Teaching cricket & life skills
460. Saba Nasim
A volunteer cricket coach who has set up a team in East London to give girls the
chance to enjoy the sport and learn life skills.
Saba was presented with the award by Samantha Cameron at a Downing Street reception for cricket charity Chance to Shine who celebrated helping 3 million young people in schools and communities across the UK to learn life skills through cricket.
Saba Nasim, 27, achieved her Level 2 cricket coaching qualification with Chance to Shine and wanted to use her skills to help other girls enjoy the sport. She realised there was no team for girls in Redbridge, so in 2013 she set up the Redbridge Rangers. Saba has dedicated a huge amount of time to going in to local schools to give talks and offer taster sessions of cricket to inspire girls to join in. She now runs weekly training sessions for 60 girls aged 8-18.
As well as learning about teamwork and the values cricket can teach, Saba offers life skills sessions to all the girls she coaches from CV skills to first aid. She also times sessions around prayer times to make sure that girls of all faiths are able to get involved. She has coached several of her team to achieve their own coaching qualifications with Chance to Shine, a national charity that uses cricket to teach vital skills, unite diverse groups, and educate young people.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
“Saba has worked tirelessly to give girls in her area the opportunity to benefit from the teamwork and values that cricket can teach. The extra life skills sessions she runs with the girls, from first aid to CV workshops, make this an even more valuable scheme for the girls involved. I am delighted to recognise Saba as the UK’s 460th Point of Light.”
Luke Swanson, Chance to Shine Chief Executive, said:
“Saba is an inspirational coach and role model. Her tireless work encouraging girls from all backgrounds to play and enjoy our sport, and to develop crucial life skills, is rightly receiving national recognition. This is a tremendously exciting time for women’s and girls’ cricket in this country, and Saba is at the forefront of a new generation of coaches bringing cricket to new audiences.”
Saba said:
“It’s an absolutely amazing feeling to have won this award. Coaching cricket to young girls and helping them to learn life skills as well as working in a team to achieve success is my way of giving back to the community. The project has grown enormously since it began in May 2013 and it is very satisfying to see how it has benefited these young girls and women and I have Chance to Shine to thank for that. I hope that my project can continue to grow so many more girls can benefit from this great initiative.”