About
We are a deep social impact organisation that has developed and adapted over 18 years to become a company that has three strategic pillars within which all of our work is done: Sports and Physical Activity, Community and Placemaking, and Mentoring & Workforce Development; all of the components that allow us to meet the needs of our community—a community with the skills and knowledge to compete on the world stage, both locally and globally.
We have been based in London for those 18 years, and being located on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was a key tenet of our ability to continue delivering the legacy deserved by all after the 2012 Olympics. One of our key ways of working, “The BADU way,” allows us to continue our legacy of creating solutions to systemic problems experienced and highlighted by the community, long before they are understood on a wider scale.
Based on the lived experiences of our very diverse team and community, we have been able to use our BADU circular economy to affect change and ensure deep impact and sustainability – that is actually needed, and needed now. We are used to working in a way that allows us to pivot according to the needs of our community and much of our success over the past 18 years has been based on the ability to adapt, change and grow according to a changing society and changing needs.
We understood that our community does not need a static organisation that has one model and does one thing. They told us they needed an organisation that has a holistic approach and meets them where they need.
BADU, formerly known
as,Let’s get fit for Sports
began as a PE
provider to a small
handful of local schools.
Quite quickly, the
interest from schools
was increasing and the
team was expanding. The
organisation continued
to explore the ways that
itcould engage and
provide for it’s local
communities.
2011
BADU goes Global
BADU facilitated a trip to Ghana for 16 UK atheletes to partake in an intense 2-week training programme. The atheletes had a taste of life in Ghana and thoroughly enjoyed learning about Ghanaian culture. 2 of the participants returned to the UK deciding that they wanted to work at BADU.
2006
Founded “Let’s get fit for Sports”
2012 – 2014
Hackney Recognition
Amongst an impressive
group of likeminded
organisations, BADU
were selected by
Hackney council to
partner with the borough
in providing Olympic
Sports to 52 Primary
schools as part of the
London Olympics
initiative.
BADU were also awarded
Hackney’s Mary’s award
for services in the
Borough.
2012 – 2018
Devon trips
Over the course of 6 years, BADU took over 700 students to Devon with the aim of providing the children with new experiences outside of their usual day to day lives. This opportunity exposed them to a totally different lifestyle teaching them new life skills; different water sports and a chance to reflect on their own personal development.
2015
Rebrand + Refocus
Introducing, BADU! The organisation went through a rebrand with a refocus on the many additional services that BADU were delivering and further supporting the local communities that it served.
BADU is the founder’s family name and is also an acronym for the words, BROADEN, ADVANCE, DEVELOP, UNDERSTAND.
2016 – 2018
CEO trips
Madrid: BADU’s CEO, Nana Badu takes a group of students to Madrid, Spain to teach PE in local schools.
Bulgaria: In support of “The Forgotten Children of Bulgaria”, 6 coaches alongside Nana Badu travelled to Bulgaria to work with the charity in supporting a group of young women who were saved by an orphanage from sex-trafficking gangs. BADU delivered workshops to help build up their self esteem and to educate them on physical education and self-defence.
2018 – 2020
Annual events
BADU launches “That Moment When”, a Christmas campaign that seeks to support families who face financial challenges around the festive season. In celebration of Black History Month, “Proud to Be” is launched as a yearly celebration of all of the amazing things that the Black community have celebrated throughout the years. It continues to be a popular event where guests can celebrate their culture and background no matter which part of the World they are from.
2018
BADU Mentoring
BADU, further widening it’s reach and embarking on a journey that would facilitate helping/ guiding/enlightening students at various stages of their educational journey. The program was launched particularly focusing on students from a lower socio-economic background.
2019
NIKE + Virgin Sport
Collaborated with NIKE and Virgin Sports to create the first basketball court held on Hackney Marshes with a series of tournaments and competitions run throughout the weekend of the Hackney Half marathon.
2019 – 2020
Awards season
Adding to the organisation’s collection of accolades, milestones and recognition amongst fellow organisations and government bodies, BADU was awarded the 2019 Innovation Award.
BADU is recognised as the first organisation to pilot the social distancing sports programme and achieved ‘Mayor of London’ awards.
BADU CEO was surprised with an unexpected visitor in the form of Arsenal legend, Sol Campbell at BADU HQ. He was awarded the Lion Hearts Award from England Football.
2020
New Mentoring Initiative
BADU set up an additional mentoring programme. This was a free tuition programme supporting parents, children and young people who were facing challenges with Home school learning. As well as free tuition, BADU provided socially distanced study space; data accessibility and laptops for students from a lower socio-economic background.
2021
NIKE
After a series of collaborations and the discovery of aligned objectives for the community, BADU signed a 2 year partnership contract with NIKE.
Launched the BADU x NIKE LevelUp women’s programme (A program aimed to get women involved in sport, supported and empowered to stay on their journey within sport so that there are more women recognised in the leadership positions within sports such as practitioners; head coaches etc.
2021
Loughborough University
BADU x Loughborough University go into partnership to create Sports+ programme to enable the next generation access to sports scholarships at the university.
2022 – 2023
BADU SPACES
As a result of the digital challenges that the community faced during the global pandemic, BADU x SKY collaborated on creating a digital hub where young people and their families have access to recording equipment; internet connection and a co-working space.
As part of the Hackney Bridge development, the BADU Cafe was launched serving a selection of coffee’s; teas; smoothies and more. The Cafe is another BADU space where all from the community are welcome.
Planning stages of taking over the Gainsborough playing fields in Here East and re-imagining it as a women led sports development facility.
meet the team
What we do here at BADU would not be possible without the amazing group of people that keep the organisation going whilst striving for change and effective outcomes. From the CEO to our committed cohort of coaching staff, meet some of the team below.
SPONSORS + PATRONS
PATRON
MARTIN TYLER
Martin Tyler is a very familiar voice because of his long career in football commentary on television, initially with ITV and for the last three decades with Sky Sports. He also coaches in non-League football and is currently the assistant manager at Woking FC in the National League.
PATRON
EMILIANO MARCONDES
Brentford FC midfielder Emiliano Marcondes is our newest patron. The Danish native worked his way through the ranks in Denmark as a professional before joining Brentford in 2018, where he has begun to flourish.
PATRON
ALEXANDER TETTEY
Norwich City FC and Norwegian international midfielder, Alexander Tettey, joined Badu as a mentor in 2020. Like with many of our partners and mentors, Tettey instantly related to Badu’s values and mission with his own personal experience of total dedication to his craft.
WORK WITH US
CURRENT VACANCIES
SPORTS COACH - FULL TIME & PART TIME
Plan fun, engaging coaching activities, sessions and programmes in a safe environment. Give feedback on performance and help to improve technique. Working with young people, schools, community groups and sports
organisations to promote the benefits of physical education and fitness. As a BADU sports coach, you are responsible for upholding the organisations name within the community and always putting your best foot forward. You
are part of a wider team and we are looking for candidates who can enhance the current cohort and become a source of professional support to your fellow colleagues