Who We Are About Us About Us School Of Hard Knocks' (SOHK) mission is to empower young people to realise their full potential. Our vision is a society where every child has an equal opportunity to succeed. What School Of Hard Knocks (SOHK) Does SOHK exists to support children who are facing inequality. We enable meaningful change in a young person's life through: High-Impact SportSchool Of Hard Knocks' schools programme use high-impact sport, namely rugby, to physicalise the challenges our young participants face. Through the use of rugby, SOHK enables children to improve confidence, communication skills, commitment, self-control, and the ability to work well within a team. MentoringSOHK’s use of rugby works in tandem with the application of group and one-to-one mentoring. Group sessions allow students to gain valuable insights from both SOHK facilitators and their peers, and give them the opportunity to understand different lived experiences. Each SOHK participant is also given one-to-one mentoring with a SOHK specialist to explore personal goals and challenges. The Power of the TeamSOHK engenders an atmosphere of genuine acceptance which allows long-lasting social bonds to be formed between students. Our programmes shows participants how the individual strengthens the collective and how the collective strengthens the individual. Our students are encouraged to maintain their relationships with fellow participants once their time at SOHK ends. “School Of Hard Knocks is about the development of the whole person. By enabling self-worth through an environment of genuine acceptance, participants move from a mindset characterised by threat, instability, and confusion, to one that promotes and maintains optimism, emotional resilience, and, ultimately, life satisfaction. In essence, the 'School of Hard Knocks' provides individuals the opportunity to find a meaning and purpose to life.” Dr Mikel Mellick, Practitioner Psychologist & SOHK Trustee Who School Of Hard Knocks Works With School Of Hard Knocks works with young people aged 11 - 16 in secondary schools throughout the UK. The lived experiences of our beneficiaries are varied, some of our participants may be homeless or living in extreme poverty, and others may be victims of exploitation or abuse. There is no defining characteristic of a SOHK participant, but they all live in complex and challenging circumstances. We aim to enable our participants to find purpose and meaning in their lives and to give them the tools they need to cope with their experiences. Schools Programme Participants SOHK currently supports 877 pupils every week of the academic year for two to three years to ensure our programmes have a long-term impact. We currently deliver in 29 schools across Scotland, Wales, and England and work with multiple cohorts within these schools. Each cohort typically consists of about 20 young people, and programmes are delivered by a dedicated team of three SOHK experts. SOHK SCHOOLS PROGRAMME SUPPORT US Manage Cookie Preferences