Young people getting sporty with Better Youth Spaces
Sports offer many benefits for young people, including supporting physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. And funding from Better Youth Spaces is helping more young people access sport locally.
Research by Youth Sports Trust found that sports participation in school is associated with higher levels of wellbeing for young people. It also showed that participation in sport is a significant predictor of self-belief and mental toughness. And that improved physical health, increased self-esteem and enhanced social skills gained through participating in sport can positively impact young people’s academic performance and overall life satisfaction.
But school shouldn’t be the only place young people can access sports; youth clubs and youth sports clubs can provide more opportunities for young people to participate in sports. Clubs offer young people the chance to try new sports they may not have access to through school or gain additional skills in particular sports at specialist sports clubs.
From boxing kit in Birmingham to climbing walls in Country Durham; from kayaking in Kingston upon Hull to a sports pitch in Stoke-on-Trent, Better Youth Spaces fund has provided £2.7M in grants for sporting equipment to 187 different youth services across England.
In2 Health and Wellbeing, a social enterprise based in Stoke-on-Trent, improve the health, wellbeing and life chances of children and young people through inclusive, community-based programmes. Their main focus is open access youth provision offering safe, positive spaces where young people can take part in sport, creative activities and mentoring.
Benjamin Gibson, Founder and Director of In2 Health and Wellbeing, said: “We are using Better Youth Spaces funding to enhance our outdoor portable sports pitch by installing a secure netted roof, soft safety flooring and a non-permanent anchoring system to improve safety and usability. This will create a more inclusive and a weather resilient space for young people to be active. Funding will also support the purchase and fit-out of a mobile youth van, equipped with games consoles and sports equipment, enabling us to deliver pop-up youth sessions across Meir.”
5 Up in Birmingham offers sporting activities including boxing to children and young people of all ethnicities from disadvantaged backgrounds. A Better Youth Spaces grant for new equipment is helping to accommodate more participants, promote safe practice, and maintain a welcoming, professional environment for everyone attending sessions.
Better Youth Spaces has enabled Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club (CLSARC) to undertake a large-scale fleet expansion of their junior boats. Club Captain, Arran Lewcock, explains what the funding means to them: “I think the best way to describe what this funding means to the club is simple: opportunity. That is exactly what this grant gives to so many people who currently row at the club and people who don’t even know rowing exists yet. Realistically for the club to fund its continued operations and invest enough to match our Better Youth Spaces grant it would take us 5-10 years to get close.”
Sports Alive Northwest, a leading provider of a variety of quality programmes for young people across Liverpool, used their grant to pay for a Soccerena pitch, a vehicle for equipment and a mobile climbing wall. They tell us that these assets have made a huge difference to their services, and they are looking forward to the summer season using all the new equipment. Young people have already been enjoying the climbing wall:
“This has been so much fun; l can’t wait to do this again!”
“It has giving us something different to do whilst we are on the streets.”
“The wall is so much fun.”
“It’s scary but it’s really fun once you do it!”
Explore more youth services using Better Youth Spaces funding to help young people access a range of sports:
Primal Mentality CIC: Tackling Mental Health
Aura Up CIC – transforming lives through movement, community and opportunity
Better Youth Spaces helping to make rowing accessible to all in Chester-le-Street