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Soccer star activist Marcus Rashford to gift books to thousands of UK kids who have never owned one

3 min read

Good Stuff
Source: PAN MACMILLAN

Footballer and anti-poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford MBE says he is aiming to ‘reach the most vulnerable children via the breakfast club network’.

Marcus Rashford announces book and vows to reach children who have never owned one

Footballer and anti-poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford has pledged to reach hundreds of thousands of children in the UK who have never owned a book, in the run up to the publication of his own. ‘As part of the Marcus Rashford Book Club model, books I am championing will reach the most vulnerable children via the breakfast club network. Further details to follow. Approx 390,000 children in the UK have never owned a book. Time for that to change,’ he tweeted on Wednesday 24 March.

— Sir Lewis Hamilton, TIME Magazine
“By standing up for the most vulnerable in our society, and using his platform and influence to create positive change, Marcus inspired countless others to join him on this mission and cemented his status as a role model.” — Sir Lewis Hamilton, TIME Magazine Source: Nwaka Okparaeke for TIME

Rashford announces new mission alongside his own book publication

After his 2020 success addressing food poverty, Marcus Rashford MBE announced on Wednesday 24 March that he intends to get books to the 390,000 children in the UK who had never owned one. “Time for that to change,” he wrote on Twitter.

The Manchester United footballer announced his latest mission alongside the news that he’s releasing a book of his own called You Are a Champion, a practical guide for children to “dream big” and use positive thinking to make a success of themselves.

The book will cover themes such as:

  • Be comfortable with who you are – you can’t be a champion until you’re happy being you!
  • Dream Big
  • Practise like a champion – good things take hard work and time
  • Get out of your comfort zone and learn from your mistakes
  • Navigate adversity in a positive way
  • Find your team
  • Use your voice and stand up for others
  • Never stop learning

Other topics include female role models and mental resilience, all using anecdotes from Rashford’s own life and career.

The book will be published by Pan Macmillan on May 27, co-written with performance psychologist Katie Warriner and Carl Anka, a sports journalist from The Athletic. 

Source: GlobalCitizen 

No matter who you are and no matter where you come from, every single person in the world has the potential to be a champion. In You Are a Champion, the nation’s favourite footballer gives you the tools you need to reach your full potential, showing you how to be the very BEST version of yourself you can be. — Out on 27 May 2021! Click link to preorder ?
You Are A Champion: Unlock Your Potential, Find Your Voice and Be The BEST You Can Be No matter who you are and no matter where you come from, every single person in the world has the potential to be a champion. In You Are a Champion, the nation’s favourite footballer gives you the tools you need to reach your full potential, showing you how to be the very BEST version of yourself you can be. — Out on 27 May 2021! Click link to preorder ? Source: PAN MACMILLAN

Rashford to promote reading and literacy among children from all backgrounds

In November, Rashford announced he was launching a book club and his own range of literature in 2021 with the aim of giving children from lower socio-economic backgrounds the opportunity to embrace reading from an early age. Two of his own fiction titles, for readers aged seven and up, will follow later this year and next.

The Manchester United and England striker has signed a deal with Macmillan Children’s Books to promote reading and literacy among children from all backgrounds, and has previously talked about his own lack of access to books as a child.

Rashford said: “There were times where the escapism of reading could have really helped me. I want this escapism for all children. Not just those that can afford it.” 

Source: TheGuardian

Each chapter of the book will begin with a story from Rashford’s own life and cover topics such as the value of education, positive mentality, understanding culture and female role models.
You are a champion! Each chapter of the book will begin with a story from Rashford’s own life and cover topics such as the value of education, positive mentality, understanding culture and female role models. Source: Twitter/MarcusRashford
Make an Impact

You Are A Champion: Unlock Your Potential, Find Your Voice and Be The BEST You Can Be

It’s hard to know what is possible until you start. You have to be able to dream big and be prepared to work towards your dreams. Good things take time. I’ve achieved a lot, but it didn’t come in one go – big things rarely happen overnight, and good things rarely happen as if by magic...