Rugby League and Good Deeds

Help get Josh to the Student World Cup and Disadvantaged Children into Top Universities

I need your help

After a selection process that has been ongoing since January, I am honoured to say I have been selected as one of the 24 players from all English Universities to represent England at the Student World Cup

This is great, and demands a very high level of commitment.

Indeed, I have spent most of my free time over the last 5 months building up to this event... driving to training and matches up and down the country, 10 hour round trips for camps in Sheffield, not to mention the countless hours spent alone in the gym and on the field

Alas, this professional effort is not matched by professional funding

We are students, yet our universities (mine at least) have refused to fund our efforts. In my case, because I am not a 'Sports Scholar'. How bizarre is that?

So yes: I need your help

And yes, you may be thinking, 'Why don't you pay for this yourself?'

And believe me, I get that.  I've already put £2000 of my own money into this program to get to this point. 

And truth be told, with the additional costs of the tour (predominantly insurance, food and sports nutrition) I am going to be wiped out. 

But still, I am not willing to simply take your money.

For each £100 you donate, I will give an hour of my time towards the future of this country, and indeed, the world.


As we know, the best academic institutions are still dominated by individuals from middle-upper class backgrounds

 While less than 10% of children are educated privately in the UK, they still make up around half of Oxford's student body

This cannot be due to differences in native intelligence

It is due to barriers such as wealth, race, culture and class

This isn't right, nor is it good.

There are countless geniuses out there who simply haven't been found

Imagine how different the world would be if Stephen Hawking hadn't known how to write a personal statement, or how to talk in interview, and had never been to Cambridge!

As some of you will be aware, I have mentored and provided applications assistance to individuals from a range of backgrounds for the last 4 years with great success

In return for your donation, the best I can give in return are my most valuable skills (academic) and my most valuable resource (time)

I will mentor bright sparks from disadvantaged communities and help them get into top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and LSE.
(See GeneratingGenius 
 for info of one such scheme)

I will help those who life has not dealt a perfect hand get the opportunities they deserve

So please, help me represent my country 

Help me nurture the next Darwin, Hawking, Keynes or Smith



Summary

By contributing to this campaign, you will:

1) Help me in my efforts to represent England at the Student Rugby League World Cup in Australia.

2) Help gifted and talented children from working class backgrounds gain places in Universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and LSE.

For each £100 raised, I will give one hour of my time to mentoring smart children from less privileged backgrounds, ensuring they get a fair shot at the best academic institutions, regardless of their income or social status

We leave 1st July...The deadline for tour funding is the 29th June

 

FAQ

Why do you deserve my money/ why should I pay for you to go on holiday?

Good question.

In brief, the answers are:

- Compared to children in Africa, 'I' probably don't, but the children you'll be helping through me are in dire need themselves, and could create effects that will benefit the world a 100 times over. Imagine creating the next Charles Darwin or Stephen Hawking

- This is not a holiday. This is an extremely demanding experience, physically and mentally. I have been preparing for this event specifically for over 12 months, spending my weekends driving 10 hours to Sheffield and back, my mornings and evenings training alone. The tournament itself will consist of little more than train-sleep-play-eat-sleep repeat.

I love it, and it is an honour, but it is certainly not an easy undertaking or a 'holiday'

What will the money pay for?

The money will pay for flights, accommodation, playing kit and tournament fees

It WILL NOT be used on fancy meals, drinks, or Kangaroo Boxing

How much can one hour of mentoring do?

In one hour I can:
-Get a personal statement up to a very high standard (Oxbridge-worthy)
- Give a mock interview and provide feedback
- Teach the basic skills required to do well in admissions tests

Any of these could be the difference between acceptance and rejection

In 24 hours (24 x £100 donations)  I could massively improve the opportunities available to between 10-20 children

10 new Nobel Prize winners for £1000? That's great value in anyone's eyes!

Why doesn’t someone else pay for this?

If this was rugby union, or I was representing Australia, they certainly would. Alas, there just isn’t sufficient funding for Student RL in the UK.

Why don’t you pay for this yourself?
Simply put- I don't have enough money.
I have already spent over £2000 of my own money to get to this point. I will be using my own money to fund the considerable additional expenses of a complete nutrition program (It takes a lot to fuel a man of my stature), protein shakes, trips out, copious amounts of Lucozade, beers if we win the final, etc. 



 

 Close...

I have already contacted (and received an enthusiastic response) from the award-winning charity www.generatinggenius.org.uk whose purpose is precisely in line with my aims:

 

 "To work with high-achieving students from disadvantaged communities throughout their secondary school careers to help them acquire the skills they need to win places at top universities"

 

So please, help me represent England in Australia, and help me get the next Newton, Hawking, Keynes or Darwin to where they deserve to be.

 

If you have any questions or special requests, please just ping me a message.

 

And remember: every little helps!

 

Thank you very much,

 

Josh