Robin Koch was the special guest at a Positive Choices event hosted by the Leeds United Foundation at Mount St Mary’s Catholic High School recently, working with Year 9 pupils during a workshop focused on knife crime.
The Leeds United defender was on hand to listen into the session that was being delivered by representatives from West Yorkshire Police, with students taking on various duties during a role-play scenario to give the youngsters as much knowledge as possible on what to do in certain situations when a crime has been committed and there is a victim that needs support.
Following the workshop, Robin was then asked a number of questions by the students around overcoming difficult situations in his life to date, how he dealt with those situations and how he keeps himself motivated when things may not be going the way he’d hoped. The German international also spoke about his dreams and ambitions, offering advice around working hard, never giving up and belieiving in yourself.
Robin spoke to LUTV during the visit, and he said: “First of all it was nice to just come and see the kids, it took me back to the days when I was in school, so it was really good to chat with them and answer some questions, maybe give some advice for their futures. It’s really important, even at this age, to learn about these things and hear from these people, so they are as prepared as possible for different situations.”
Sarah Atkinson, Head of Year 9 at Mount St Mary’s Catholic High School, said: “I think in the day to day when we have so much curriculum to cover, to actually have the time to hear from people and their lived experiences, it really helps to guide them and see real life situations, not just hear theories from the same people at school like their teachers. To hear fresh new voices that can talk about their own personal experiences, the students are more likely to engage and listen.
“Our vision as a year group is ‘believe, grow, achieve’ and Robin mentioned and used that language in his answers, without being prepped, and just for them to hear that from somebody renowned that the students look up to was so important, it really enhances that vision and we’re really grateful to him for that and the impact it will have.”
Lucy Jones, Positive Choices Co-ordinator at the Leeds United Foundation, added: “I think the Positive Choices sessions are always really successful, students are able to rotate around different workshops, listening to guest speakers talk about their lives and the difficult choices they've had to make. The students have the opportunity to learn about gang affiliation, knife crime, drug addiction, along with other important topics, and hopefully from that the pupils will come away feeling empowered so that they can make positive choices in their future.”
The main aim for this programme is to engage young pupils, enabling them to make better choices about their lives and futures. Working with key partners, such as West Yorkshire Police, and other guest speakers, students are able to see first-hand the impact of making negative choices and the consequences this can have on them, their families and their communities.
If you would like more information around the Positive Choices programme, please contact [email protected].
