Our youngsters have been working hard in our Ju Jitsu Development Centre- preparing all Autumn for their belt gradings.

WHAT IS A DEVELOPMENT CENTRE? 

Our Development Centres are one of our core programmes. Children and young people from our hubs across the district try out different sports/arts/enterprise activities. If a youngster shows a particular interest or passion in that activity, they are able to join our Development Centre.  In many cases, having the opportunity to earn a certificate of qualification that will support them in later life. 

WHY ARE DEVELOPMENT CENTRES IMPORTANT? 

Development Centres are important for building aspirations and confidence in our young people. They provide our children with vital opportunities that they otherwise wouldn't have, to find their talents and their passions, to explore what makes them UNIQUE and ONE IN A MILLION.

Last week (Sunday 10th Dec), our children attended their belt gradings! We are so proud of them for their dedication and hard work over the past few months. 

Sensei Mumtaz (Onna Ju Jitsu) says, "Congratulations to all OIAM Community session students passing their grading exam and achieving new belts. The key themes arising from this term have revolved around perseverance and courage”.

Well done all! Fantastic effort, and wonderful to see such smiley faces.

Over 40 participants attended 'Streetwise; Football Development Day' during the half-term holidays. It was a brilliant day, sponsored by Xerox 'Dream Makers' Team, and packed with activities that brought together young people from across the district.

Throughout the day, each team cycled through the following activities; 

• Goalkeeper Clinic
• Striker Coaching
• Consequences of Drugs Workshop
• Football Tournament

The Consequences of Drugs workshop was a particularly successful aspect of the day. Delivered by ex-prison-officer Vicky, (www.alittlesomethingback.org), we had the opportunity to learn about the long-term impact that drugs have on your body, and the life-long consequences of doing time in prison. 

The workshop concluded with personal videos from ex-inmates, whose striking advice was to stay away from the wrong crowd, surround yourself with responsible friends, and find positive role models.

One young person said, “I learned a lot in the Drugs Workshop and I understand more about the classes of drugs and some of the dangers. I can now let my friends know what I've learned as well”.

On behalf of One In A Million and all the participants, we'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to the Xerox Dream Maker's Team, who not only sponsored the day, but provided goodie bags for each young person!

“We had a great day last Wednesday. At Xerox, we are doing a ‘Million Makers’ challenge through the Prince's Trust, which is essentially a fundraising challenge in the mould of Dragons Den and the Apprentice, aimed at helping in disadvantaged areas across the country. This day was perfect for what we are trying to achieve, and we can’t say enough about how well run it was. We hope we can work with One In A Million again in the future!”  Tom Pepper, Xerox 'Dream Makers' Team

We all know the key to a balanced life is to work hard and play hard... well this October half-term we had a blast with over 30 children and young people joining us for our Community Day! 

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY DAY?

We run Community Days throughout school holidays. They are jam-packed days where we bring together children and young people from across all of our hubs to take part in a variety of fun activities. 

MORNING ACTIVITIES

In the morning, the youngsters could choose to participate in Boxing or Zumba! Our Community Activators praised the concentration of the children and young people, who were completely absorbed. Many thanks to Mumtaz (Onna Ju-Jitsu) for coaching a brilliant boxing session, and to Amie (Fitness With Amie) for leading a fantastic Zumba class.

AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES

After lunch, there was a choice to go to Lister Park for some fun and games in the playground, or head to 5-A-Side footie. All-in-all, we had a brilliant, energetic day!

WHY ARE COMMUNITY DAYS IMPORTANT?

It's important to build physical, mental, and social wellbeing, especially during longer periods away from school. We believe that all children and young people deserve the opportunity to explore their talents and play. They are all valued and unique!

This term, children in our Canterbury hub have been working hard and unleashing their creativity in our Art Taster Course, facilitated by the wonderful United Art Project team.

Taster Courses are a vital part of what we do. Children & young people who attend our Kidz & Youth Clubs across the district are given the opportunity to try something new, explore their talents, and build their confidence. We especially love that the art taster courses provide our youngsters with a safe space to express themselves in a creative way and develop a growth mindset. 

STEP 1 - SKETCH IT OUT

Work begins by exploring ideas and creating sketches. Learning to draft, self-evaluate, and re-draft ideas is a vital skill for art and life. Using canvas paper, our young artists can explore composition and colour before starting their final pieces.

STEP 2 - INTRODUCING THE CANVAS

Once ideas are honed and there's a final draft piece, it's time to transfer the vision onto the final canvas; laying down the final sketch and beginning the painting process.

STEP 3 - PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF! 

Keep at it until you've finished! Wow - look at those masterpieces! We couldn't be prouder, not only for the outstanding work our budding artists have produced, but for the commitment, perseverance, and creativity represented in each finished piece.

We'd like to say a big thank you to the brilliant United Art Project team for joining us. You have been fantastic coaches for our youngsters, supporting them on a wonderfully enriching art journey. We know they have enjoyed it thoroughly.

Our children & young people have been delighted to attend the Bradford City home games this season, many of them attending their first-ever game!

“I know I’m asking so many questions, but I’m just SO excited!”.

“I love being at the stadium with all these fans. It’s a good atmosphere, and it makes me want to play football for this club when I’m older!”.

“It’s been perfect. Best day ever”. 

Our Manningham Community Activator, Christian, says; “The trips that we run to Valley Parade to watch Bradford City AFC play are so inspiring for our children and young people.  It gives them an experience which is outside their normal sphere of life. As a result of our recent home game trip, two brothers who attended the match now have great aspirations to become professional goalkeepers. One of our OIAM trainees, who is a semi-professional goalkeeper, is helping them with their goalkeeping skills”.

Our open-access Kidz and Youth Clubs in Windhill (Shipley) are thriving!  There have been some fantastic themed sessions this term. One of our favourites was National Recycling Week.

This year, National Recycling week fell on the 16th-22nd of October 2023. Our brilliant Community Activator, Anna, prepared educational games to fuel topical discussions.

At Kidz Club there was a sorting & matching game that taught the children the different types of bins we have in Bradford, and which items can go in which bin.

At Youth Club there was a discussion around the 3R's and a sorting & matching game to explore which items could be reduced, which items could be reused, and which items needed to be recycled. 

We're so pleased that the youngsters enthusiastically engaged in the activities! An important aspect of our Kidz and Youth clubs is getting to explore topical issues with our youngsters and increasing their awareness of relevant social issues, in this case, recycling and the importance of looking after the environment.

A huge thank you to our wonderful Community Activator, Anna, for creating the activities and leading the sessions so brilliantly.

On Thursday 2nd November, 15 young people from our Keighley hub enjoyed a trip to Woodsworth for a thrilling evening of adventure, learning, and hot dogs! 

Facilitated by Duncan from Woodsworth Exploring (woodsworthexploring.co.uk), the evening began with a glow-stick ramble around the very wet and muddy woods, followed by team games of 'find the pumpkins' and 'camouflage'. 

“I enjoyed playing the night stealth game!”. 

At dinner-time, the group cosied round the campfire while Duncan prepared hotdogs! The young people then learnt about the importance of keeping the woods clear of litter in order to protect the wildlife, plants, and ecosystem. 

Duncan, Woodsworth Exploring: “It was fantastic, a brilliant opportunity and rewarding to see children learn about ecology and how to care for it, through playing and exploring in the woodland”. 

I loved walking round the woods and exploring, looking for the pumpkins, my team won!

Some of the youngsters have explored Woodsworth before on our annual summer camping trip. For others, it was a brand-new experience. “Can I come on the camping trip next year? It’s really cool up here!".

David W, OIAM Community Activator: “It’s great to have our partnership with Duncan at Woodsworth Exploring, he offers a great space for young people to explore the great outdoors, learn something new about the importance of protecting the woodland. Alongside our annual camping trip with children and young people, this was a great event. The children were very excited on the night which had a very autumn feel to it”.

All in all, it was a fantastic evening, a brilliant experience for everybody involved!

We'd like to say a HUGE thank you to our corporate partners who have fundraised for us this quarter. Your fantastic efforts have blown us away!

DID YOU KNOW?

According to the National Youth Agency, a £1 investment in youth work equates to a social return of more than £6. Youth work could save £500m on public spending through crime reduction alone.

Your support really does go a long way. Thank you for standing with us to support the children and young people of our district. Here's a look back on all the fantastic events... 

BINGLEY BANTAMS

It was an honour to be a chosen charity for another outstanding winter ball from Bingley Bantams! An incredible atmosphere and a special appearance from the one and only... ELVIS! A massive thank you to the Bingley Bantams community for a great evening and your generosity. 

BRADFORD AND DISTRICT AUCTIONEERS AND ESTATE AGENTS ASSOCIATION

A huge thank you to the Bradford & District Auctioneers and Estate Agents Association for supporting us at their brilliant Charity Autumn Ball in November! A fantastic evening organised by the marvellous Lucy from Robert Watts Estate Agents. What a night! What a band! We're still dancing... 

PACKETTS INSURANCE

We're incredibly grateful to Packetts for nominating us for an award at the Aviva Broker Community Fund 2023 Awards! We had an incredible night at the awards dinner, and to our shock and delight, won one of the biggest prizes! A huge thank you for choosing to support us and to the wonderful team who worked to put the nomination together.

QUANTUMA

Massive thanks to the brilliant team at Quantuma for raising fantastic funds at their annual Pool Tournament in November! We'd like to thank everyone who attended and gave so generously. It was a superb and thoroughly enjoyable event. Thank you! 

UNITED GAS & POWER

We are blown away by the efforts and support of UGP and their 9 heroic runners who tackled the Manchester Half Marathon back in October. A huge congratulations to Phil, Marta, Reece, Bradley, Emma, Kirk, Emily, Eddie and Jo for smashing it! We can't thank you enough for going the extra mile...

A MASSIVE thank you again to all of our Corporate fundraisers, and a huge congratulations for hosting outstanding events. Your support goes a long way in supporting our children & young people.

If you are interested in hosting a fundraising event for One In A Million, we have a dedicated Corporate (Partnerships), Events and Sponsorship team who would love to chat with you and support you every step of the way; events@oneinamillion.org.uk 

A great day was had at the 11th One In A Million charity 5-A-Side Football Tournament, held at the 5 ALIVE indoor football complex in Bradford, on Thursday 23rd November 2023, kindly sponsored by Blacks Solicitors and Business Enterprise Fund.

This year's event saw 17 local businesses compete in a fantastic competitive spirit to support One In A Million’s work amongst children & young people living in disadvantaged communities across the district.

Some outstanding football was on display throughout the afternoon as a One In A Million team, selected by Chief Executive Wayne Jacobs (which included former Bradford City stars Jamie Lawrence, Filipe Morais, Danny Forrest and charity staff) competed against a stellar line-up of local businesses.

The Tournament began with an evenly contested first round, leading into the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final.

Congratulations to our tournament winners, Kay and Lane Insurance Brokers who won via penalty shoot-out against the runners-up Schofield Sweeney. Whilst third place went to One In A Million in a well fought contest against United Gas & Power!

The highest goalscorer prize went jointly to; Josh Debenham from NPS Engineering Group and Zee Ntini from Schofield Sweeney, both scoring 8 goals each!

The real winners of the day of course, will be the children and young people from the Bradford MDC that One In A Million will be able to reach as a result of your generous support.

Thank you to all teams and players for taking time out of their working day to take part. A huge thanks to Blacks Solicitors and Business Enterprise Fund for sponsoring this year's event. Your support helped make the day a great success, raising vital funds for our work amongst children and young people living in disadvantaged communities of Bradford and Keighley.

We would also like to thank our wonderful event hosts 5 ALIVE Indoor Football Centre for supporting us throughout the tournament's history.

Thank you to everyone for helping us reach our GOAL!

To read the full story and see team pictures click here.

• Corporate Partners Thank You Dinner (Partners and guests only event) - Wednesday 17th January 2024
   
• Charity Business Lunch: Building For Success Bradford - Thursday 21st March 2024
   
• Sparkling Afternoon Tea - Saturday 9th March 2024 (Tickets on sale 8th January 2024)
   
• Packetts Tour De Dales 2024 Charity Bike Challenge - Sat 11th/12th May 2024
   
• One Million Steps - Autumn/Winter, Spring/Summer
   
• SkyDive Challenge - choose your own date.

Contact us for more information or to sign up for an event today? Email us at events@oneinamillion.org.uk or call our friendly Corporate Events & Sponsorship team on 01274 723439.