Fourteen-year-old Aakeeshen is a softly spoken slip of a boy, but his words carry a punch. “Sometimes uncontrollable thoughts come into my head that I can’t do anything about,” he says. “I can’t concentrate so I put my head down on the desk, but occasionally I start shouting and the teacher sends me out or gives me a detention for disengaging from lessons or for disruption.”
As Aakeeshen talks, he stares at his feet and you can barely see his face beneath his long fringe. “There are days I don’t get to school on time because I haven’t had much sleep,” he continues. He puts it down to “difficulties at home”. He averts eye contact, the weight of the world on his slight shoulders.
Then he changes from his school uniform into basketball kit and heads out onto the court where he does some slick passing drills with coach Alexandra Raymond. His head is still down but a hint of a smile begins to play across his lips. Then, as fellow pupils emerge onto the playground for lunch break at his school in Croydon, he begins shooting impressive three-pointers into the centre of the basket from over six metres, and as he does so, his face breaks out into a beaming grin. Other children shout his name to attract his attention — “Aakeeshen! Aakeeshen!” — but he can barely hear them as he whirls and shoots.
“I love everything about basketball,” he tells me. “I love gliding around the court, dribbling and passing, the air rushing past me, the wind in my hair. I forget my troubles. It feels exhilarating.”
Last year, the safeguarding lead at his school made an astute decision, referring Aakeeshen — who was frequently late, lethargic, sulky and disruptive — to Alexandra, the coach-mentor employed by Greenhouse Sports to run basketball at the school. He had never been one for sport and at first, Aakeeshen was lackadaisical: he lagged behind when Alexandra got the group doing running drills, and his head dropped like a stone whenever he got substituted during a game. But, ever so gradually, he developed a passion for basketball and his behaviour began to change.
Today, says Alexandra, he is “still a work in progress, but he is learning to regulate his emotions and is one of the most improved players in the school”. His maturity and resilience are higher, she adds, and he is learning to pick himself up and carry on when things don’t go his way.
Aakeeshen’s school in Croydon is one of around 60 schools, mostly situated in low-income parts of London, that deploy Greenhouse coach-mentors to run basketball, table tennis or tennis sessions for troubled children, as well as other students simply attracted by the sport.
This month, The Standard joined forces with Greenhouse Sports to create Sporting Chance, a campaign to champion sports coaching and mentoring to help transform the lives of disadvantaged young Londoners.
England rugby player Ben Earl and former England Women’s rugby coach Lou Meadows backed our campaign. Earl said: “Since I’ve been involved with Greenhouse, I’ve met many young people who are funny, sharp, full of potential — and with Greenhouse coach-mentors around them who care about who they can become, not just how they perform. I've seen first-hand what that kind of nurture does in a professional environment, but with these kids it’s even more important because it’s their future."
Meadows added: “Sport gave me a place to belong, people who believed in me, and opportunities I couldn’t yet see for myself. That's why supporting the Sporting Chance campaign matters to me — because I know first-hand that the right environment can redefine what someone believes is possible. Where you start doesn’t determine where you finish. "
So far, £500,000 has been pledged by the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund, of which half will fund Greenhouse programmes in five secondary schools in London, reaching up to 500 children. The other £250,000 will support four further charities offering coach-mentoring in football, boxing, martial arts and kayaking. To reach more young people like Aakeeshen, we are seeking donations from corporations, philanthropists and you, our readers.
How your money can help Greenhouse Sports
£15 Could enable a young person to access their programme for a week
£65 Could provide 4 weeks of sports coaching and mentoring, helping a young person build confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging
£165 Could provide coaching and mentoring during school holidays
£800 Could provide a full year of coaching and mentoring, ensuring they stay engaged with school and develop the life skills to fulfil their potential
Alexandra says 100 students signed up for basketball at Aakeeshen’s school, of whom around half were referred. “I have a lot of empathy for children like Aakeeshen,” she says. “When I was a child growing up in Wandsworth, my mum was in and out of mental health institutions. Basketball saved me. I wasn’t naughty, but it helped mould me and soaked up my excess energy.”
Alexandra played at a semi-professional level, becoming a coach for her club, the Brixton Topcats, before joining Greenhouse Sports in 2014.
Now Alexandra runs basketball practice before and after school, and mentoring sessions during the school day. Aakeeshen is motivated to play before school and is consequently rarely late. His detention rate, too, has dropped dramatically and he has started to develop leadership skills, helping to run hoop sessions for younger pupils.
What does Aakeeshen get from his time with Alexandra? “She helps me with everything,” he says. “My attitude, fitness, mental health. I feel more engaged and I have learned the importance of being on time.” He smiles sheepishly. “When things get difficult, I try not let my head drop.”
Alexandra tosses him the ball. “He used to sulk when I substituted him. Now he finds an extra gear and says: ‘Coach, trust me, I can do better.’ He’s worked hard at his attitude and he is now the lead point guard for his age group, the position that controls the game.”
Aakeeshen says: “Basketball is my safe space. I can talk to coach and trust her. I still get frustrated, but something clicked this year. I am on my way.”
Campaign in a nutshell
The Standard has joined forces with Greenhouse Sports to deliver sports coaching and mentoring to up to 500 young people in five secondary schools across some of London’s most deprived boroughs. So far, £500,000 has been committed by the Standard’s Dispossessed Fund, with half going to Greenhouse Sports and the balance divided between four other sports charities. We are calling on corporations, foundations, philanthropists — and our readers — to give generously. Every pound raised will fund additional Greenhouse programmes in London, enabling more young people to build brighter futures.
Click here to donate; join the conversation online with #SportingChance.
