Black History Month: Nicole's Story
We’re ‘celebrating our sisters’ as part of Black History Month, speaking to black women and girls about their engagement with Saints Foundation.
When Nicole saw a flyer for Premier League Changemakers, she didn’t know what to expect, but signed up to try something new outside of school. 12 months on, it’s opened up all kinds of fantastic opportunities for her.
Changemakers brings together girls aged 11 to 16 for monthly workshops designed to develop leadership qualities and unlock their aspirations. It’s run by Saints Foundation and works with up to 100 girls from across the city every year. Nicole found the year-long programme really beneficial for understanding her identity and exploring wider world issues.
One experience that had a particularly big impact on her was helping to launch Saints Women’s 2023/24 kit. Nicole modelled the new gear alongside some of her peers on the programme, with the shots then splashed across the city to promote the Women’s team ahead of their new season. She enjoyed being in front of camera and said that seeing being a face of the campaign was one of her greatest achievements to date.
The theme of this year’s Black History Month is ‘Celebrating Our Sisters’, and we asked Nicole who she considers an inspirational female role model. “My greatest inspiration is definitely my mum,” she told us. “She has achieved so much like becoming a Councillor and runs many community projects. One gave me and my friends the opportunity to perform at the O2 Guildhall!”
Nicole is now hoping to become an inspiration to others by becoming a Changemakers mentor, helping guide the next cohort of young women through the programme. She believes seeing diversity in Saints Foundation projects is really important – in her words, “Seeing one person can inspire others to follow.”
