Aryan Nahata aged 14-Peterborough Cricket Innovator-Case Study
It is estimated the total reach of all the work Aryan been involved in to date has influenced approximately 400-500 people of all ages
Aryan is a member of the influential Peterborough Youth Council which seeks be an important voice group for people aged 11-19 in the city representing their views to decision makers. He recently led a workshop on raising awareness on climate change as Chair of a Councils YouthFest event in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University, fund raising for mental health and campaigning for reducing junk food advertising in the city (see more below).
Aryan plays for Peterborough Town CC at u15 level and has worked with Dave Summers, Cricket Easts Diverse Communities Officer in some of the cities under-served township communities at a grass roots level supporting community cohesion activities, being a champion for youngsters introduced to and developing their love of the game.
These initiatives have included the Nepalese and Hindu communities Dynamos ‘Intros’ 8-hour programmes for 8–11-year-olds developing fundamental skills through drills and games. Aryan has also worked on sports delivery supporting the children's charity Barnardo's on one of their local Holiday Activity and Food initiative profiled nationally by footballer Marcus Rashford. He received praise from the cities Mayor who witnessed this work.
Mayor’s link: https://t.co/BWN0IwGb34
Aryan has further developed his technical coaching awareness observing 1-2-1 girls session and also supported in the running/delivery of the annual Joint Mosque Council Peterborough Community Cup event which raised in the region of £1,000 in support of the Pancreatic Cancer UK charity.
Pictures:
Some of the 50 Barnardos HAF session children
+Youthfest event Flyer
Aryan has a very relaxed style with youngsters being keen to learn the fundamentals of coaching and offers up ideas on alternative set ups to skills/drills whilst also keen to demonstrate techniques.
He sees the wider benefits the game can offer young people including in the areas of: communication, decision making, leadership and team work.
Cricket East is very grateful for the time Aryan has committed to being a volunteer, truly being an inspirational ambassador for young people. He recently received a Rising Star Award at Northants CCC as part of Cricket Easts Grassroots Awards.
Pictures: Nepalese community Dynamos Intros programme/ Hindi Temple session/Northants CCC-Aryan Rising Star Interview
Aryan explains more in his own words:
‘I have been volunteering with Cricket East - Diverse Communities Officer (Dave Summers) over the 2023 summer.
We have worked with various organisations/ communities, such as the Barnardo's charity Gunthorpe Holiday Activity Food programme at the Peterborough Town CC outfield, the Nepalese community in Westwood, and the Bharat Hindu Samaj (BHS) community in the temple. This has been a fantastic learning opportunity as it provided great exposure to the broader coaching opportunities. All of our work has been vastly different to each other, and the experience I have gained from it is precious.
When working with Barnardo's charity, we let them choose which sport they wanted to do and helped them organise and enjoy it.
We also held a girls-only coaching session, considering how seriously under-developed cricket is towards them locally. The point of the session was to introduce them to the sport and nurture their talents whilst scouting the ones who have the potential to go big and support them accordingly. We did this by going through various favourite batting shots with them, such as the straight drive, the pull shot and the sweep shot. We also worked on their bowling skills like we did with Nepalese and BHS.
However, when working with the Nepalese community, we had two eight-hour coaching sessions in which we coached them on the basics of sports, such as throwing, catching, bowling and batting.
With the BHS temple, we focused on the skills above and also how to deal with pressure situations and captaincy.
On Saturday, 2nd September 2023, my dad and I were given an opportunity to score the annual Peterborough Community Cup cricket match between the Police/Council team and the Joint Mosque teams. This was a first for us, we are usually the ones playing the sport, and candidly speaking, we did not have an idea of what goes on scoring the game to ensure it ran smoothly. Hence, the patience from Dave and Jonathan Bigham was beneficial, considering the pressure we were under from the supporters of the respective teams.
This all helped me understand the importance of cricket on young people's development, as it has physical benefits and helps build leadership, teambuilding skills, patience and coping with successes and failures. This is significant as it can shape a young person's future.
To recognise all the efforts, I was nominated for an award, selected from all other nominees in the Cricket East region. On Monday 4th September, I was invited to attend a Northamptonshire vs. Lancashire County cricket match, where I was presented with a Rising Star Grassroots Award by Will Sneath, Club and Community Manager. I also had the opportunity to watch the game and meet some of the coaching staff on the pitch during the lunch interval. They were kind enough to inform me about their jobs and what a day in their career is like.
Dave also introduced me to Cricket East CEO Richard Darwin, a person I could relate to from some of his childhood stories and gain inspiration from. Overall, this day is one of the highlights of my life, as this was the first time I got to watch a professional cricket match live in the stadium.
As a Peterborough Youth Councillor, I feel the youth need to be made aware of the opportunities available to them, and sports as a whole need to step up and publicise/ encourage the entire city to join in. Additionally, we should have more cricketing grounds in the town. I am also glad that we raised this issue and brought it to the attention of Peterborough MP, Peterborough City Council CEO, and the council leader.
Whilst working with the youth council, I realised the external factors that affect the sport such as climate change. This is a huge problem as it has the potential to ruin not only local matches but also nail-biting internationals. Furthermore, the work that goes behind the games such as preparing the pitches becomes a difficult task as due to it water is quite literally spilt on the plans. However, juxtaposing rain is severe heat which significantly tires the players causing them to become tired and therefore make a mistake and get out or bowl the wrong ball, but also can cause an increase in tempers flaring between the teams. Hence, climate change must be mitigated and the only way that can be done is by the current generation making some tough calls and the younger generation to build on them in the future.
Building on from before cricket can help towards mental health as research shows that exercise reduces the levels of stress hormones in your body. At the same time, physical activity stimulates production of endorphins. These are natural mood lifters that can help keep stress and depression at bay. Endorphins also leave you feeling more relaxed and optimistic after a hard workout on the field.
Moreover, sports encourage people to opt for healthier options and staying fit and in shape as players (elite or not) must be able to be on top of their game. Even playing for a couple of hours has significant advantages as it provides an outdoor environment for people to exercise and meet/make friends simultaneously. This is significant because junk food is an ever-growing problem in the UK as fast-food chains target young people with their adverts. So, sports can tackle it by ensuring there is a healthier alternative for youngsters.
Me and the future:
I am keen to get involved in further forthcoming activities including observing Coach Development Courses which I currently am too young for, but I feel would be another great learning experience and one Dave is eager for me to see.
Additionally, I hope to be partaking and support Dave for an event he is hosting at Peterborough City Centre during the Hindu festival (Diwali). I believe that the activities we will run are like the others above and might link in some way or form to the festival.
Finally, thank you for mentoring and coaching me this summer Dave’.
Picture: Joint Mosque Council Pboro Community Cup event
Feedback from Aryan’s parents Atul and Madhu:
Volunteering with Dave has had a significant positive impact on the personal development of Aryan, and we have been some of the key and noticeable changes that we as parents have noticed in him.
• Increased self-confidence and self-esteem – Whilst he has been learning new skills and master new challenges, Aryan is feeling good about himself. This has increased his self-confidence and self-esteem.
• Improved teamwork and communication skills – We all know Cricket is a team sport, and whilst participating in cricket coaching Aryan has also learnt how to work together towards a common goal. Aryan has learnt how to communicate effectively with their friends in his social life.
• Leadership skills development – Volunteering with Dave, has provided to improve on this leadership skills. He is learning how to motivate and inspire others and learn how to make decisions under pressure. This has helped him in his Youth Council activities as well.
• Sense of responsibility and civic engagement – Aryan has learnt the importance of responsibility and civic engagement. Working with the communities has had a very positive impact on him to give back to society
• Positive role models – On various occasions, Aryan is recognised as a positive role model for children. This is quite evident from Aryan featuring on School bulletin and Bharat Hindu Samaj Facebook page. He can inspire other kids the importance of hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship.
Dave Summers
Cricket East Diverse Communities Officer Sept 2023
dave.summers@cricketeast.co.uk