New gym at Portsmouth school offers young people a space to feel safe and supported and be themselves
Workout space is not just about physical fitness but a positive place where movement, mentoring, mental health and wellbeing can come together
An empty space at a Portsmouth school has been transformed into a place where students can move, connect, talk and grow.
A new gym has been opened at the Harbour School’s Tipner site as the culmination of a project led by Politely Rebellious Next Gen, a community interest company focused on empowering disadvantaged and disengaged young people.
The workout space is not just about physical fitness but a positive place where movement, mentoring, mental health and wellbeing can come together. From boxing and fitness to mindfulness, education and natural conversations that can some times make the biggest difference to young people’s lives, the aim is simple: create somewhere young people feel safe, supported and able to be themselves.
Keshia Stewart, Founder and Managing Director of Politely Rebellious Next Gen, said: ‘We're focused on empowering the next generation and one of the ways in which we've turned a project into real life is by opening this amazing gym space down at the Harbour School. It's really exciting.
‘As role models working at Politely Rebellious we could see a gap in the ability for young people to be involved in movement but in particular with mentors and coaches that are qualified to do boxing and personal training and football as opposed to PE teachers. So it's a way of us really amalgamating the two worlds of well-being and fitness but with our role models so you can have those deep meaningful conversations with young people over the process of working out.’
Among the role models already working with the school are Pompey hero Linvoy Primus, local boxing greats Lucas Ballingall and Mikey McKinson and Wellbeing Practitioner and Personal Trainer Joe Stewart and they will continue their sessions with young people in the gym.
After retiring in 2020, Linvoy started mentoring professional footballers across the country and more recently he’s returned to Portsmouth to work with Politely Rebellious and schools. Speaking after the official opening of the gym he said: ‘I’m looking forward to working with their boys that play football and also doing some stuff in the classroom about identity and resilience.
‘I've realised in the last couple years that learning isn't just restricted to a room or a football pitch - learning takes place in lots of different areas. So to be in this gym knowing that young people can be active is a good thing, but to have people who have done the sport and can try to help others is a great opportunity.’
The gym was made possible through the support of Mountjoy - whose team worked quickly across six weeks of the summer holidays to ensure it was ready in time for the start of the new school term - and Hampshire Flag Company.
Sian Lacey, headteacher at Harbour School, said: ‘We are super excited because Politely Rebellious has been working with us already over the last two terms and we've been having some fantastic sessions. This is the next step so we can impact more children and we can have more people in working with our people who absolutely respond phenomenally to them.’