No More Red Community Day

On Thursday, January 4, more than 70 children from Arsenal in the Community and No More Red charity partners gathered at The Arsenal Hub to participate in our No More Red Community Day. The event was part of the broader No More Red Campaign, a collaborative effort between Arsenal and adidas that launched in 2022. The campaign aims to support the ongoing initiatives dedicated to creating safe spaces and positive opportunities for young people.

The participants represented a diverse range of community programmes, with notable inclusion from Premier League Kicks. This programme aims to offer opportunities to young individuals facing the challenges of anti-social behaviour, youth violence, and/or residing in high-need areas across Islington, Hackney and Camden. 

After checking in at the Hub, the participants were divided into two groups. The first group engaged in a football tournament on the indoor pitch, run by Arsenal in the Community coaches. Meanwhile, another group attended classrooms where they took part in workshops teaching them how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as well as learning about how the body works. This training equipped them to act as “zero responders” before a first responder arrives. 

The workshops were conducted by YourStance, a team of experienced doctors, nurses and physicians’ associates dedicated to teaching young people in London, particularly those at risk of serious youth violence, how to respond effectively to emergencies.

The two groups then switched so both had a chance to enjoy the football and learn the critical emergency life-saving skills. 

One participant from our Positive Futures programme on Kings Square said, “It was really good. We learned the best ways to stop bleeding from a wound, and we learned how to deliver CPR. It’s very good for us that we’ll know how to help people.

Another participant from St Giles Trust, one of our No More Red Charity partners, said, “I found it very useful because I can use it in my daily life skills and be able to act if anything happens to my friends or anyone around me.”

Jack Ironside, Senior Inclusion Manager at Arsenal in the Community, said: “It’s such an important programme for our young people. It’s a good way for young people to socialise, improve their confidence, and connect both on and off the pitch. “Having a building such as The Arsenal Hub gives them a safe space to do that, and we try to have coaches that can act as positive role models for them and support them around their education, employment, and softer skills such as confidence, motivation and leadership.”