The team empowering Wolverhampton's youth through martial arts and chat

He started InPower in 2012 and over the years he has developed a number of different programmes to connect with youngsters and teach them important lessons about determination, resilience and self-belief. Last year alone his team engaged with 1,785 young people, a figure which is hoped to increase even further by the end of 2020.

One of the intervention programmes on offer, the Unbreakables, sees Daryl and his colleagues visit schools and work with a small group of students, working on martial arts techniques but also guided ‘journalling’ activities where they can reflect on choices and behaviour.

“When I was planning the Unbreakables I thought a lot of young people could benefit from journalling, especially when we combine this with martial arts principles and concepts,” Daryl said.

“We teach them to have an unbreakable spirit. No matter what obstacles we face, we can overcome it and life cannot break us.

“If the young people can take that away they will have the resilience to overcome a lot of other challenges they will face in their lives.”

The youth workers who deliver the sessions are dedicated to empowering the young people they work with and helping them make positive choices in the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Kyrie Gough, projects co-ordinator, says: “Young people need praise. Sometimes they do wrong, but when they have a chance to speak their minds, showcase their talents and take out their anger they just grow and grow.

“This gives them the recognition they deserve and makes them feel good by showing them there is more to life.”

The results of the programme speaks for itself.

More than eight out of 10 students who took part in the Unbreakables have given positive feedback about their experience, and teachers have noticed how it can benefit children by making them think about their actions and be more self-disciplined.

Jackie Thomson, head of year 10 at Aldersley School in Wolverhampton, worked with InPower previously at the city’s Moreton School and she was so impressed with the work that they do she wanted to bring them to her new post at Aldersley.

She said: “I think it shows a side of young people that they don’t get to show a lot in school. They can have an hour of physical activity, express their emotions and let go, while all the time this message of self-motivation is reinforced.

“Some of these students don’t get this reassurance in English and maths lessons.

“I would encourage other students to take it on. Daryl is a real role model and a lot of the kids can relate to him.”

Youngsters on the programme have also voiced the positive impact that InPower has had on their lives.

Adam Payton, aged 14, a student at Aldersley High School is more than half way through the Unbreakables programme.

He said: “It’s taught me about control, to believe in myself and resilience. I now know it’s ok if I don’t reach my goals first time because it’s still important that I have had a go and tried.

“It’s good for young people, it teaches you how to control your emotions and it’s helped me a lot.”

The programme also boasts an impressive retention rate of 92 per cent of students, Daryl adds: “We never tell them that they have to be there. That figure alone shows me that these people are choosing to be a part of this and are trying to change their life for the better.”

InPower offers young people more than just martial arts sessions. They can gain work experience, qualifications and even positions as coaches or mentors.

An example of its impact is Neeco Chambers, from Bushbury, who transformed his life after meeting Daryl at school at the age of 16.

He said: “I met Daryl when he came to deliver an assembly about InPower at school. He asked for a volunteer and normally I would never go for anything like that, but something came over me. I put my hand up and that’s how we met, and it just went from there.

“At the time, I had recently lost someone to knife crime and if it hadn’t had been for the help of Daryl and my teachers I would’ve retaliated.”

Neeco immersed himself in the InPower sessions and even became a volunteer at weekly community classes.

“In the end, I passed all of my GCSEs, got As in English and even got an award from my school for the biggest transformation,” he said.

Now aged 18, he is now in a paid position as an assistant coach with InPower and works closely with the West Midlands Police and schools to support other young people.

He said: “InPower is more than just martial arts, it’s a movement for young people – it’s a way of life.”