Brilliant leaders can come from anywhere, and developing good leadership skills can result in a lifetime of self confidence and resilience.

This was the sentiment that led us to develop our new leadership training programme, ‘Leaders of Fun’, alongside our long-term funding partner UBS. The programme trains primary aged children to lead fun-for-all playground activities, raising activity levels and developing pupils’ teamwork, communication and confidence. Based on our ‘Science of Fun’ philosophy, the programme teaches children the core ingredients involved in creating fun games for their peers, and then gives them the confidence to lead the games during break times.

We are currently delivering our latest 'Leaders of Fun' programmes across London. At SportInspired, we recognise that leadership and communication skills are fundamental to learn from an early age, and that young people can greatly benefit from being actively trained and empowered as leaders. 

Our CEO, Richard Raynes, said: “You don’t have to be a teenager or young adult to be a leader. Children can be confident leaders at any age.” 

In consultation with school staff and pupils, we provide 6 ‘Leaders of Fun’ training sessions for 12 year 4, 5 and 6 pupils. Additionally, we offer training for staff and volunteers as desired. During our fun-filled sessions, we utilise games to encourage children to be confident leaders and active in the playground. Our sessions are broken down into 3 steps: 

1. First, Year 5 pupils learn the principles of leadership and of active fun
2. Next, Year 5 pupils learn the games that bring these principles to life
3. Finally, Year 5 pupils bring the games to the playground and teach younger pupils in Year 1-4 how to play the game and have fun 

“You can really see them finding their voice. We've been trying with these children to unlock that confidence in them for years and in the space of six sessions you can really see it,” said Sam, a teacher from a school benefitting from SportInspired’s ‘Leaders of Fun’ training. 

OUR PHILOSOPHY

‘Leaders of Fun’ sessions are developed around our ‘Science of Fun’ model that breaks down the core experiences involved with having fun. When you experience fun, dopamine is released in the brain which is the human reward for behaviour that benefits our survival. To increase this reward mechanism, we believe all activity should encompass these 3 catalysts of fun:

1. Freedom Fun – being completely present and excited in the moment, feeling as though nothing else matters in the world
2. People Fun – being a great teammate, enjoying being part of a team and making it fun for everyone involved
3. Skill Fun – the great feeling that comes with learning a new skill or improving an existing skill

At SportInspired, we are making it our mission to create games that encompass all 3 catalysts of fun so that every child can enjoy participating in sport. That is why we bring exciting games to each session that incorporate Freedom Fun, People Fun and Skill Fun.

OUR SUCCESS 

As a new programme,  ‘Leaders of Fun’ already has proven success. One student, Jamil said, “I feel more confident meeting new people. Before, I couldn’t really talk to new people in Year 1, but when I was a leader I felt I could meet anyone!” 

Furthermore, we have learned from our delivery that hands-on learning is extremely effective when dealing with children. To build pupils’ communication and leadership skills, we found that keeping our sessions as simple and engaging as possible is crucial to success. 

To get involved with our ‘Leaders of Fun’ programme as a volunteer or partner school, reach out to our CEO directly at [email protected].

Special thanks go to UBS for the instrumental support and funding required to design and deliver Leaders of Fun.