4 months agoGrowing up in London I remember going to my local youth clubs. Whether it be The Damilola Taylor Centre, Bethwin Boys Club, Brandon Youth Club or the after school club at Eastlea Community Secondary School. These are the places I made friends, learned new skills and developed long lasting social connections.
Being an avid @rovers fan I also recollect the excitement moments of the newest kits and having banter with all my friends about the leagues and players.
These are fond memories I believe many of today’s young people are missing. The sense of community is lacking.
Forward some 23 years later I now run a community centre and a football club where we engage over 250 young people weekly
So this 2024/25 kits symbolises a reconnection of community amidst the recent misunderstanding of each other’s cultures.
We have recently teamed up with the North East London Cancer Alliance to spread awareness of their ‘It’s Not A Game’ campaign. The campaign not only aims to raise awareness but also to address some of the inequalities with the participation in cancer screening services and encourage presentations to GPs with concerning symptoms and improve health outcomes.
Prostate is the most common cancer affecting men in the UK. Prostate Cancer accounted for 26% of cancers diagnosed in men in 2017. Incidence of prostate cancer has increased over the last 30 years and is expected to increase by a further 12% by 2035. It is most common in Black men, followed by White men.
Using sport as an aid, It’s Not A Game helps to raise awareness of this and other Cancers (Bowel, Lung and Stomach) and is aimed predominantly at White and Black men from areas of north east London where screening uptake is low.
You may soon start to see materials that have been developed and themed around sport and featuring middle-aged and older men, to resonate with the target demographic. The campaign is not just football focused, it includes other sports like Snooker, Rugby and Darts, to widen the awareness. If you see these materials and have symptoms, see your GP and when you receive a screening kit, do the test!
@hackneywickfc x @thinkoutsideblox