This week, endurance sports TV (esTV) and the legend of OCR and trail running, Jon Albon, came together to help inspire a group of care experienced young people to help them take positive action in their own lives.
The project, coordinated with the charity GMYN (Greater Manchester Youth Network), started with a private screening of Jon’s original documentary, created by esTV, before linking them directly to Jon in Norway via video link to learn out more about his journey.
The event was part of a wider campaign “2021 Lets Go”, which was designed to help young people think about their dreams and inspire them to get outdoors. The team behind the project hope that, Covid permitting, the campaign will conclude with an adventure trip up Snowdon.
“It was such a pleasure to connect with the group. They had such great questions and we chatted about everything from moments in my career to my training, motivation and the enjoyment and satisfaction I get from what I do. When I look back, there are moments of inspiration: things people have said that made me switch from one path to another. Maybe, just maybe, this will be one of those moments for these young people.”
(Jon Albon)
GMYN’s vision is #YoungPeopleCan and they support young people in Greater Manchester to transition to adulthood feeling skilled, supported and positive. Their key focus is helping young people who face significant challenges, including those with experience of the care system, special educational needs and disabilities, and social, emotional and mental health challenges.
“It’s a tough time for many young people at the moment but the young people we support are facing some of the biggest challenges of them all. Opportunities to speak to a true legend in their sport are so inspiring. But more than that, Jon was so engaging and chatted through his own challenges with injury; what inspires him; and the satisfaction and enjoyment he gets from pushing himself to the limit. We have all struggled with Zoom fatigue recently, but I’ve never seen a group so engaged and inspired!”
(Kate Thomas, the organiser of “2021 Let’s Go” at GMYN)
endurance sports TV is the home for endurance fans around the world with over 350 hours of TV programmes available to view. Not only are the team behind esTV creating original programs, such as Jon’s ‘Finding Your Feet’ documentary, but fans are also able to access live races, a historic race programmes, and training content with some of the world’s foremost experts.
To find out more about endurance sports TV click here where you can find more information about the channel and its programs. For any young people looking for support in the Greater Manchester area click here.
