News & Stories

Elijah Bascombe has been attending Tweddle Club for almost four and a half years. When he started attending at age 7 he was very outgoing, made friends easily and loved being active. Over the next few years at the club Elijah struggled with managing his emotions and would often get angry or in fights with other kids. Through conversations with staff and volunteers as well as through our sports programs we

saw Elijah improve in his emotional regulation. Elijah said that with the help of Jumpstart and being able to participate in programs he is learning to become a better person. He said he does not get angry as easily or as much, he can make friends easier, like before, instead of getting into fights and he has learned how to control himself when things start to get out of hand. While learning about and practicing teamwork and leadership he had learned that when someone picks on you, you need to talk to them or a staff about it instead of getting upset and dealing with it negatively. We saw Elijah be a big leader and was a big reason our club was awarded the Spirit Trophy at our annual soccer tournament. Being involved in the club sports has helped Elijah express his feelings. He loves being active and feeling energized. His favourite program is when we go up to the Malcolm Tweddle gym and play basketball.

Elijah had a lot of energy and sometimes did not know how to get it out. With the help of Jumpstart, club staff were able to sign him up for an 8 week Ninja Warrior Obstacle course. During these 8 weeks, Elijah was awarded the ‘Star of the Week’ award 3 times due to his exceptional behaviour and participation. After the program ended we saw such a huge change in Elijah’s temperament and general attitude. He has stepped up, joined our leadership program (Torch Club) and when he is here and helps younger kids learn the rules of the club. We are all so proud of Elijah and believe that Jumpstart is a big part of his growth and development.

 

 

 

 

Brittney Hislop

Tweddle Club Coordinator