Shiza's story Equipping young people with life long skills

At just 17 years old Shiza has her whole life ahead of her, but even at this young age she knows first-hand the difficulties of life and how, despite tough circumstances, you have to challenge yourself and encourage others around you if you want to build a positive future full of opportunity.

Having moved to the UK from Pakistan at 10 years old, Shiza learnt quickly that adapting was going to be essential if she wanted to make the most of this new country, the opportunities it could offer and her dream to pursue a career in medicine. Arriving at her new home in Birmingham, England, speaking little English Shiza’s first few years were spent getting to grips with a new language, whilst integrating into primary school and her new community. 

But her world got turned upside-down shortly after joining secondary school, when her and her brothers were taken into care “myself and my three older brothers were taken into care at no notice, and separated across different foster homes in the area. The only time we all got to be together was at school, and that was really tough at first as I had never been apart from them before.” Desperate to spend more time with her siblings and with encouragement from their teacher, Mr Macintosh, Shiza and her brothers joined the school’s Sea Cadet Unit. Set up in 2016 – as part of the Ministry of Defences’ (MoD) cadet expansion programme in schools – this extracurricular club is designed to help students get more out of school and their community, by providing opportunities for them to gain accredited qualifications, boost their confidence, as well as support their development and wellbeing. At the time, Shiza had no idea of the opportunities it would create and how it would broaden her prospects. 

Through financial support from the Ulysses Trust, Shiza, along with other members of her school’s cadet unit, were able to take part in ‘First Tracks’, a programme designed to teach young people to ski at indoor snow domes across the UK. “I always thought that skiing was a sport for rich people, I never thought I would get the chance to do it, especially given where I grew up. As a Muslim female from Pakistan, snow sports isn’t something we traditionally would get access to, or even consider.”

After much success with First Tracks, and a new found liking for snow sports, Shiza – funded by the Ulysses Trust – took part in Snow Camp, where she got to put her skills to the test on the real slopes of Andorra. “Snow Camp was incredible, I had never travelled abroad before by myself. It was scary and also exciting, I got to meet so many new people – which was nerve wracking at first – even talking to people you don’t know and taking part in challenging activities was a big deal for me.” With her new found confidence and her horizons broadened, Shiza went on to apply for a fully funded bursary place* at the prestigious Wellington College, where she is now studying for her A-Levels. She has also become an ambassador for young people, helping to promote and encourage others to follow in her ‘tracks’, including featuring on the BBC’s Ski Sunday programme.

*The bursary was secured via the Royal National Children’s Springboard Foundation’s (RNCSF) programme for care experienced children.

The Ulysses Trust is the only organisation dedicated to supporting the development of the UK’s Volunteer Reserve and Cadet Forces through challenge and adventure. Since its establishment in 1992, the Trust specifically focuses on ensuring that cadets from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit from opportunities to develop their skills in leadership, confidence, teamwork, initiative, self-discipline, and judgment. Their mission; to help with the engagement of young people and give them the skills and aspiration to be effective contributors of society. Shiza’s trip to Snow Camp is one of many funded and supported by the Trust, providing young people with an opportunity to meet new people, take on adventurous challenges and develop their personal skills to aid in their own self-confidence.

Shiza’s story is an inspiration to all young people, and an important reminder of the integral role cadet forces play in schools and communities across the UK; offering young people a broad range of challenging, exciting, adventurous and educational activities. Supported by the MoD, it is estimated that cadet forces across the UK inspire over 90,000* young people each year through well-structured organisation based on the traditional values and standards of the armed forces. They play a vital role in providing young people, from all backgrounds, with essential life-skills – contributing to their development as they prepare for adulthood. 

We’re driven by our responsibility to ensure we’re empowering the future generations, and that’s why we directly support the cadet forces through both financial and in-kind donations. We’re also committed to supporting the dozens of our employees who give their time as Cadet Force Adult Volunteers; giving our employees 15 days’ paid leave a year to fulfil their roles. If you are a member of the Volunteer Reserve or Cadet Forces of the UK, and your unit is organising an expedition or adventurous training activity, the Ulysses Trust may be able to provide financial support.

*Data sourced from www.gov.uk – The Ministry of Defence Cadet Forces.