'CITC has played a major role in my development as an adult:' Black History Month - a CITC Coach story | OneFootball

To celebrate Black History Month, and as part of City in the Community’s ‘We Are CITC’ storytelling campaign, the Club’s charity sat down with Aadi from its mentoring programme.

In the interview, the mentoring coach discusses how being on a City in the Community programme allowed him to not only gain full-time employment, but also to develop as an individual, as well as what Black History Month means to him.

Tell us a little bit about your journey to, today…  Hi, my name is Aadi Luck, I’m 22 and I currently work at CITC having graduated from the charity’s Community Football Coaching degree in associations with Manchester Metropolitan University in 2023.

I have a footballing background having played football all my life, so to be able to work in and around City in the Community is honestly such a blessing.

How did you first become involved in CITC?  I first became involved with CITC in 2020, during COVID, when I first started on the City in the Community Degree with Manchester Metropolitan University.

I started the degree during a global pandemic, so it was a very weird time for me, moving over 100 miles away from home in a new city for a degree but not even being able to attend lectures due to covid restrictions.

What is your current role at CITC?  My current role at CITC is working as a mentor, specifically working on tackling serious youth violence across Greater Manchester.

This involves working as a mentor for a range of different young people who have been referred into CITC from different referral partners.

I work in lots of different areas of the local community including, schools, prisons, youth clubs and parks. I also work on different mental health and disability programmes providing fun, inclusive football sessions for a range of participants.

What does CITC mean to you?

CITC has played a major role in my development as an adult. As a young 18-year-old I didn’t really know what I wanted to get out of this world. I thought football was all about the elite game and that it wasn’t worth getting involved unless you were professional.

CITC opened up my eyes to the impact football and sports can have, it can really transform and empower lives.

Not only has CITC given me the opportunity to complete a degree and work full time it has developed me as an individual tremendously.

From your experience, what difference do you think having relatable role models within CITC makes to young black people in Manchester?   Having relatable role models is vital in any situation as it puts into perspective that your goals and aspirations are attainable.

Seeing someone who looks like you, talks like you and comes from a similar place as you really open your eyes to the fact you can achieve anything in this life no matter where you come from or what colour your skin is.

Across CITC there is so many examples of great black role models for young people in Manchester, there are so many members of staff who have grown up in local communities.

Even though I didn’t grow up in Manchester, hopefully I have a story and personality young people can relate too and use as motivation to go out and achieve something great with their lives.

What do you enjoy most about your job?  The thing I enjoy most about my job is engaging with the participants. All the participants I work with have a different story and part of my job as a mentor is to understand them more as a person, learning more about them to achieve the most as a mentor.

Building relationships is a vital part of my job as some of the participants we work with don’t like opening up and talking, part of our job is to break down that wall to allow open and healthy conversations so that I can do my job to the best of my ability.

What does Black History month mean to you?   Black History Month to me represents a celebration of the positive impact and contributions that we have given to the world.  BHM is a time to celebrate what our people can do in this world, despite adversity. Everything is possible!

What impact do you feel you are having on others from a mentoring perspective?

From a mentoring perspective I hope to have an impact on anyone that I work with.

All the young people I work with leave any session having been able to talk to someone who genuinely cares, the sad truth is this might be the first time someone has genuinely cared how they are.

Why do you think it’s important that CITC supports the community and the community you grew up in?  It is important that CITC supports the community because we provide so many opportunities for everyone. Opportunities that wouldn’t exist without CITC.

Through our different programmes young people can gain valuable skills, build confidence and develop as people.

These opportunities and support help them to stay involved in something positive giving young people a sense of belonging which a lot of people never find, which causes people to feel lost ultimately leading them down the wrong path.  Keep an eye-out for more We Are CITC stories throughout the year.  If you would like to support CITC and its work, you can do so through the CITC Prize Draw which offers fans around the world* the opportunity to get their hands on signed player shirts, match tickets, cash prizes and much more each month for just £5 a ticket.   To enter the draw or find out more information, visit: www.mancity.com/citcprizedraw  City in the Community empowers healthier lives with city youth through football. To find out more, visit  www.mancity.com/citc or follow @citcmancity.

*Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Qatar, Lebanon, and North Korea are the only excluded countries from the prize draw.