London youths achieve their dreams and fly the flag for the Olympics in Singapore 2010 and London 2012

‘A person can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.’

Vince Lombardi

Ten months ago 30 young people from Southwark in London shared a dream about taking part as volunteers at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics.

Through their dedication, determination and hard work they now have the opportunity to demonstrate to their communities, London and the world what happens when we dream.

The 30 young people who are drawn from diverse inner London communities and speak over six community languages will be using their skills to volunteer at the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore. Their roles include:

National Olympic committee support
Athlete support
Interpreter support
Regional Coordinators and Continental Help Desk support
Assisting in managing the NOC Business Centre
Providing secretarial and administrative support for the Chef de Mission Meetings
Providing customer service support at the NOC Services Centre

Southwark has many social problems but this trip shows, that with hard work, young people, whatever their background, can achieve their dreams. The volunteers are looking forward to visiting the dynamic and vibrant city of Singapore and hope to return to their communities with new friendships, a broader outlook on life and new ambitions.

These young people are members of an extensive ‘Young Leaders’ programme. It is hoped that this will be the first of many international volunteering activities because young people need to know what it is like to aspire to something, to work hard, and to have the chance to achieve their dreams. And their families and communities deserve to share in their success and feel pride in their young people and their achievements.

To make the Singapore trip a reality these young people have worked tirelessly raising £41,000) in less than 6 months.

But that is not all. These young leaders undertake valuable work within their local communities. They are proud that, London, their home city, has been selected by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2012 Olympics, and they are leading the way in getting their schools and communities involved. Over the last year they have:

Carried out more than one thousand hours of volunteering
Worked with, and inspired a generation of younger children to take part in Sport
Mentored vulnerable children as positive role models
Organised a Festival of Sport for 300 Ernst and Young employees which raised over £3000 for “Sport Relief”
Led an Olympics Schools Sports Day
Organised school assemblies around the Olympic values

The Olympic Spirit is alive and well in our partnership schools in Southwark, London and we are proud to be sharing this with the people of the City of Singapore in August 2010.

Singapore Itinerary Outline:

Departure: August 5^th

Return: August 22^nd

Week One:

Focus: Attending the International Olympic Committee volunteering training course

Week Two:

Focus: The Games commence and students take up their placements within the games working as National Olympic Committee assistants, interpreters, athlete support and many more

Bacon’s College Sports Partnership

This opportunity has been created by Bacon’s College PE and School Sports Partnership which is responsible for the development of Physical Education and School Sports in forty nine primary and secondary schools within Southwark. For further information on the Singapore visit or other aspects of our work please contact. T.eisenhuth@baconscollege.co.uk or j.rudd@baconscollege.co.uk