Life for Casie Rogers from Gloucester could have been very different if she hadn’t joined the Premiership Rugby HITZ programme and been introduced to opportunities she never thought possible.

After a childhood experiencing neglect, mental and physical abuse along with being witness to violence from a young age, Casie suffered a traumatic early life. Despite the support of social services and her Nan trying to keep her on the right track, she sadly fell into her own abusive relationship aged just 14 years old. When this ended Casie became focused on turning her life around, determined to follow in the footsteps of her Nan by getting an education and ultimately a job.

Casie did just that when she joined the Gloucester Rugby Foundation HITZ programme. HITZ is the award-winning education and employability programme delivered through the network of Premiership Rugby Clubs and Club Foundations. The programme uses the power of community to support young people not in education, employment or training to change their futures by gaining invaluable qualifications and skills to go forward in life.

Since it started back in 2008, the HITZ programme has helped over 21,000 14–24-year-olds across England. A specific focus on understanding young people and nurturing their goals by listening to what is important to them, along with an environment very different to mainstream education, has resulted in many participants describing HITZ as a family. With positive role models dedicating time to these young people, treating them with respect and being there for them through tough times, HITZ students leave the programme better equipped to navigate their next steps in life and carve out a clear path for independence.

Casie is just one inspirational young person being celebrated during Round 22 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby (14 – 16th April). Over the weekend, all games will be dedicated to the award-winning community programmes run by the 11 Clubs and Club Foundations. In a celebration of how rugby has the power to change lives, every club will showcase the community work taking place, sharing stories of some of the individuals supported on these programmes, and the staff that make them possible.

In a positive step to turn her life around, Casie enrolled on HITZ to get an education that would help her gain employment. Casie soon experienced learning that was different to that in the numerous mainstream schools she had been suspended from and saw how HITZ could give her support not just to get qualifications but to help with her emotional and mental health too.

Dom Malone, HITZ Officer, comments on Casie’s journey at HITZ: ‘‘When Casie came to us she was disengaged and a shell of the person she has become on the programme. Overcoming her fear of travelling alone means she now has a 100% attendance, is top of the class in terms of assignments completed and is predicted to pass her functional skills exam in April. Seeing her resilience and determination grow has been incredibly rewarding.’’

Working hard to stay away from people who negatively impact her life and keep on the right side of the law, Casie remains committed to the programme and is seeking out new experiences at every opportunity. Having completed eight sessions of work experience at Gloucester Rugby, Casie believes HITZ has fuelled her desire to help other people. Casie hopes the experience at Kingsholm and the impression she has made will make her a key contender to secure employment at Gloucester Rugby this summer and beyond.

Wayne Morris, Community & CSR Director, Premiership Rugby says: ‘‘Hearing Casie’s story epitomises why we are committed to future-proofing programmes like HITZ at Premiership Rugby. We believe everyone can benefit from the core values of rugby and it has the power to change lives. Working together with staff and volunteers at the clubs and foundation to provide opportunities for young people to learn, taking time to understand them and facilitating mentors to help them find their next steps in life is both a privilege and a priority for us.’’

If you are interested in finding out more about HITZ, contact us at HITZ@gloucesterrugby.co.uk

Casie Rogers uses Premiership Rugby's HITZ to help herself and others

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