Mickela Hall-Ramsay has become the youngest ever Chair of the London Youth Games.

The 34-year-old is one of two appointments to the Board along with Roisin Wood, the former Chief Executive of Kick It Out, joining as an independent Trustee.

Mickela is also the first Chair to come from a Black, Asian or ethnically diverse background, and the first former participant of the Games to take the role. She competed for Haringey at London Youth Games in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004, winning Gold in the female basketball competition each year. She has volunteered at the Games and managed Haringey's female basketball team in 2013 and 2014.

POSITIVE

An award-winning entrepeneur and the founder of HR Sports Academy in north London, Mickela is passionate about sport and the positive impact it can have on young people's lives, and in the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said: “What really excites me about joining the London Youth Games is the personal connection I have with the Games. It has been 20 years since I first found out about it and everything I have achieved today is owing in some part to my experiences with the London Youth Games. Growing up in London, sport played a massive role in my life. It kept me active, it kept me safe, it widened my social circle and it helped build my confidence.”

Mickela studied Sport Science at Brunel University and then completed a Masters in Sports Management at London Metropolitan where her research focused on how sport can positively develop young people. She later set up HR Sports Academy to benefit young people in her community, inspired by the sudden death of her sister who had Down Syndrome, the rising crime rates and serious youth violence in Haringey, and cuts to youth services. 

Mickela is excited about the role that the Games can play in bringing young people back to sport during the recovery from the pandemic. Online programmes such as the LYG Virtual Inclusive Games and the LYG Virtual Dance project are keeping young people engaged and mean the charity is well-placed to support the recovery.

EXCITING

The LYG Virtual Games attracted more than 40,000 entries from young Londoners during the first lockdown. Other adapted and expanded online offers include a Virtual Cross Country event, which has seen 3,894 young people participate, and weekly fitness challenges, with up to 10,000 young people participating as part of the charity’s School Games programme.

Mickela added: “With all the changes that are taking place now and young people being isolated and away from normality, London Youth Games has a challenging but also very exciting opportunity to bring young people back together, back to sport, and back into an environment where they’re able to use sport to help them mentally and physically to become themselves again. Having adapted and gone online during the pandemic, London Youth Games has been able to extend its reach and now can use this momentum to draw in as many young people as possible.”

Roisin (above) joins the Board as an independent Trustee. She spent nearly 10 years as CEO of leading anti-discriminatory charity Kick It Out, and served in the Northern Ireland Judiciary Service as a Lay Magistrate specialising in youth and family law over the last 15 years. Previously she held roles working with the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland supporting the re-integration of ex-political prisoners and their families as part of the Peace Process before moving to London. There she began working for the Metropolitan Police as the MVP Community Engagement Manager, then Redbridge Council in Inclusion Development, before becoming Head of Equalities for the Football Foundation.

She said: “I'm delighted to be joining London Youth Games. I was impressed by their recent strategy ‘Every Young Londoner's Games’ and their commitment to creating a Youth Games that is inclusive and accessible for all. I have a massive commitment to inclusivity and I’m passionate about giving all young people the best possible opportunities. Sport gave me a confidence that I never had in any other part of my life.

“London Youth Games has the platform to help build young people’s confidence. It is not just about participation and excellence in sport, but also resilience and learning about communication and teamwork. I’m also interested in the ways London Youth Games can provide pathways into working in sport and being around the governance in sport.”

The release of the charity’s 2021-2025 strategy ‘Every Young Londoner’s Games’ sets out the vision to create the world’s largest and most inclusive city-focused Youth Games.

Read more at londonyouthgames.org.