I've Got Your Back

“I’ve got your back” is a new campaign developed by members of the SSV Physical Education (PE) staff aimed at improving relations among students and between students and staff.

The focus behind the idea is that if everyone is 100% committed to what they are doing and trying their best, their teammates and coaches will look after them, protect them and help with any difficulties – on and off the playing arena. This often happens, but the campaign aims to create awareness of how important these links are, not only to performance but also to mental health and the wellbeing of all those involved.

The initiative started as a way of increasing team spirit and cohesion amongst players within the sports teams at the BSN and creating a closer relationship between coaches and players when travelling and playing together. As members of staff, we have noticed that there are a lot of conversations between students that can be quickly taken out of context by each other and then put down to ‘banter’ when, in fact, it can be damaging to the confidence and wellbeing of a student – the campaign tries to combat this culture and get students and staff to be more aware of the importance of working together and looking after each other; skills that will also be vital as they progress through the school and beyond.

We want students to connect with the campaign, so they associate Sport with establishing positive relationships. This includes the support they give each other and how they treat their opponents. It’s all about developing an ethos amongst the players and the greater school community to care about each other and support others when they need it. Although this is often already the case, the students must be consciously aware of this.

The slogan will appear on the new shirts of our High Performance Pathway students, and the new playing kit that will be worn by competitive teams next year. Information will also be posted around the school.

We hope that students embrace this initiative and that it spreads throughout the SSV school community. Sport is a way of bringing students from a wide range of backgrounds and interests together and forces them to work together to achieve a goal – this is the essence of what we are looking at developing within the sports programme at SSV. We hope that the ideas and themes from this campaign spread to the wider school community.

'I’ve got your back' is really important because it allows your teammates to rely on you and hold you accountable. This makes for a better, more inclusive environment for your teammates and other people who might consider joining your sport. This also helps when you make mistakes, whether that is in the game or training, as no one blames you and everyone wants you to be better. This mentality will also improve your chemistry with your teammates and connect you with them (making you a family). This positive mentality helps a team, as you can all grow together as you are all striving for the same goal which is to get better, even if you lose or win. The outcome doesn’t matter, it is the effort you put in and how you all played as a team.

Kai, Year 10 student