Aberdeen FC chairman, Dave McCormack has praised the collaboration between two key city institutions saying “practical education programmes are really important” in supporting young people.
The project, which will be rolled out in schools across the region, aims to help drive ambition in kids living in poverty to go on to further education. This is part of national campaign supported by Olympic gold-medallist Dame Katherine Grainger.
The campaign is showcasing how universities are supporting local communities post pandemic with University of Aberdeen leading the way with the Schools Partnership scheme across the city.
Aberdeen FC Community Trust along with Aberdeen Football Club began collaborating with the University of Aberdeen in 2019, to work with school children to promote health and wellbeing and to encourage them to seek further education.
The project is now in 10 local schools and working with almost 300 school children and being featured in this week’s Made at Uni Energising Places campaign led by Universities UK and British Universities and Colleges.
‘The skills they have used will be skills for life’
Dave Cormack, chairman at Aberdeen Football Club, said: “You can use projects like this as a catalyst for your own desires, because you can be anything you want to be.
“There are no limits that are there, this is an initiative here that you should be proud of a group of guys coming together.
“Thank you to all for working with the pupils and pulling together practical education programmes like these, they are important and will really help young people.”
Pamela Cumming, University of Aberdeen Business School engagement officer, reflected on how university projects can provide a platform for development in young people.
She said: “It’s been wonderful to see the young people translate business terminology they’ve learnt during the workshop into a viable end-product which would benefit their community.
“The skills they have used will be skills for life and I hope that learning more about University, and the University experience will inspire young people to consider University in the future.”
Dame Katherine Grainger added: “A lot of people know about the role universities play in developing some of our greatest Olympians and Paralympians but there is a real untold story about the work they do in their communities to improve the lives of people through sport and physical activity and the Schools Partnership scheme is a great example of that.”
