Youth charter looks at benefits of sport for younger people
A new report has been released on the benefits of sport for young people across the region.
One year on from the Closing Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, UN-accredited charity Youth Charter has released the report on the widespread benefits of sport for young people in the West Midlands and beyond.
Founded and led by Professor Geoff Thompson MBE FRSA DL., five-time world karate champion and previous Deputy Chair of the Birmingham 2022 Board, Youth Charter is an advocate for the importance of sports, art, culture, and digital technology in the lives of young people from disadvantaged communities in the West Midlands and across the world.
The Youth Charter Birmingham 2022 West Midlands Report contains vital research and analysis of results around access to sport, physical and mental well-being, youth justice and the environment in the region.
As well as examining legacy opportunities in the region following Birmingham 2022, the report introduces Youth Charter’s Community Campus model and Social Coach programme, presenting them as solutions to creating positive change that can be rolled out across the region and beyond.
To celebrate the launch of the report and champion its pillars, Youth Charter hosted Jordan Thompson, Current IBF European Cruiserweight boxing champion, and son of Prof. Geoff Thompson at local project Pitch 2 Progress in Birmingham, putting on a surprise training session for the young people in attendance.
Pitch 2 Progress works with young people aged between eight and 25, providing a safe and inclusive environment to play sports and using it as a tool to promote positive relationships, good self-esteem, and a healthy lifestyle.
The project hosts camps during each school holiday, creating a safe space for school-age children and was also one of the first projects involved with Youth Charter’s Birmingham Community Campus.
The Community Campus model has been introduced by the Youth Charter to tackle barriers to sport; they provide a coordinated and holistic approach to the development, delivery and sustainability of young people and communities.
The three main pillars of the Youth Charter Community Campus model are to engage young people through sport, art, cultural and digital activity; equip them with mental, physical and emotional life skills and resilience; empower them with the aspiration of further and higher education, employment and entrepreneurship.
To reach this goal, Youth Charter said it plans to engage the 700 combat sports instructors currently working across the West Midlands, introducing them to the Social Coach program and encouraging them to enrol.
By engaging with just half of these instructors, the charity said it would be able to meet its ambitious target.
Youth Charter’s Social Coach Leadership Programme (SCLP) provides progressive training workshops and courses in a flexible format, using a unique multi-media range of specially designed SCLP tools with the ability to map, track and measure the social and cultural development of the social coach and, more importantly, young people.
Youth Charter partners, Birmingham City University (BCU) and Sport Birmingham have both already delivered social coach training sessions, with BCU running another session in October and plans to involve students to support with delivery.
The focus on the legacy of Birmingham 2022 and the importance of encouraging young people to take up a sport, is heightened by 2023 being the Commonwealth Year of Youth, during which the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games will take place.
Professor Geoff Thompson MBE FRSA DL., founder and chair of the Youth Charter said “One year after the Birmingham 2022 Closing Ceremony and during the Commonwealth Year of Youth, now is the time to prioritise supporting the youth of the West Midlands, in particular, those from disaffected and disadvantaged communities.
“Sport has the power to transform lives, and using the Games legacy as a catalyst, we can inspire the mental, physical and emotional health and wellbeing of young people and open doors for their future.
“Part of the inaugural Community Campus, Pitch 2 Progress is the perfect example of how sports and community efforts can benefit young people.
"I’m looking forward to seeing how the Community Campus mode and recruitment, selection and deployment of Social Coaches can be rolled out to further benefit the lives of young people across the region, country and beyond.”
Mike Chamberlain, Chief Executive of Sport Birmingham (The Active Partnership for Birmingham), said; “The partnership we have with The Youth Charter is both exciting and much needed, creating a platform for those organisations across Birmingham who devote themselves to making a difference to the lives of young people.”
“The Social Coach programme engages and supports hundreds of special individuals who dedicate themselves, bringing them together to develop, share and learn.
"We aim to help grow and sustain our partnership in order to provide a long-lasting legacy benefit from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”
For the full Youth Charter Birmingham 2022 West Midlands Report and executive summary, go to youthcharter.org/product-page/executive-summary-youth-charter-birmingham-2022-west-midlands-report.
