Kieran Joseph, a former PE teacher, has received an award for his groundbreaking work supporting young people’s mental health through basketball.
At 30, Joseph left his teaching job when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. During this time, while working in a factory, he came up with the idea for Guardian Ballers.
“I dreamed up a way of helping young people by providing safe spaces to talk,” Joseph says. “My vision was a basketball with angel wings.”
Now five years old, the Coventry-based service has helped hundreds of young people engage with sports while focusing on their mental health.
Joseph collaborated with Coventry Mind to secure early funding and launched sessions just weeks after the second COVID-19 lockdown ended. The not-for-profit works with schools, charities, and communities to engage young people aged 10 to 25, helping them make a positive impact in their communities.
“My passion for Guardian Ballers is to see happy and healthy young people,” he adds.
Since then, Joseph has expanded the organization’s reach across the country. He now offers professional coaching and business away days, all while managing a small team of staff.
In recognition of his efforts, Guardian Ballers won the Not-for-Profit Champion Award at the Coventry & Warwickshire Business and Community Awards 2025.
A standout success story is Dom, 17, whose father passed away during the pandemic.
“It would have been easy for me to go down the wrong path, but Guardian Ballers helped me realize that there are people I can talk to,” Dom shares.
Joseph recalls Dom, like many others, initially hiding behind a mask during early sessions. Together, they worked with Dom’s teachers to provide a safe space for him to process his emotions and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
“I remember sitting in a room with his head teacher a year or two later when Dom said, ‘Guardian Ballers helped me process the grief of losing my dad,’” Joseph recalls. “I’m proud to say he is now a young leader at Guardian Ballers, helping others. It’s a full-circle moment.”
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