The last week of October was the annual National Care Leavers Week. Arsenal in the Community is immensely proud to work in partnership with Islington Council to celebrate and support care-experienced children and young people.
Arsenal in the Community, Islington Council and Islington Virtual School – a group of education professionals who work with social workers and social care – work in collaboration to provide opportunities for children and young people. They take part in a range of activities with Arsenal and attend specially devised events and courses at the Emirates Stadium. These are designed to boost life and workplace skills and help young people progress into employment.
The success of the relationship led to a formal agreement between Islington Council’s Virtual School and Arsenal in the Community in 2021. Everyone involved is passionate about providing the best opportunities for young people and inspiring them to succeed.
“Islington Virtual School’s partnership with Arsenal is a great example of community parenting,” says Matthew Blood, Headteacher for Children with a Worker, Islington Virtual School.
“We are proud to be associated with our local club, helping children and young people connect with Arsenal and fulfil their dreams,” he adds.
Some of the programmes that Arsenal in the Community and Islington Virtual School work on together are:
Arsenal Kick-Off Homework & Learning Club
Weekly sessions are held at The Arsenal Hub for care-experienced young people in primary and secondary schools.
Arsenal Kick-Off provides a safe space after school for them to complete their homework and take part in educational activities. These include exploring ways to tackle racism in football, analysing football data and exploring Arsenal’s rich history. These sessions are followed by structured football sessions with our coaches.
Arsenal Kick-Off also received special visits over the last year from Arsenal player Emile Smith Rowe and singing sensation Mabel. Young people who attend have said they “love coming to Arsenal Kick-Off” and “the football is cool”, but wish the sessions could be “even longer”!
Emile Smith Rowe visits the Arsenal Kick-Off Homework & Learning Club
Holiday Programmes
These provide opportunities for foster families to come together at The Arsenal Hub and neighbouring venues to visit Emirates Stadium and take part in structured football activities.
Employment Support
We work closely with Islington Virtual School to provide carefully planned opportunities for vulnerable young people to receive support so they can progress into employment.
Christmas Day Events
Every year on Christmas Day since 2017, The Arsenal Hub has welcomed Care Leavers to celebrate Christmas together. This is a much-valued service as Christmas can be a lonely time for care leavers and vulnerable people. Care Leavers are given a Christmas meal and take part in fun activities with Arsenal and, Go Forward Youth and Islington Council staff.
Jasmin Choudhury, Deputy Headteacher for Children with a Social Worker at Islington Virtual School says, “Working with Arsenal in the Community allows us to nurture the love of football and empower young people and their families for the better. It enables young people and their families, especially those from vulnerable ones, to realise that, as a club, Arsenal is focused on ensuring all communities succeed.”
At Arsenal, we are proud to welcome care-experienced young people from Islington, along with their foster carers and their families, to the game today. We would like to thank staff and colleagues from Islington Council for all their support, as well as the wonderful foster carers and their families for their dedication to improving the lives of children and young people.
For more information email Jack Ferguson at jferguson@arsenal.co.uk
Being an effective foster carer can make a huge positive impact on young people’s lives. If you would like to know more about fostering email fostering@islington.gov.uk or call 020 7527 7933
The Premier League/PFA Supporting Care Experienced Young People programme is supported by the Premier League and Professional Footballers Association. Administered through the Premier League Charitable Fund, the funding helps football clubs to tackle inequality and respond to local challenges, supporting people and their communities to be more inclusive.
This season 24 professional football club community organisations across the Premier League and English Football League are delivering projects supported by the Premier League and PFA in their Communities.
Nationally, these funded projects have engaged more than 230,000 unique participants in more than 330,000 sessions across England and Wales. Projects are supported by current and former professional football players, and scholars, to enhance their impact on participants.
To find out more about the national fund, please visit premierleague.com
Singer, songwriter and Arsenal fan Mabel takes part in an Arsenal Kick-Off session
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