The Centre of Light learning experience can come to you. The double decker Black Cat Express is fully kitted out with IT equipment, and has youth and health workers, teachers and coaches on board to deliver projects, coaching sessions and Skills for Life. Many of these activities are taught through the multimedia resource on board. The youth worker will design, with the agency involved, the content of any workshops delivered in the Health, Environment or Citizenship modules. All of the programmes are delivered using football and the personalities of SAFC as motivators.

The Kickstart Project works with young people aged 5 to 19 and their families across the city of Sunderland. The main focus is on working with those people who are hard to reach in partnership with existing agencies and identifying educational and social needs within their own communities.

Through a newly developed multimedia resource, Kickstart can offer programmes for 13-19 year olds that can link into ASDAN, the Youth Achievement Award and the Getting Connected Profile of Personal Development. 

Visits to local schools can be linked to areas of the National Curriculum and the National Healthy School Standard.  Open College Network accreditation is available for family learning activities.

The Black Cat Express heads into local communities six days a week and works alongside established organisations to:

• raise motivation and self-esteem
• develop employability and social skills
• increase knowledge in areas of health and citizenship to help people make informed decisions
• make provision more accessible
• engage the hardest to reach into learning
• add value to the work of existing agencies in meeting the needs of young people
• tackle social, personal, economic and cultural barriers
• become a project that can become mainstream

Projects last up to twelve weeks and naturally involve football but can be developed around any of the High 5 education areas of Health, Citizenship, Environment, Curriculum and Coaching.  Motivators include branded goodies, a loyalty scheme, player appearances and activities within the Stadium of Light, the home of Sunderland Football Club.