Opportunity knocks for HITZ youngster Jack
By Mark Stevens
22/3/22
Jack Gallop was a shy, timid, and lonely figure when he joined the HITZ programme following his GCSEs. His autism caused challenges which resulted in an unhappy time during school and left him opting out of continuing his education in a mainstream college environment.
Struggling to listen or remain focused for long periods, one thing Jack knew was he loved was sport, but he lacked direction and career aspiration. With a supportive family around him, Jack found the HITZ programme and hasn’t looked back since.
HITZ is Premiership Rugby’s flagship education and employability programme, working with over 2,000 14-to-23-year-olds across England every year with the support of the CVC Foundation and Wooden Spoon, and is delivered with official education partner SCL Education Group. Delivered by 13 Premiership Rugby shareholder clubs, the programme uses the power of community alongside rugby’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline, and sportsmanship, to support young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET) back into education, training, apprenticeships and/or employment.
Jack is just one inspirational young person we will be celebrating during round 21 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby (25-27 March). All matches during this weekend will be dedicated to the award-winning community programmes we run. These benefit more than 250,000 people across the UK every year and we will be shining the spotlight on some of the individuals supported to celebrate their stories.
Living with autism made forming friendships challenging for Jack and he often felt isolated. Despite his loving and supportive family, he struggled with low self-confidence and a lack of self-belief. All of this changed once Jack joined HITZ and his hard work, dedication and passion for sport shone through. His engagement with sport also helped him to talk to others and this helped him to form friendships.
A transformation not only in Jack’s mental wellbeing but also in his physical health became evident. He got involved in every opportunity to increase his fitness and thrived as he saw improvements in his health and agility. Channelling his tendency to fixate on his interests, Jack was hardworking and passionate, and he became a role model amongst his peers within this engaging environment.
It was Jack’s HITZ tutors who inspired him to pursue a career in sports coaching with their unique approach to teaching. He gained his coaching qualifications and with confidence high, became head coach for an under 7s football team, taking them under his wing, as well as coaching at rugby camps and setting up his own six a side football team with his friends. Moreover, he is now giving back to the HITZ programme by supporting with coaching sessions in his current Kickstart role.
Jack says ‘Coaching has improved my confidence and communication skills which is something I really struggled with prior to joining HITZ. I now liaise with parents and other teams to arrange fixtures. I have also applied for a full-time academy coach position at Exeter City FC which is my dream job.’
With a passion for sport and a clear desire to pursue a career in sports coaching, coupled with his qualifications and his volunteer roles, the future looks bright for Jack.
HITZ Officer, Gareth Williams, says ‘Jack has expressed his desire to gain an apprenticeship in sports coaching - a role that I believe Jack would be excellent in. Exeter HITZ would like to support this next step in his progression. His positive nature and passion for the sport is infectious. He has made such a positive impact in our community offering sports to young people.’
Wayne Morris, Community & Corporate Social Responsibility Director at Premiership Rugby, says of Jack’s story: “We are delighted to support Jack to gain qualifications and a clear career direction in a setting where he thrives. Learning through community programmes like HITZ provides a different approach to inspire young people. It can ignite a confidence through sport that allows individuals to carve out a better future for themselves.’
Since its inception in 2008 the HITZ programme has helped over 20,000 14–23-year-olds, like Jack, with 75% completing the HITZ learning academy. A huge 80% of participants have expressed improvements in life skills such as confidence and resilience. It is these newfound skills that help 80% of the participants who complete the programme to go straight on to education, employment, or training.