Sport has the potential to connect communities together. But why do so many barriers still remain for minority groups?
The Community Life Survey found that in the UK, people with a long-term illness or disability felt a greater disengagement with their local community compared to the rest of the population.
The MFC Foundation was set up in 1996 as the charitable arm of the football club. It aims to raise aspirations of the local community and uses the football club’s brand and status to help the Teesside area.
The foundation’s ‘Borobility’ programme helps children with cerebral palsy, a condition which can affect coordination, hearing and vision.
Middlesbrough player Sam McQueen says that it is important for him and other players to get involved and give back to their community.
TS1 Tees Valley Sports, established in 2015, are a multi-sport organisation who run various programmes. Their ambition is to get people in the community believing that they can compete at the highest level.
Sports Development Officer Keir Tattersdill says that the programmes help bring people together.
ABOUT ME
Hello, my name is Olly Burdett and I am a Multimedia Journalist in the final year of my degree at Teesside University.
Course
Sport Journalism, BA (Hons)
Biography
Having written passionately about football before my time at Teesside University, I decided to make the move from Hull to Middlesbrough to expand my journalistic skills and capabilities. During the last three years, my interests in journalism have changed significantly. After experiencing the high levels of homelessness in the town and discovering the shocking statistics around male suicide in the North East, I decided I wanted to move away from sport slightly and instead report on issues that I believe really mattered. Additionally, politics has dominated our day-to-day lives recently and despite finding it difficult to keep track of it all, I have become incredibly interested in what is happening in both our country and the world. I haven’t completely lost my passion for sport though. A lot of my recent content now looks at the relationship between sport and mental health.
Software & Hardware Proficiencies
I am an Adobe Certified Associate in Visual Design using Adobe Photoshop. I am also skilled in other Adobe software such as Audition and Premiere Pro. I am equipped at using video cameras such as the AC-90.
Employment, Work Experience & Volunteering
I have experience of producing work for both Sky News and BBC Tees. I have also carried out work for Middlesbrough Football Club, Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation and Tees Valley Sport. I voluntarily worked as a Social Media Manager for Stockton-based charity A Way Out as part of their 2018 Christmas campaign.
Interests
Despite studying on a Sport Journalism course, I have a huge interest in a different number of topics.
During my time at Teesside University, I have created content around current affairs and politics, as well as mental health.
One thing that I believe really shows in my content is that I love learning about new topics and issues to increase both my knowledge and flexibility. Who knows what I will post about next?
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