Nathan Marshall is Head of Education at Brighton Hove Albion FC Academy and has taken part in Tull100, Foundation Stones, Flu100 and Trailblazers with which Big Ideas. This is his Lockdown Lookback:
“We’ve had to adapt and work in an unorthodox way. Health and safety have been our first concern. For ourselves, for our families, for the young people.
Young people are adaptable; they are quick learners. They should be given a lot of credit!
Zoom has taken a lot of getting used to. It was difficult and has taken a while for everyone to get used to but there’s some things we will take on board.
Take the Trailblazers session we did before Christmas with the young people from the Academy. We had an amazing turnout across the board with both team managers, and members of the First Teams – mens and womens teams – and the COO and Head of HR of the Club all coming onto the zoom to listen to our young people present their work. It would never have been possible to get everyone together in person. So that’s a real positive.
I’ve been thinking about what young people really need now. I think they need consistency in their education. I know schools are working tirelessly to bridge gaps in learning. A clear plan with examinations in the summer needs to be delivered to help ease the pressure off young people. With the COVID there’s a lot of people just worried about the future. What do young people need now? Time, support and compassion.”