Kieran Dowling on winning GU Volunteer and World Changer of the Year
Published: 9 March 2020
Kieran Dowling on winning GU Volunteer and World Changer of the Year award
I'm so happy and grateful to say that I recently received the GU Volunteer and World Changer of the Year award!
I was nominated for the work that I have been doing in my role as the Head of the GU Basketball Social Outreach Program for the past couple of years.
Myself, my basketball coach, and a teammate of mine started this initiative to extend the sporting opportunities for children living in underserved areas of Glasgow. We have now engaged 185 children around Glasgow in regular basketball sessions delivered by 18 volunteer student coaches who we have trained and qualified.
Our biggest project, the Govan School of Basketball, has reached out to 9 primary schools in the Govan area, providing children with regular training, inter school tournaments, and trips to the university campus for tours and watching our basketball teams play.
We plan to continue engaging children from Govan in basketball throughout their high school journey and to provide them with mentoring to guide them towards positive destinations after school.
First published: 9 March 2020