Our Work 

How we work

We use a combination of mentoring and rugby as a gateway to engage some of the most difficult young people in prison and in the community who are vulnerable to crime; many with gang membership warnings or violent convictions. Rugby provides the gateway for more substantial trauma informed support and mentoring to young people in both prisons and the community. The 3Pillars approach offers long-term support to participants, with the aim of enabling individuals to make a positive contribution to society.

What are the 3Pillars?

The Rugby Academy

Our in-custody programme is underpinned by foundations of teamwork, physicality and leadership. Over an 8-week programme, we engage, develop and establish long term support mentor relationships to develop in young people the tools necessary thrive.

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Our programme takes a group of 15 young people aged 15 - 25 over an 8 week intervention and teaches them to play rugby. We develop teamwork communication and self control whilst being paired with workshops that address areas such as: regulation of emotions, family, relationships and goal setting. Participants also complete a coaching qualification where they learn to present in front of others.

The Fitness Academy

The Fitness Academy is an influential post-release mentoring approach that engages young prison leavers through a comprehensive sports-based employability model. The model engages a diverse range of individuals through physical activity, qualification attainment and personal development opportunities, which lead to sustainable employment within the community and beyond. The pathway addresses factors related to offending behaviour and supporting a successful and sustainable transition back into society. 

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3Pillars Fitness employs apprentices and coaches who are on our post release pathway, supporting former prisoners to gain the skills and qualifications to ultimately secure sustainable employment and reduce one of the root causes behind re-offending. It is also an opportunity to build the core 'soft' business skills alongside work experience and qualifications that greatly improve job prospects.

The Leadership Academy

The Leadership Academy takes committed individuals into the next phase of their development by supporting them to become leaders in their own right. This includes being part of the 3PP Development Advisory Board which feeds into the strategic direction of the charity and gives them the opportunity to help design and amend current and future projects. Often, those in the Leadership Academy are well on their way to being a success, we then exist to be an independent sounding board, provide counsel and ongoing support to ensure they achieve their long-term ambitions.