About Us
Achievement of any kind requires a great deal of personal responsibility and accountability. It requires deferment of gratification and the sacrifice of something valued in the present in order to gain something even better in the future. Each individual must use their time to learn what needs to be learnt and their energy to do what needs to be done within their area of personal interest. It requires that individuals write down realistic goals and develop plans of action that will indicate their progress in the achievement process. It should be noted that someone most likely has already done what a person wants to do; success leaves clues, so learn from those who are successful and experienced in your chosen field. Finally, providing an individual is persistent and patient in the face of challenge, frustration, failure and disappointment and they are willing to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves, their character and resiliency will grow and their success is assured.
Chris Manners - Consultant Youth Achievement Coach
Batchelor of Science with Honours (Open)
Batchelor of Arts with Honours (History)
Diploma Higher Education-Youth & Community Work
Diploma in Sports Psychology
Profesional Diploma in Management
Profesional Diploma in Supervision
Certificate in Supervisory Management studies (MISM)
Certifcate in Life Coaching
HM Forces Specialist Training Instructor
Disclousure and Barring (Enhanced)
Chris has practiced coaching high achievement, youth work and youth development since 1986 and during that time has worked with young people throughout the United Kingdom on various youth development projects. His practice has enabled him to deliver youth provision to international youth work programmes to young people from as far afield as Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Ireland, Denmark, Iceland and Australia. His personal development work has taken him into the majority of high schools in his home city of Leeds, West Yorkshire. To date Chris has provided personal development services to in excess of 16,000+ young people.
His multi varied range of expertise has developed over a number of years, from being a training specialist in HM armed forces, to working with young people in both statutory, voluntary and private sector youth work and as an outdoor education climbing and hillwalking specialist. He has managed club-based youth provision and also developed resources, training programmes and activities specific to the personal development of young people, who work either in groups or as individuals, as well as developing a considerable number of city-wide youth initiatives.
Highlights in Chris’ coaching career have been the one-year citywide consultation with Leeds schools and youth groups as to the proposed development of the Herd Farm Residential Education Centre (1999). He also managed the ‘ID Tex art project’ – The coordination of a six-month collaboration with Leeds City Art Gallery. Within this project Chris recruited professional artists to work with young people from four youth centres across Leeds, working to a young person’s agenda designing pieces of art that would be displayed at Herd Farm Residential Education Centre. These pieces were subsequently displayed in Leeds City Central Art Gallery for a period of 10 weeks during the spring of 2000 and were used to decorate Herd Farm Residential Education Centre, Leeds. All of these initiatives illustrated the importance of not only listening to the voices of young people, but accommodating the input from young people in regard to their own personal development.
Chris’ specialises in the development of Healthy ‘Authentic’ Self-Esteem, personality awareness and high achievement. He combines the three to promote and develop an individual’s ability to maximise their life potential and thus live better. He works with young people from a wide variety of backgrounds and circumstances, with each encounter providing opportunities for researching and developing groundbreaking interventions that assist in young people’s personal development and growth. He prides himself on assisting these young people almost on a daily basis to make the small changes relevant to the improvement of their lives through the skilled use of anything that comes to hand; be it a high rope climbing frame, a small puzzle, personal development course, or a word of encouragement.
He is a competent public speaker giving presentations and training on achievement and the development of Healthy ‘Authentic’ Self-Esteem. He has also given a television interview about the benefits and practicalities of youth work for GMTV’S ‘Get up and Give’ campaign in aid of raising money and awareness for youth projects nationwide.
An extensive youth work career has brought Chris into contact with a considerable number of notable people such as Leeds city mayors, members of parliament, local councillors. A notable career highlight has been his opportunity to youth work a number of young people who have gone on to star in various films, television programmes, West End stage productions, as well as performing at world class level with professional cycling and football clubs.
Chris who is originally from the inner city of Leeds, West Yorkshire has also lived and worked in Germany, Gibraltar and Saudi Arabia and has a penchant for meeting people of different cultural and historic backgrounds.
He has held a lifelong interest in human achievement and performance development and as a specialist instructor in HM Forces he was marked out for accelerated promotion. His drive, ambition and persistence have seen him undertake some form of professional training, development or competitive achievement almost every year of his adult life.
Chris is married with 3 adult children and amongst his hobbies he is a keen outdoor enthusiast and can regularly be seen hillwalking in wild countryside. He is also a keen student of music, philosophy and history, regularly reading and conducting historical analysis, as well as visiting places of local and national historical interest.
Chris has been achieving personally and professionally for over 40 years, below are a few of his achievements:
Cross country – gold 1978
Cross country and marksmanship – team silver 1984
Cross country and marksmanship – individual gold 1984
Best team leader 1985
Competition marksmanship – joint silver 1987
Cross country and marksmanship – gold 1988
Cross country and marksmanship – International gold medal winner, 1989
Cross country – team bronze 1990
Cross country and marksmanship – gold 1990
Cross country and marksmanship – gold 1990
Army athletics silver medallist, 1993
Award-winning trainer:
3 award winning teams & 7 individual award winners (1993-1995).
Coached Garforth Junior League top scorer (1996-1997)
Coached Garforth Junior League Challenge cup winner – (1996-1997)
Coached Individual to win 23 winners’ trophies (1996-2003)
Coach (Personal Development) junior football player to Leeds United, Premier League Academy standard –(1998-2003)
Coached (Personal Development) Actor – London’s Westend – The Lion King – (2005)
Coached (Personal Development) individuals to 2nd dan black belt standard- (2012)
Coached (Personal Development) Fashion & Knitwear Artist, 1st Class Honours- Central St Martins- (2018 – 2021)