An independent day and boarding school in Wiltshire, Dauntsey’s School, has named The Atlas Foundation, the global children’s charity of rugby, as its chosen charitable cause for this academic year, with the Foundation selecting Kings Development Rugby Academy, Kenya, as the Atlas Project Partner.
The selection process involved pupils, family and faculty members who were asked to nominate charities close to their hearts or who they believed embodied the ethos and values of the school. Students were then invited to vote for the charities they would most like to support through fundraising and awareness initiatives.
Fundraising Collaborations Between Dauntsey’s School and The Atlas Foundation
Each year, Dauntsey's picks a cause that benefits from active and practical support as part of its core priority to teach pupils about the value and importance of charitable work and meaningful service. It chose The Atlas Foundation, a children's charity with a mission to improve the lives of children around the world and create lasting change through empowerment, education, and healthcare.
The Atlas Foundation, which was founded ten years ago and has supported over 192,000 children in that time, partners with community groups, charitable organisations and education providers in 19 countries, including Little Sports Kenya, which uses the medium of rugby to provide educational opportunities to children in targeted regions.
Over the half term, students and staff from Dauntsey’s began their year of support with a purpose. Atlas had collated a large selection of donated rugby kits with the generous support of Slough RFC, Upminster RFC, Bank of England RFC c/o Barnes Football Club, Simon Shaw MBE, and Richmond School (Yorkshire).
A group of students and staff transported no less than 86 kg of kit to Little Sports Kenya, including rugby balls, tops, t-shirts, training jerseys, and boot bags, demonstrating the charitable spirit and enthusiasm of the school in taking action so quickly after selecting The Atlas Foundation as its cause for the year.
Combining Charitable Work With Education
Speaking about the announcement and efforts already underway to support The Atlas Foundation, John Davies, Dauntsey’s Head Master, said, ‘I am delighted that the pupils at Dauntsey’s have chosen to partner with The Atlas Foundation as our school charity this year.
The charity’s work to empower disadvantaged young people around the world through rugby’s core values resonates with our community’s ethos and culture, particularly our desire to leverage the power of sport to unite communities.
Our pupils, staff, and families are excited to support The Atlas Foundation's inspiring mission and are looking forward to a productive and fulfilling year of fundraising. We hope that our efforts this year as a community can help The Atlas Foundation make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people worldwide.’
Jason Leonard, OBE, Founder of The Atlas Foundation, reflected that 'The support of Dauntsey’s is incredibly welcome, and we would like to extend our huge thanks to the school for placing such emphasis on finding ways for young people to support their peers, many of whom face substantial disadvantage.
We were thrilled to hear the news and to have the opportunity to continue to deliver sustainable and real-world help to children living in some of the most challenging environments. It’s equally wonderful to be able to educate children here in the UK about the impacts their efforts, time and fundraising can have.
The Atlas Foundation has always advocated for the value of partnerships, collaboration, and dialogues, and we look forward to involving Dauntsey's energetic student body and faculty in our work over the coming year.’
Planned Fundraising and Events at Dauntsey’s in Support of The Atlas Foundation
Dauntseys’s is a school that endeavours to deliver an ‘Adventurous Education’ to all of its pupils, recognising that a love of learning and of school life will in turn deliver academic results and, importantly, happy and resilient pupils. It also asks all of its pupils to focus on three characteristics: ambition, bravery and compassion, believing that these characteristics will stand them in good stead in later life.
This approach ties in with the Foundation's philosophy, which is based around on-the-ground support, referrals from its international network of Rugby Champions, and developing schemes, initiatives, and educational programmes to meet the specific needs of each community and its children.
Over the academic year, Dauntsey's has several plans to fundraise to support the work of the Foundation and its project partner, Kings Development Rugby Academy, and to spread awareness about the aspirations the Foundation exists to achieve.
Kings Development Rugby Academy provides children from resource-poor and disadvantaged areas in the Kibera Slums in Kenya with life skills, training, nutrition and spiritual guidance, supporting children from ages five to sixteen by building pathways out of poverty.
Read more about Atlas Foundation - A Decade of The Atlas Foundation, Achieving Real Outcomes and Improvements in Children’s Welfare Globally
About The Atlas Foundation
Founded by rugby legend Jason Leonard OBE, The Atlas Foundation uses rugby as a tool to improve the lives of children in disadvantaged communities around the world. By partnering with local organisations, The Atlas Foundation provides educational, health, and social development opportunities to help children thrive.
Media Contact:
Caitlin Clark
Marketing and Communications Officer
The Atlas Foundation
+44 (0)207 043 2232
******
Source Company – https://theatlascharity.org/
