UWTSD graduate heads to California as Welsh Coach for the Homeless Football World Cup
A BA Youth Work and Social Education graduate from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David has travelled to California, days after her graduation in order to coach the Welsh team at the Homeless Football World Cup.
Jo Price is from St. Davids, Pembrokeshire. Currently, she is a youth worker for Pembrokeshire Youth Service working in the Youth Support Team which focuses on supporting young people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness. In addition, she volunteers at the Hive as a result of her placement to offer support to young people via sports to improve their overall well-being. She offers multi sports sessions to young people which include football, cricket, boxing, basketball, skating dodgeball and volleyball.
Alongside that, she also coordinates Street Football sessions for people over the age of 16 which aims to tackle social exclusion through sport. Sessions are offered weekly in Haverfordwest that have proved extremely popular as they are the best attended in Wales at present. As a result, she has been appointed as one of the coaches for the Welsh National team (ladies) in California this month. She said:
“The opportunity is one that I am extremely proud of and will ensure that I use to inspire young people to maximise their potential and embrace the opportunities they are presented with. This will raise awareness of raising aspirations for young people in Pembrokeshire, something I am passionate about providing platforms for.”
Jo came to study at UWTSD as the degree was offered to her via her work with the Pembrokeshire Youth Service. She studied part time alongside carrying out her roles as a senior youth worker.
“Being passionate about maximising young people’s potential, this course appealed to me for many reasons. I have been passionate about changing people’s lives from a young age, being engaged in the community and providing opportunities for people and young people in particular to enhance their quality of life is an area that I believed I could make an impact in.”
Jo thoroughly enjoyed the placement element of the course, especially when visiting organisations in the third sector. Her placement at the Hive which is situated in the Garth was a real highlight for her as a student.
“Having developed a good relationship with the manager at the Hive (Anji Tinley), I could see how passionate she was about maximising the potential of young people and providing them with a safe space and sense of belonging at the Hive, I knew that I too wanted to make a difference for young people in that ward and throughout Pembrokeshire. As a result, we worked collaboratively with external agencies and departments throughout the local authority to secure funding in order to develop a sports facility that has benefitted the entire community.”
The multi-sports facility now located at the Hive is a space that young people can use to improve their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and have a place they can call their own and be proud of. The Cruyff Foundation are the main funders and have decided to name the court the ‘Jo Price Cruyff Court’ following her involvement in the process and her sporting background.
Jo also enjoyed the nurturing environment throughout lectures and getting to know the lecturers and classmates throughout the entirety of the degree. She’s made friends as a result of engaging in the course which has been a fantastic journey.
Jo believes that she’s a well-rounded youth worker that has gained experience in different sectors throughout the Youth Work profession.
“I have a better understanding of the principles and purposes of Youth Work and have developed a passion for focusing on the improvement of young people’s mental health and well-being.
“I believe I have the ability to build positive relationships with young people, providing them with the ability to believe in their ability to go on and achieve what they apply themselves to.”
The University has enhanced Jo’s ability to work as an effective practitioner throughout the profession, and the lecturers have provided wrap around support to ensure that she’s able to practice Youth Work in a safe and promising manner.
When Jo returns from California, she looks forward to continuing her work with young people to inspire them, be a good role model and encourage them to set goals and work as hard as they possibly can to achieve them.
Further Information
Lowri Thomas
Principal Communications and PR Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: lowri.thomas@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07449 998476