Paralympian Wendy Smith used her love of sport to fight against existing beliefs and explains how having goals and a passion can give pupils a toolkit for life.
The Olympic and Paralympic games remind us all of what it is possible to achieve when you put dedication, positivity and resilience into what you do.
We met with Paralympian Wendy Smith, who represented the UK in the women’s wheelchair basketball team in Athens 2004. When Wendy was 17 she suffered a spinal injury and was told she would never walk again. She spent 10 years proving the doctors wrong and claims the reason she can now walk is because she refused to believe she couldn’t.
The power of belief is a strong message in the work Wendy does inspiring young people in school to realise their goals and find their passion in life.
With the amount of challenges we face everyday, whether it's mental health difficulties or the levels of discrimination and prejudice we encounter, it's not surprising that many young people end up believing that they're stupid, or badly behaved or generally 'not good enough', and so act in a way that their beliefs about themselves dictate.
Changing a belief about yourself is one of the hardest things to do, and not everyone will be able to achieve the incredible feat that Wendy did. However, as she describes in the video, there are so many outlets available, and many of them at school, where children and young people can find a passion, set and achieve goals for something, and start taking back their own self-belief.
Watch the video to hear more from Wendy about inspiring pupils to find their passion.
Hear from Margaret Alphonsi, England Rugby World Cup Winner and Athlete Mentor, Youth Sport Trust, as she discusses the psychology of winning, motivating your students and developing talent and inspiring children to achieve their potential and become the sporting stars of tomorrow at our upcoming PE and School Sports Conference.
