NewVIc Sixth Form students win the CoppaFeel! Challenge for second year in a row
Students Aleesha, Favour and Titilola worked hard to spread a life-saving message and educate their peers and the local community about breast cancer.
Press the image to hear from CoppaFeel and the student winners!
They competed with 20 Sixth Form and FE Colleges around the country to see who could have the biggest impact while raising awareness - and NewVIc came first! In December 2024, each winning student was interviewed and awarded an iPad.
To help raise awareness, they designed posters and placed QR codes around the college and ran in-person events to engage the college community. Students also ran a fun social media campaign which went viral, aimed at all genders, calling on their peers to ‘check their chest’, understand the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, get to know what is normal for them and to act quickly if they spotted anything unusual. Hundreds of students and staff liked and shared the post to share key information on the importance of breast cancer.
Through the campaign, the trio facilitated over 1148 scans signposting people to the CoppaFeel! Self-checkout.
Aleesha, A Level student, said:
“Participating in the CoppaFeel! Challenge was an amazing experience for me. I was inspired by the students who won last year's challenge. Seeing their efforts made me want to take part. Although the challenge is focused on getting the most QR scans, I found that being able to raise breast cancer awareness through lunchtime events was the most fun.
Teaching other young people about the importance of checking your chest and inspiring others to pass on the message was really fulfilling. Even after the challenge, I’m still involved with spreading the message, reminding my relatives to check their chest, donating to charities and checking my chest as well. I would highly recommend this experience to everyone out there; it’s a great way to develop your public speaking, social skills and confidence!”
Youth Engagement Manager, Ghazal Ghaffary from CoppaFeel! commented:
“The CoppaFeel! Challenge is a weeklong breast cancer awareness initiative tailored for sixth form and college students aged 16 to 18. Teams of five students work together to develop a creative awareness campaign that promotes CoppaFeel!'s life-saving chest-checking message among their peers. The challenge encourages teams to direct as many of their peers as possible to complete CoppaFeel!'s Self-Checkout - CoppaFeel!'s award winning online checking tool, which guides you through the process of checking your chest and understanding the signs of breast cancer.
This year, 20 schools from across Birmingham, Manchester and the London Boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney took part. Collectively, the teams collectively reached over 7600 students with CoppaFeel!'s message. The winners of the challenge were NewVIc Sixth Form in 1st place, St Bonaventure's Sixth Form College in 2nd place, and Pendleton Sixth Form College in 3rd place. Amazing work NewVIc students!”
Sports Academy Manager, Katie Harris, who organised the challenge with CoppaFeel! for the students, added:
“This is our second year of NewVIc taking part in the CoppaFeel! Challenge. What I love about this challenge is that the students who get involved have full control over what they want to do to encourage their peers to deliver a life saving message. It is so important for everyone, but especially young people. Most people do not know how to check themselves for signs of breast cancer and the NewVIc team were promoting links to an amazing site with explanations and videos on how to check yourself!
The work they do and the training they receive is next level! It looks fantastic on your UCAS application form and CV where the students gain real life experience of working in a team, planning an event, and working towards a common campaign goal, designing marketing materials and then actually delivering an event. There is a lot of work that goes into it, but the outcome far outweighs all the hard work. The challenge has enabled NewVIc students to develop essential skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, and leadership that will set them up for success in university, the workplace and life. They have also gained valuable experience in health messaging, media and marketing; opening doors to exciting opportunities in further education and employment.
This year NewVIc smashed it and for the second year in a row we won the top prize! Our Sports Academy is committed to enhancing the participation and enjoyment of sport for all, as well as promoting the health benefits and other skills to help enrich students.”
About the CoppaFeel Challenge!
The CoppaFeel! Challenge was established in 2009 to help spread their vital message and help students to gain valuable skills. CoppaFeel! is on a mission to educate young people on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, encouraging regular breast checking, and empowering young students aged 14 – 18 to speak to their GP if they notice anything unusual. The Challenge is determined to reach all young people with CoppaFeel’s message because breast cancer can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or race.