Ella Mai Davies

Being a volunteer worker for the Urdd in one of their gymnastics programs at Ysgol Gynradd Gellionnen gave me the opportunity to lead a weekly gymnastics session to develop children's gymnastics skills.

Running this session enabled me to work bilingually whilst also giving me the opportunity to transfer my gymnastics knowledge to the participants. Time keeping, being well organized and leadership were a few examples of skills i developed whilst being part of this program and have been proven to help in day to day tasks.

Being effective when planning was also key in this role whilst ensuring i was able to provide fun and varied sessions for the children which only helped with my creative thinking. My ability to constantly adapt during the session in a calm manner was also tested while being a coach.

Being a gymnastics coach at Neath Afan included :

- Being able to motivate gymnasts to work hard during sessions by setting a good example. Also providing a place for each individual to develop and build confidence.

- Helping students to develop techniques to increase strength, power, flexibility and agility.

- Teaching gymnastics skills to children of varied ages, abilities and experience levels.

- Consistently being able to observe and evaluate gymnasts progress and provide feedback to each child and parent / guardian regarding performance from week to week and on a skills basis. Alongside this monitoring individuals progress gave the opportunity to adjust training techniques and sessions to consistently boost student performance.

Similar to my role in Neath Afan Gymnastics club, being a coach at West Street has given me the opportunity to lead a group of my own, while trying to develop their gymnastics skills.

Along side this, my confidence to be able to lead a group has developed while ensuring I am able to communicate and set tasks in a clear manner, be empathetic and attentive towards gymnasts to understand each individuals needs and be an approachable character for anyone to turn too in all circumstances.

As part of the 'bridging to comprehensive school' program at Bryn Tawe, we were given the opportunity to lead a group of year 6 pupils through the week of activities whilst joining them on a three day residential trip to Gwersyll yr Urdd Llangrannog.

When leading children around different activities and being responsible for them, it was important that I ensured a safe, supportive environment to maximize enjoyment. In this role it was also an opportunity to lead by example by participating in activities that may have been out of others comfort zones to give them the confidence and opportunity to complete new achievements.

An eight week summer program run in Clydach Cricket Club called 'All Stars', gives children between ages 4 and 8 years of age the opportunity to learn a new sport and develop their cricket skills further.

Volunteering on the summer program for the last 4 years involved welcoming parents, guardians and children on arrival, answering any queries relating to the scheme and lessons, regularly evaluating individual and team performance, planning coaching sessions to target key areas for improvement and managing behavioral challenges to reduce disruption to training sessions.

Being on hand in class rooms to help with a wide range of activities such as the 'Curb Craft' scheme which develops children safety while crossing roads, numerous sports days, sport competitions, school trips ensuring children are able to comfortably transition to comprehensive school and annual school residential trips e.g. camping in Ystradgynlais.

Volunteering in a school environment has helped ensure i am able to communicate with people of all ages i.e. teachers and children of all ages, developed my self-confidence whilst being a leader, has progressed my skills to create positive relationships with all and ensured that i am able to show sensitivity and respect towards the children's needs.

Being a helper also involved being part of a team which has strengthened my team working ability, ensured i am able to communicate and collaborate with individuals from diverse backgrounds, developed my ability to adapt quickly in a range of circumstances while keeping a positive attitude in challenging situations and given me the ability to keep calm and work effectively in busy environments.