Public speaking coach inspired by his past to help children

2 hours ago

Caroline GallWest Midlands

News image — Mia won the contest last year and went on to meet Wolverhampton MP's when she was invited to Parliament

Nurture Media Mia is standing next Atwal holding a certificate and smiling. She has long, black hair and has a brown cardigan on over a black top. Atwal is wearing a blue hoodie and is smiling at the camera. They stand in front of a maroon curtain. — Mia won the contest last year and went on to meet Wolverhampton MP's when she was invited to Parliament

Twenty children are to test their public speaking skills in a competition after being mentored and taking part in boxing and team games to boost their confidence.

The youngsters are part of a programme in Wolverhampton which started as one club in Graisley supporting 20 young people a week, to expand to five clubs supporting 100 each week.

Jin Atwal said he started Magical Mind coaching and his VoiceBOX programme after overcoming his own struggles, following growing up in a chaotic home marred by aggression.

The public speaking competition will be held at Tettenhall College on 17 May from 12:00 BST.

The VoiceBOX clubs are held weekly in Whitmore Reans, Blakenhall and Low Hill and feature team games, boxing to boost resilience and public speaking games to help communication skills.

Atwal said he wanted to help children as he had struggled to find a voice during his childhood and used boxing to give him a "sense of control".

"My father was an alcoholic and I witnessed a lot of domestic violence," he said.

"One thing that really helped me during those dark times was boxing.

"My uncle introduced me to boxing at the age of 13 and, for the first time, I felt a sense of self-worth and I began to believe in myself.

"Up until that point I felt like a failure because I wasn't able to protect my mum from my dad."

Nurture Media Young participants and mentors and Jin stand on a stage holding certificates. There is a large maroon curtain behind them. There are more than 20 people in the photo and a blue Magical Mind Coaching banner behind him. — Jin Atwal said they hold two public speaking contests each year

The organisation hold two public speaking competitions each year for young people showcase their skills on stage.

Previous competitor Mia, 13, from Wombourne, Staffordshire, won the contest last year, Atwal said, when she spoke about child labour and she went on to meet Wolverhampton MP's when she was invited to Parliament.

Atwal said it was important to help children to make them "believe in themselves and realise what they're capable of".

"Seeing a young person go from being shy and unsure, to confidently speaking on stage in front of 100+ people, is something that never gets old," he said.

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