Simon Brown – Eighteen year old Aghalee boy Simon Brown is currently in Northern Sweden, one of two young people representing the United Kingdom at the inaugural anti drugs conference jointly organised by the Orebro Institute and FIFA.
Wallace High pupil Simon, who coaches the Under 10 team at Hillsborough Boys` Football team,will take an active role in a series of workshops and discussion groups aimed primarily at examining the differing attitudes to drug abuse and the negative impact which drugs have on sport.
Representatives from Argentina, Peru, Russia, Germany and Portugal as well as the UK , will discuss methods of tackling addiction and promoting positive lifestyle choices, particularly amongst the young.
Simon is particularly looking forward to examining sports facilities in Sweden and visiting schools there. Simon, a House Captain and Sixth Form committee member within Wallace, said, “I`m looking forward to meeting people from other countries and learning about different cultures.It may be possible to organise sporting exchanges in the future for Hillsborough Boys through contacts I make in Sweden.
I also feel very honoured to be representing the UKand I hope to use the skills and knowledge which I gain in Sweden to have a positive impact back at home. Obviously I`ll implement the information ann my coaching with the Under 10 footballers and I`ve offered to help out with drugs awareness classes with my year group at school. I`ve been on the internet this wekk finding out a bit about Orebro – it`s minus 11 C there with six feet of snow – it`ll be a bit different from Aghalee!”
Mr Howard Thompson, Head of Sixth Form at Walce High , said, “I consider it a significant achievement for Simon and indeed his school for him to be selected for this prestigious event. I hope that Simon will return better informed about the threat drugs can pose to sport and to young people in general and that he will be willing to pass on his thoughts to pupils in our school. He has offered to enrich a unit of our Liberal Studies Programme which is aimed at Sixth Year pupils.”
