The survey should take only a few minutes to complete and your feedback is valuable. The responses are anonymous and will help to influence how we manage our volunteers for future events so that we may make the experience a positive one.

Around 120 keen players from Greenhouse schools across central, south and east London played pivotal roles at the world famous Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Fours Basketball Tournament.

They were the first young people to volunteer at The O2 thanks to a partnership between Greenhouse and AEG Europe who run the venue.

Greenhouse’s Volunteering Team also recruited 90 adult volunteers through Team London, The Mayor of London’s volunteering scheme, making this the biggest ever volunteering event.

Lucky volunteers from eight schools and London Greenhouse Pioneers community basketball club, had exciting roles ranging from ball boys and locker room runners to media assistants and on-court camera assistants.

Vanessa, 15, who has been playing basketball at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Knights Academy for five years, said: “I volunteered as a media assistant and I had to manage and support the huge media pack and help them with all their questions about the tournament.

“I’d never done anything like that before and it was crazy. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. It was hard work but I learnt to keep my cool under pressure and not to panic when lots of people needed my help at the same time. These are skills I’ll be able to use again and put on my CV.”

Darnell, 15, from Platanos College, said: “It was amazing; I volunteered during the final and I helped manage the film crews at the trophy ceremony. The atmosphere was electric when Olympiakos won. I had to work with loads of new people so I’ve grown in confidence and I have improved my communication skills.”

A spokesman for AEG Europe, said: “This is the largest volunteer programme that The O2 has ever hosted with over 210 volunteers, and also more incredibly, the largest number of young people with over half (120) of the volunteers being between the ages of 14 – 18 years.”

A spokesman for Euroleague, said: “Euroleague are pleased to be providing this opportunity to London’s young people. It builds on the work we do within urban environments across Europe, through our One Team programme which is delivered by 15 clubs and uses the power of basketball to integrate communities.”

Players from the under 12s team and their coach Victor Alaneme were blown away by their VIP hospitality seats at the FA Cup Semi-Final last month with one player declaring “I want to live here forever!”

Thanks to the generosity of Prudential, who support Greenhouse’s basketball programmes, the players were invited to the hallowed ground for the first time and watched Wigan Athletic defeat local team Millwall 2-0.

In a thank you letter, Eniola, 11, wrote: “13th of April, this was the day I went to the famous Wembley stadium. Wembley for someone like me who wants to be a great footballer, made me feel what it’s like to be a footballer and feel the amazing atmosphere around the stadium. It was electric.

“Going to Wembley, and being 110 yards away from pro footballers and coaches such as Arouna Kone, Franco Di Santo and Shaun Maloney was fantastic. Thank you for making this day come true – I will never ever forget this day.”

Greenhouse U12s Football Coach, Victor Alaneme, said: “It was an amazing experience for all of my boys. When I phoned round to tell them one of the boys sobbed with happiness and another dropped the phone, ran out out onto his balcony and shouted to his friends on his estate that he was going Wembley whilst leaving me hanging on the phone. 

“Most of the boys in my team had never been to a football match, let alone in box seats …One of my boys got vertigo when we first walked out onto the balcony and another had never had Salmon before but loved it…The feedback I got from the boys was they all felt really special and privileged to be given this unique chance. One of my boys said that “I want to live here forever.”

He added: “Most of the boys in the team will never experience this sort of thing again but I think it has inspired them to try harder to make better futures for themselves in football and at school.

“I signed up to Greenhouse because of the ability to transform lives and I know how this is such a good experience for our boys at Greenhouse. It only sometimes takes just a little bit of kindness to encourage someone to do great things in the future and I’m very sure this has left a positive effect on their lives.”

The Hammersmith club, which is open to young people including those with physical and learning difficulties and their siblings, has been awarded this ‘quality mark’ for its commitment to providing a safe, effective, high quality club.

It’s also a great boost to the development of our swimmers who will now be monitored and encouraged to try out for the British/Paralympic Championship Teams.

Sue Webb, ASA Swim 21 Assessor, said in her report: “Swimmer development is the ethos of the club… the coaches and volunteers have an excellent rapport with the swimmers… It was clear participants were motivated and enjoying their lessons.”

She added: “All parents said their children had shown improvement and would recommend the club to other parents.  Many spoke of the importance of the social aspects of the club for their children, some of whom felt isolated at home.

“Greenhouse plays an important part in developing the children’s self-esteem and in giving them unique opportunities to develop aquatic skills and to help them reach their potential in swimming in a fun, supportive, and safe environment.”

Held every Saturday at St Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, the club has sessions for beginners; building their confidence in the water, followed by sessions for those keen to master more swimming strokes and pool skills.

Greenhouse hopes to officially receive the accreditiation with swimmers, parents and guests from across the swimming world at a Swim 21 celebration next month.

To join or for more information click here

Greenhouse helps young people living in disadvantaged communities to develop positive life skills through sport & performing arts, targeting those who may not otherwise have access to these opportunities. Our inclusive, wide ranging programmes include full time provision delivered in schools & community club settings throughout the London region. Programmes are delivered by a diverse and multi-talented team of full and part time coaches who are supported by a number of other paid and voluntary staff.

The Role
Due to the continued growth and expansion of our organisation, we have an exciting opportunity for an experienced office assistant to join our Football Club as an Operations Coordinator. Reporting to the Programme Manager, you will assist in the daily support of administration and coordination of all activities to ensure the smooth running of the football club.

The Person
We are seeking a very organised person with demonstrable experience in providing comprehensive administrative support.  You must be FA/UEFA Level 2 qualified coach with experience of working in a community sports club environment.  The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator and have the ability to quickly build strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. You must have excellent verbal and written communications skills and be passionate about developing and supporting young people.

All Greenhouse employees are provided with comprehensive Continuous Professional Development support and are expected to commit fully to Greenhouse’s Safeguarding Children and Equalities Policies.

To Apply
For a full recruitment pack including Job Description & Person Specification click here
For further information on how to apply and to fill out the Application and EEO forms please click here.
All forms should be sent to jobs@greenhousecharity.org

Closing date: Tuesday 4^th June 2013 at 12noon. Please be aware that late applications & CVs alone will not be accepted
Proposed Interview Date TBC:  W/C 24^th June 2013.

Greenhouse is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children therefore this post is subject to child protection screening and training including an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check and obtaining relevant references. Greenhouse is committed to equal opportunities.

Tennessee Titan’s Myron Rolle, who famously quit the game to study medicine at Oxford University, visited basketball and football players at Harris Academy, Peckham.

The former safety player said getting his scholarship less than three hours before his victory in the Florida Stare vs. Maryland game was “the best day of my life, I’ll never forget it.”

Myron spoke about balancing his passion for football with his four ‘tools’ for success in life; education, values, experiences and relationships.

He said: “When you have an education you can be a problem solver not a complainer because you have a sound mind and can use your education to change your life.

“I wanted to be a doctor and thought I’ve got to get that degree, that’s helped me to travel and see the world, get new experiences, meet new people and has opened doors for me outside of football.”

He added: “I’m excited about your futures and where you might go. When I was your age my coach believed in me so I thought ‘if he believes in me then maybe I can believe in myself’ and I believe in all of you.”

After answering questions, Myron and his brother/manager McKinley led fast-paced drills which saw pupils trying to catch Myron’s throws.

The visit was kindly organised by the American Embassy in London as part of their community outreach programme in the UK.

WATCH videos of the action here and via the US Embassy London here

Multisports participants from Greenhouse’s seven Special Educational Needs Schools took part in the truly inclusive day at Richard Cloudesley School.

Activities included a sensory trail, water games in the swimming pool, wheelchair races and parachute games which saw hundreds of balls bounced on a giant parachute.

The day also included an exciting Red Nose hunt as Comic Relief co-fund two of Greenhouse’s Multisports programmes.

Gabriel Odia, Multisports Coach at Swiss Cottage School, said: “As Greenhouse coaches we have been to many sports days that have classed themselves as all inclusive, but in disability sport, as in mainstream there is a hierarchy and certain young people always seem to miss out.

“We wanted to create a sports day that was different from all the rest, where there weren’t necessarily any recognised sports, but sports that were truly inclusive and could be tried by all our young people across Greenhouse.”

The two-day Challenge Cup brought together players from Pimlico Academy, Peckham’s Greenhouse Bethwin FC and Hackney’s Crown and Manor School.

Greenhouse Football Coach Leonard Smith said: “Football is a great way to bring people together as South London has recently been in the news in relation to gang violence.

“Postcode rivalry and problems with gangs is an issue for many young people. This tournament showed that through sport, football in particular, boys and girls can come together to enjoy themselves and compete without fear of conflict.

“The players met and made friends with people from outside their neighbourhood who they wouldn’t normally mix with or might be worried about approaching off the pitch.”

Over the two days Greenhouse Bethwin FC Girls and Crown and Manor Boys Under 12s ran away with the winner’s trophies and medals.

A 12-year-old Pimlico striker, said: “When I travel out of the area  on the bus I pretend that I don’t live in London as sometimes that’s easier. Sometimes people won’t like you if you’re from a different area even if you’re not involved with any gangs. This tournament was really fun and I talked with some boys from Peckham who I’d never normally speak to if I saw them on the bus.”

Following the success of the event, plans are afoot for a bigger tournament next Easter with teams from schools across London.

READ a short piece in the Evening Standard about the tournament here. 

The school is holding a two-day football tournament, finishing today, to encourage youngsters to befriend children from other areas and channel their energies away from drugs and gangs.

Greenhouse coach Leonard Smith said: “Football is a great way to bring people together. Postcode rivalry and problems with gangs is an issue for many youngsters. But my Pimlico players have met and made friends with young people they wouldn’t normally mix with or would be worried about approaching outside of the pitch.”

If you would like to get a young person’s view of Greenhouse, click on the video to the right of this text where Nathan gives his story, explaining how Greenhouse has helped him to change his life.

If you have some Tiddlywinks, and want to challenge a friend or colleague, you can download the target from here.

A team made up of under 15/16 & 18 players from the Peckham-based club travelled to Charterhouse independent school in leafy Surrey.

They faced strong opposition led by David Howells, ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder who coached the school players.

During the competitive game Charterhouse controlled and dominated the first half while the second half was more evenly matched.

The match finished 3 – 1 to Greenhouse Bethwin FC after they managed to score the all important goals in the second half.

Daniel Fenner, Greenhouse Bethwin FC Coach Development Manager, said: “It was a fantastic day. All the players and coaches really enjoyed themselves and particularly enjoyed using the school’s top facilities – the pitch was like playing on carpet.

“We would like to thank Malcolm Bailey and everyone at Charterhouse for their amazing hospitality and watch this space for a re-match!”