me a great deal of personal satisfaction and lets me contribute to my local community giving me much more insight into sports development and coaching for my future career.  I will definitely continue to volunteer in the future.”

Dumfries and Galloway College has also benefited as Lee has been able to plan and deliver boxing sessions to other sports classes, thus introducing another sport subject choice to the curriculum, “with several of my fellow peers now taking up the sport at the club”.

The Boxing Club has benefited by working with other partnerships as Lee has been able to introduce new members, bring the local community into the provision and help to raise the profile of the club.

Many individuals have benefited but in particular Lee has worked very closely with two youngsters who were in a care home, both having low trust and confidence.  As a result of coming to the boxing club they became much more engaged, not only with the sport but with other people.  As Lee points out, “it was rewarding to see them gain in confidence and this gave me my first experience in working on a one-to-one basis as a personal mentor”.