Levelling the Playing Field’s local delivery partners say Sport England’s Tackling Inequalities Fund has helped them provide a lifeline for participants through the ravages of Covid-19 lockdowns.
In the same week that the Government announced a third nationwide lockdown (January 4), there were reports that two-thirds of smaller local youth organisations face the risk of closure due to the pandemic, leaving an estimated 1.5million young people without life-changing support.
LtPF’s network of local delivery organisations are not immune to these threats, and many have reported difficulties in supporting participants, such as limited access to venues, restrictions on face-to-face contact and constantly shifting tier regulations.
For children, it has of course been an incredibly difficult period. The sense of isolation and disconnectedness has exacerbated many of the issues they faced before the pandemic. Higher family unemployment worsens stress and can lead to knock-on domestic issues. The lack of access to physical activity and friendship networks at youth and sports clubs is hugely damaging to mental health. Many can’t even join in with online support as they don’t have technology or WiFi.
“There has been a spike in conversations about loneliness, mental health issues and hopelessness,” says Rob Wells from Sport 4 Life, our partners in the West Midlands. “Many young people cannot access employment and those of school age can’t access their normal routines and socialise with friends.”
Imran Ali from Ellesmere Youth Project in Sheffield adds: “Physically, emotionally and spiritually at the moment young people’s health is no doubt being affected.”
Craig McManus from Street Soccer London says Covid puts his participants at risk of being “caught up in a trap of inactivity.”
He says: “Our players crave stability and structure. 2020 has not offered that in any way. They have lost the thing they come for – connection.
In the same week that the Government announced a third nationwide lockdown (January 4), there were reports that two-thirds of smaller local youth organisations face the risk of closure due to the pandemic, leaving an estimated 1.5million young people without life-changing support.
LtPF’s network of local delivery organisations are not immune to these threats, and many have reported difficulties in supporting participants, such as limited access to venues, restrictions on face-to-face contact and constantly shifting tier regulations.
For children, it has of course been an incredibly difficult period. The sense of isolation and disconnectedness has exacerbated many of the issues they faced before the pandemic. Higher family unemployment worsens stress and can lead to knock-on domestic issues. The lack of access to physical activity and friendship networks at youth and sports clubs is hugely damaging to mental health. Many can’t even join in with online support as they don’t have technology or WiFi.
“There has been a spike in conversations about loneliness, mental health issues and hopelessness,” says Rob Wells from Sport 4 Life, our partners in the West Midlands. “Many young people cannot access employment and those of school age can’t access their normal routines and socialise with friends.”
Imran Ali from Ellesmere Youth Project in Sheffield adds: “Physically, emotionally and spiritually at the moment young people’s health is no doubt being affected.”
Craig McManus from Street Soccer London says Covid puts his participants at risk of being “caught up in a trap of inactivity.”
He says: “Our players crave stability and structure. 2020 has not offered that in any way. They have lost the thing they come for – connection.
“When the cycle of change is broken with a person, it can affect their self-esteem, their ability to motivate themselves and belief they belong in positive environments. This is the danger point.
“Inactivity will, in a high majority of cases, be the trigger to return to the behaviours and patterns that they faced before engaging with us.”
In these tough circumstances, many of our LtPF local delivery partners were able to make good use of the Sport England TIF funding which was secured for them by the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice.
“The Tackling Inequalities Fund has helped us to add new sessions, update our risk assessments, pay for venue hire and purchase the necessary PPE equipment for staff and young people,” says Tara Foster from Aptitude Youth in Coventry.
“We have employed a youth worker and sports co-ordinator across our projects and organised support for target groups. It has also given us opportunity to engage new young people who have not had an opportunity for physical exercise over recent months and get them back involved in football and basketball team sports, giving them a boost of confidence.”
The TIF enabled Safiya Saeed from Reach Up Youth to broaden and deepen the support offer to her young participants in Sheffield.
The money helped to fund a project coordinator, train more volunteers, buy refreshments for participants who had lost jobs, promote Covid-19 safety messages, CV workshops with Year 11s and put on boxing sessions which, Safiya says, “had a great impact on young people’s mental health to get all the toxic emotions out”.
The extra volunteers at Reach Up became mentors to their peers during the first and second lockdowns, with each volunteer supporting five other individuals per week through school work, daily routine and online activity.
Craig from Street Soccer London adds: “TIF has given us a consistent, safe space for people from different backgrounds but the same postcode to connect under the guise of football. Smiles, laughter and fun is the foundation to building strong relationships, so in tough times they feel they can come to us and talk.”
With an indefinite third national lockdown just beginning – including a ban on indoor and outdoor grassroots sport – times are not going to get any easier. There will be much work ahead to maintain adequate support networks for young people.
“The biggest challenges ahead are re-engagement, recreating the consistency of attendance and establishing trust again,” says Craig.
“The key for us will be to offer more wraparound care to support the issues the players are facing. This will mean improving partnerships, community links and outreach programmes. We cannot force outcomes now. We need to learn what Covid-19 has taught us – purposeful patience.”
“Inactivity will, in a high majority of cases, be the trigger to return to the behaviours and patterns that they faced before engaging with us.”
In these tough circumstances, many of our LtPF local delivery partners were able to make good use of the Sport England TIF funding which was secured for them by the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice.
“The Tackling Inequalities Fund has helped us to add new sessions, update our risk assessments, pay for venue hire and purchase the necessary PPE equipment for staff and young people,” says Tara Foster from Aptitude Youth in Coventry.
“We have employed a youth worker and sports co-ordinator across our projects and organised support for target groups. It has also given us opportunity to engage new young people who have not had an opportunity for physical exercise over recent months and get them back involved in football and basketball team sports, giving them a boost of confidence.”
The TIF enabled Safiya Saeed from Reach Up Youth to broaden and deepen the support offer to her young participants in Sheffield.
The money helped to fund a project coordinator, train more volunteers, buy refreshments for participants who had lost jobs, promote Covid-19 safety messages, CV workshops with Year 11s and put on boxing sessions which, Safiya says, “had a great impact on young people’s mental health to get all the toxic emotions out”.
The extra volunteers at Reach Up became mentors to their peers during the first and second lockdowns, with each volunteer supporting five other individuals per week through school work, daily routine and online activity.
Craig from Street Soccer London adds: “TIF has given us a consistent, safe space for people from different backgrounds but the same postcode to connect under the guise of football. Smiles, laughter and fun is the foundation to building strong relationships, so in tough times they feel they can come to us and talk.”
With an indefinite third national lockdown just beginning – including a ban on indoor and outdoor grassroots sport – times are not going to get any easier. There will be much work ahead to maintain adequate support networks for young people.
“The biggest challenges ahead are re-engagement, recreating the consistency of attendance and establishing trust again,” says Craig.
“The key for us will be to offer more wraparound care to support the issues the players are facing. This will mean improving partnerships, community links and outreach programmes. We cannot force outcomes now. We need to learn what Covid-19 has taught us – purposeful patience.”