Continental Star F.C. is committed to working within the local community not only to provide sporting activities, but to engage young people in worthwhile activities that provide them with opportunities to develop a sense of pride and self-worth.  Continental Star F.C. is therefore happy to work with other projects in order to achieve this aim.

 B-United: Social Enterprise Gardening Project

B-United is a community based inner city project that aims to bring together young people from different ethnic backgrounds, ages, gender, and who also live in different geographical areas, to engage in positive activities.

For the last two years, during school holidays, the B-United youngsters have been working on the Social Enterprise Gardening Project, supported by Aston Villa football club.  The young people are responsible for cultivating the allotment, planting fruit, vegetables, and also herbs; their harvest is then sold to Aston Villa football club to be used in their restaurant.

This year ten Continental Star players from the Under 14s team and one from the under 18s enrolled onto the project.  Each young person had the opportunity to earn between £15 – 30 a day depending on how well they worked.

All of the young Stars were a credit to the club and to themselves.  They have all learnt some valuable life skills, and also had an introduction to what it means to work and get paid.  But the project does not end there!  Each young person will be given the opportunity to work on the allotment at weekends, and also during school holidays; throughout the year to maintain the allotment.

Some of last year’s young people went on to gain employment and to start their own social enterprise businesses.

B-United aims to bring young people together from across the city where they can make new friends, have fun, and to also learn new skills.

Report by Jason Sylvester

Watch out for future projects.