Projects
GIFT Sports Summer School Enterprise Activities at MMU
About The GIFT Sports Summer School (Summer 2016) at MMU
The GIFT Sports Summer School 2016: Empowering Youth and Building Community Resilience
At Making Education a Priority (MEaP), our core mission revolves around leveraging research-informed interventions to raise educational attainment, build resilience, and unlock career pathways for young people in urban communities.
As part of our commitment to and ongoing research into community education and social action and its impact on urban communities, MEaP and our research branch MaCTRI supported the GIFT Sports Summer School, in partnership with S.M.I.L.E., held at Manchester Metropolitan University’s (MMU) Brooks Building. Running from 4 July 2016 to 18 August 2016, this initiative delivered targeted enterprise and sports activities designed to equip young people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds with essential life skills and employability capabilities.
Combining Sports and Enterprise Education
Delivered in partnership with S.M.I.L.E (Simply Make It Look Easy Programme) Summer School Employability Training using Basketball and aligned with an Olympic Summer of Sports framework (MMU), the programme used active participation as a vehicle for personal growth.
While sports like basketball provided a dynamic venue for physical engagement and teamwork, the structured sessions focused heavily on delivering core life skills and soft skills required for long-term career success, including:
- Leadership and Communication: Learning to collaborate effectively under pressure.
- Problem-Solving and Strategy: Translating tactical thinking on the court into practical decision-making.
- Personal Resilience: Building and cultivating emotional stability, self-discipline, resilience and perseverance.
- Workplace Readiness: Connecting active skills directly to employability standards.
- You will be learning from ex-professional Basketball player and Commonwealth Gold Medallist Carl Miller (across)!
Research-Informed Community Impact
Designed to teach the soft skills required for employment and the general improvement of Life Skills, this initiative was linked to our research into enterprise education and its ability to build resilience in BAME communities.
This project was grounded in MEaP’s ongoing research into community education and enterprise initiatives. Conducted in collaboration with academic researchers—legacy work associated with the Critical Race and Ethnicity Research Cluster and the MEaP Academy Community Training & Research Institute (MaCTRI)—the programme addressed specific socio-economic challenges faced by BAME youth in Manchester.
Our research highlights that enterprise education, when delivered in culturally responsive and community-anchored environments, serves as a powerful driver of social mobility. By utilising higher education facilities like MMU’s Brooks Building, participants were invited into an inspiring university setting, helping bridge the gap between local communities and higher education institutions.
Lasting Outcomes and Community Growth
The GIFT Sports Summer School proved that sports and enterprise education can work together to foster holistic youth development. By building soft skills through structured physical activities, the initiative helped participants build confidence, recognize their potential, and lay the groundwork for future employment and further education.
Both GIFT and MEaP continue to develop, support, and scale transformative youth initiatives across Greater Manchester, ensuring education and enterprise remain accessible tools for equity and empowerment.
Key Project Details
Project Title: GIFT Sports Summer School Enterprise Activities
Location: Brooks Building, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)
Dates: 4th July 2016 – 18th August 2016
Partners: GIFT, S.M.I.L.E, MEaP, MaCTRI, MMU
Focus Area: Employability
Audience: Young people
Subjects: Life Skills, Enterprise Education, Community Resilience, BAME Engagement
Link to the GIFT Sports Summer School Enterprise 2016 leaflet