Southbank International School Kensington are excited to be hosting an inspirational workshop with Leicester Riders BBL Championship Winner Chris Tawiah. Chris needs your help to raise funds for vital training, medical and competition costs. This money will also help your school and other athletes across the country, find out more below!
At Southbank their special mix of nationalities, cultures and languages really does create a fantastic atmosphere and a wonderful sense of community.
Who's Coming?
How I started:
I started at the age of 16, having not played Basketball before. I was going to play Football with my friends and a coach spotted me, mentioned my height, and asked if I wanted to give it a go. Right there we played on the park, and I enjoyed it, although I wasn’t totally interested in the sport before I began! I played in a 3 on 3 tournament and enjoyed playing with them regularly until we won the U16 national championship, at this point I was putting a lot of energy into training and loving Basketball, and I was offered a scholarship in Iowa, and then I transferred to a school in Texas to finish my scholarship!
My Greatest Achievement:
My greatest achievement is winning the BBL League championship and the playoffs with Leicester Riders, and also winning the BBL Cup in London Lions. This was very prestigious as these are some of the biggest achievements in British Basketball, especially the playoffs as that is the top 8 teams from the league. I have also played in the FIBA Europe Cup, and the Basketball Champions league. I remember watching all of these games on YouTube and the realisation of being there in that moment was very overwhelming and surreal, especially seeing a lot of the logos and branding around the arenas!
My Greatest Challenge:
My greatest challenge was bouncing back from being cut from a team for the first time. Everything had been plain sailing and I was on a great path for success. However, at the top level, with so much talent, it’s easy for you to become disposable because everybody wants that place too. It took longer mentally than I thought it was going to after this, and I think in retrospect it took me a whole Basketball season to really get to grips with it, even though I had transferred to a new team swiftly.
My Podcast:
Check out my podcast to learn more about me and my career. Maybe it will inspire you to write some questions for me ahead of the event!
My Hobbies:
In my free time I like to work on my youth empowerment business, because there are so many people that could have done what I’ve done, and I want to show people that their dreams can be bigger than them, and the mission is to inspire a billion young people to chase their dreams and make the most of every moment they’re given. I love business, growing up my family was into business, and a lot of my role models are business people, which is why I pursue a lot of these extra curricular interests like Project Elevate, and my own Basketball team; Peterborough City Basketball Club. Finally, I would also say that one of my hobbies is being a fun dad as I have two children ages two and one, a lot of the time I’ll find whatever it is that we can do to be the fun dad!
My Future Aspirations:
In the future I am hoping to be known as a motivational and empowering person, with the wisdom to give that will allow people to see that their dreams are not bigger than them, and that anybody can chase them! I would also love to see my Basketball club thrive and have a men’s and junior team playing at the national level, and having a thousand children participating at the club, playing Basketball. Seeing these fresh faces be able to learn and grow at the club and find their own scholarships and paths will be extremely rewarding
Who are Sports For Champions?
Great news! Sports For Champions UK (CIC) will soon visit your school! Your young people have been invited to join a sponsored fitness circuit led by a Professional athlete, who will educate, enable, and empower participants with a view to inspiring them to be the champions of tomorrow.
While we're not all athletically inclined, we strongly encourage participation, all young people have talent and require inspiration to pursue their dreams - whatever they may be!
After 12 years of success we have perfected our inspirational events and they are guaranteed to deliver for your school and pupils!
Sports For Champions events are held in support of schools, which keep 60% of the funds raised to spend on resources that will enrich young peoples education/experience. Professional athletes in need of support are the only other beneficiaries from the remaining 40%. Sports For Champions is an audited organisation that is voluntarily registered with the Fundraising Regulator. Meaning you can support the initiative with assurance.
What will happen on the day?
During the assembly, Sports For Champions athletes show medals and tell their story, hard work, lessons, and insights shared to capture the imagination of all and inspire healthier active lifestyles. Athletes discuss challenges on the road to success, with resilience, nutrition, diet, and dedication forming key topics. Fitness is essential for every young person’s general wellbeing in physical and mental health. It is also proven to be a strong booster of learning potential or brain power. By inspiring children as champions of tomorrow, Sports For Champions envision young people developing in all walks of life as healthy, [pro] active community-minded participants in society.
Alongside Team Sports For Champions, athletes engage in invaluable work within local communities to support their training-related costs (e.g. physio/travel). Most world-class athletes train a rigorous 35hr week and struggle to find reliable work that fits their schedule. This is how the funds we raise enable athletes and your school/club to realise their potential. Many pro athletes are unsponsored, lose support, or cannot find it.
Sports For Champions offers schools the benefit of an additional funds to go towards resources/facilities, whilst helping athletes with the funds required to sustain their journey with a contribution towards training and competition fees, medical costs, equipment, and more.
Southbank International School Kensington will be receiving an inspirational visit from Leicester Riders BBL Championship Winner Chris Tawiah, on the the 11th of June 2024 and we need your support!
The pupils will benefit from physical activity through our fitness circuit, an inspirational talk including medal display and a Q&A session.
Where does the money go?
When parents and guardians offer their support to a Sports for Champions UK (CIC) fundraising event, they are nurturing not only their children's immediate environments but also the bright futures of many rising athletes. Here is a breakdown of how your contributions make a significant difference:
For each fundraising event Sports For Champions looks to raise enough money to cover the costs that it takes to provide such an excellent service nationally. Once that goal is reached, surplus funds are allocated in a way that benefits both the school and our passionate athletes – 60% for the school’s continued growth and 40% contributing to the athlete fund.
At the core of the Sports For Champions UK (CIC) initiative is the Athlete Fund. Primarily, the fund aids schools in less economically privileged areas that might struggle with costs, ensuring that the administrative fee isn’t a barrier to vital opportunities. Additionally, it assists our dedicated athletes in moments of pressing need, whether it’s recovering from injuries, procuring advanced equipment, or embarking on warm-weather training camps. Our fundamental belief remains unwavering: no school should be compromised for its economic stance, and every promising athlete deserves a fair shot at excellence. Our commitment ensures no child or school is left behind due to circumstances beyond their control.
Challenges Athletes Face: Our partnering pro athletes and Team GB Olympians have a world of responsibilities on their shoulders. They juggle between a rigorous training schedule that demands over 35 hours a week and their personal commitments. This often leaves them with limited time and resources to focus on their careers, leading to financial constraints. Expenses for equipment, training, coaching, travel, and more pile up, making it a challenge for these athletes to perform at their best and represent Great Britain.
Why is this important?
Southbank International School Kensington is promoting health and wellbeing throughout the school and with the help of a visit from Chris Tawiah, this will be enhanced across all year groups and staff, they are also focussing on encouraging diversity and raising the aspirations of the pupils through sport.
Southbank International School Kensington will benefit from the money raised as they will be able to provide new equipment, fund opportunities for the children, and more.
How can you help?
We're asking all parents to help make it a memorable event for the pupils with the help of Leicester Riders BBL Championship Winner Chris Tawiah, to raise funds for key resources for Southbank International School Kensington.
If you are a local business or a friend of the school and would like to contribute to help us get to our target then please do make a donation and share our project as far as you can.