We exist because everyone has the right to be fully included in their community. To achieve this, we run our own programme of inclusive projects, support other organisations to be more inclusive, and promote inclusion through our youth-led campaigning.
In 2018-19, we ran 258 individual sessions, with over 230 participants taking part. Our Inclusive Oxfordshire movement works in partnership with over 15 local sports clubs and others.
KEEN attracts people who are friendly, relaxed, and maybe a little quirky! Our team is about great times, special friendships, and awesome memories.
You can read about our current team below!
Session Leaders
Session Coordinators
KEEN C
ommittee
Internships and work placements
Thank you to everyone who provides critical support to us! We work closely with our supporters to bring them into the KEEN family and show our appreciation by raising awareness of what they do to help.
Zentrenet is a digital creative agency made up of a dynamic and eclectic team of creators, thinkers, innovators, and freelancers. Founded in 2014 on a philosophy that great design and consistent branding shouldn't have to cost the earth, we believe in finding simple and creative ways to create tailored digital and print experiences.
www.zentrenet.com
The Oxford Shooting Stars are Oxfordshire's premier recreational ice hockey club and we have been a huge supporter of KEEN since October 2016. In addition to supporting their KEEN Plus ice skating sessions and making them extra special for participants, we also hold the KEEN Challenge Cup each year to raise money for them through our “Goals for KEEN” scheme. A special edition KEEN Ken also has pride of place on our jerseys!
www.oxfordshootingstars.co.uk
For almost a decade, Hall Training has brought an elite personal training service to Oxfordshire. We pride ourselves in giving the very best training techniques and nutritional advice to our clients, and have helped hundreds of people achieve their goals.
Community is a huge part of our ethos, and we have a thriving health and fitness community made up of our members in Oxford. It is this community spirit that made us want to give back to those around us, and our members selected KEEN as our charity of the year for 2016. Our aim was to raise as much money as possible to help KEEN achieve their fundraising targets, and we helped to raise over £1,000 with a 24 hour cycle ride.
www.personaltraineroxford.com
Yoga Quota believes that yoga should be accessible for everyone. Our yoga studio in Oxford provides regular funding while our quota system allows us to bring yoga workshops to as many local charities as possible; every 50 customers provides a class for a vulnerable group.
KEEN and Yoga Quota have been working together for the majority of our existence. We think KEEN is a wonderful charity and and we love teaching at Allsorts and GrEAT Sports sessions. It’s great getting to know the members and introducing the lovely, calming effect and fun of yoga to them!
www.yogaquota.com
Data Salon is an Oxford-based IT company that has supported KEEN since 2013. Our MD first came across KEEN as a student at Oxford many moons ago, and when looking for a local charity to support for Christmas 2013, a friend suggested KEEN.
We were so impressed with the work that KEEN does, and the difference they make to young people's lives, that we supported them that year and continue to do so. We are a small company and our contribution isn't huge, but we feel that by giving our money to KEEN we can make a real difference.
www.datasalon.com
The Oxfordshire based Sports Ball Shop are part of the Big Game Hunters Group and sell to schools, clubs and members of the public who love to play sports. Founded in 2008 when Stuart Cardy, a huge sports fan, began selling rugby balls to his local team, we came across KEEN through their website and were impressed with the good work the organisation does in the local community.
Exercise and participating in sports can have a number of benefits to any person’s life including making friends, getting fit and learning a new skill. The fact KEEN focuses on people with physical and learning disabilities is a great service for its members and the community in general.
www.sportsballshop.co.uk
Access Sport enhances the life prospects of disadvantaged young people by providing opportunities to experience and enjoy the power of sport. We feel very strongly that everyone from all backgrounds should have the opportunity to participate in sport.
We can see the excellent job that KEEN is doing in engaging and supporting young people and adults with special needs and disabilities across Oxford. We believe in the power of sport and are very excited to be working in partnership with KEEN to provide more individuals with positives experiences through sport and physical activity.
www.accesssport.org.uk
OxFizz is a not-for-profit organisation working in higher education. We operate as a social enterprise - we sell services to earn our income, like a business, but do social good, like a charity. We recruit graduate and postgraduate students from top universities to volunteer with us, delivering educational services to students, like mock interviews or tuition on our summer school. Our profits go towards fundraising for the third sector and widening participation to Oxbridge.
Fancy raising money for KEEN and helping sixth form students to access higher education at the same time? We are looking for recently graduated students to join our volunteer base. No experience is needed, just enthusiasm.
Your salary gets donated back to the charity of your choice – which means KEEN can get more than £60 for every hour you volunteer! For more information, visit www.oxfizz.org.
Oxfolk Ceilidhs is a long-running and regular event featuring the very best folk dance bands and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. With several of our regulars involved in volunteering with KEEN, we share a common purpose in creating events which are both sociable and active within the community, and we have chosen to support KEEN for a number of years.
Join us every 2nd Saturday of the month (October-May, except for April) for a folky, friendly and bouncy night of dancing!
www.oxfolk.org.uk
Cry Havoc is a Cotswold Morris side based in Botley, Oxford, celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2018. We're a side of mixed genders, ages, backgrounds and abilities, drawn from across Oxford.
We dance for fun while raising money for a local charity each year. As one of our members is a regular volunteer at KEEN, and other members have young relatives who have benefited from KEEN's services, KEEN became our chosen charity in 2016.
www.cryhavoc.org.uk
KEEN's beginnings can be traced to the Autumn of 1984, when a Rhodes scholar called John Simon arrived in Oxford. John had volunteered with the Special Olympics in the States, and noticing a lack of opportunity for disabled young people to take part in sports in Oxford, decided to do something about it....
After a strong start, in the hands of Elliott Portnoy KEEN quickly expanded in scope and vision, and over 30 years later, KEEN is an international non-profit movement that serves hundreds of young people with disabilities each week in cities around the UK and US, training over 30,000 volunteer as a result. Find out more about KEEN's history here.
