Charity wins special award for helping the young Black community in Milton Keynes

5 On It offers free basketball lessons, among other activities, in Milton Keynes

They engage youngsters in activities to keep them off the streets

The city’s 5 On It Foundation has won a special award for its efforts to engage with the young Black community.

The charity delivers a range of sports and creative arts programmes to teach young people learning long-lasting life skills and keep them off the streets, away from gangs.

A key initiative is its ‘Gang Today Gone Tomorrow’ programme - an anti-gang activity that uses mentoring and sport to inspire and educate, especially those young people potentially at risk. Former gang mentors join the sessions and deliver talks.

This week the charity is “over the moon” to have been recognized by the Milton Keynes Black Excellent Awards 2024.

5 On it won the award for the ‘organisation which seeks to engage The Black Community the Most’. This was presented by actor and TV presenter Richard Blackwood to the charity’s ambassadors, local Team GB Olympian Peter Bakare and International basketball player Jordan Spencer.

The organisation takes time to understand what young people want and offers engaging activities including basketball, football, netball, creative arts, YouTube and DJ workshops.

Every programme is free and includes mentoring, healthy hot meals, fruit and prizes for completing challenges.

Peter Bakare said “I’m thrilled to collect this award with Jordan Spencer on behalf of all our coaches and ambassadors who are professional sports people.

"We want all our programmes to be inspirational, engaging and fun. It is so important to us that our programmes are free and accessible to all young people.

"We are a group of professional athletes from different sports and backgrounds who managed to get to the heights of our sports careers from opportunities and the safe spaces within our community. Together we want to pass the same opportunities down to the next generation so they can excel in not just sports, but in life.”

Food and culture is a key element to the 5 On It programmes.

Jordan Spencer said: “Food and music really bring vibes, energy and naturally bring us as a people together and our programmes really celebrate different cultures within our community.”