TO celebrate the Year of Young People, every week in 2018 The National is giving a platform to young Scots. This week, 21-year-old Barry Munro, a TSB Young Leader and volunteer coach at Hillfoots RFC
WHEN I got into a playground fight at the age of 15, little did I know that it would be the start of the most fulfilling period of my life. Rather than being punished, my teacher had the foresight to send me to my local rugby club, Hillsfoot RFC. I haven’t looked back since.
Initially I’d go down and help with the kids’ training sessions – getting the bibs, pumping up balls and setting up the cones. This quickly progressed to playing, coaching and refereeing the local kids’ games. When I was 18 I was made captain of my Hillfoots and school team. My enthusiasm and commitment was recognised when I won the school’s Spirit of Rugby award for recruiting my pals and washing all the dirty kit! I’m 22 now, and have been volunteering with the club every weekend since.
My motto is: “When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life”. Helping other people and seeing how your contribution shapes their lives is really fulfilling. I love spreading positivity and helping kids get better at something.I believe a lot of life lessons can be taught through sport. I’ve coached kids from all sorts of social backgrounds and they’ve all learned from me and hold me in high regard for what I’ve done for them – which is of course is very flattering.
Volunteering also opens doors to exciting new opportunities. Hillfoots RFC is a member of Sported, a charity that supports Sport for Social Change projects, and through this I’ve been lucky enough to be nominated to part of their TSB Young Leader Programme. It brings together young coaches and volunteers from community groups across Britain to develop our leadership skills, make new connections and learn from each other’s life experiences – all for the benefit of our clubs and the young people we coach.
When you’re a teenager it’s a crucial but challenging point in your life and development of your personality. Nowadays there’s a lot of pressure on kids with exams, social media and a need to conform. Young people fear failure as a result. What sport and volunteering gave me was early access –at a crucial stage – to a growth mindset and a positive outlook on life. I tell my players never to use the word “can’t”, as you won’t achieve and progress if you don’t believe in yourself. If you try and fail, you learn from it. This philosophy, for a 15-year-old, can be profound. This growth mindset and commitment to continually pushing myself has rubbed off on my players and helped them develop as well. I’ve never stopped progressing in sport and in life because of it.
My advice for other young people is stay positive, be true to yourself and volunteer. See how a little bit of your time can make a massive difference to both your local community and your own health and happiness.
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