Support from youth services has never been more needed than in the last 18 months, but Covid restrictions and dwindling resources have made it tough to meet demand. Money from Sport England’s Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF) has therefore been a lifeline for many of Levelling the Playing Field’s local delivery partners.
Levelling the Playing Field partners and Gwent Police have joined forces to stage the Community Cohesion Cup - breaking down barriers and building trust between ethnic communities and local services.
Young refugees and asylum seekers often arrive in Newport having experienced conflict and trauma in their homelands, so when the Sanctuary project engages them in sport and physical activity, it's to achieve two very simple outcomes: to get them “sweaty and smiling”.
Palace for Life Foundation have joined Levelling the Playing Field as a local delivery partner and Angel O’Dwyer, who will be working on the project, has all the makings of a perfect role model for our participants.
Millwall Community Trust are the latest addition to our Local Delivery Partners in London. They have been using sport to achieve positive social impact in their local community for over 35 years.
Our local delivery partners Wolverhampton Wrestling Club have launched a project to engage autistic children in sport and physical activity.
Participants at Levelling the Playing Field sessions run by Aptitude Youth, our local delivery partners in Coventry, are set to become leaders for the next generation.
Warwickshire Cricket Board have joined Levelling the Playing Field as a Local Delivery Partner – and their projects targeting specific communities are set to enrich our evidence base.
Exiles Together is a brilliant partnership between Newport County FC and the ethnically diverse community right on the club’s doorstep. Their activities promote diversity, inclusion and diversion from crime through the power of sport.
Tess Awoke says being part of an ethnically and culturally diverse ‘brotherhood’ at Big Brother Burngreave in Sheffield has helped give him a sense of identity, connection and purpose.
Co-founder Chris Willett says Platform Cricket wouldn’t be able to achieve its impact without the diversity of its young participants.
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We are proud to have Sithule Mguni as a Local Delivery Partner on Levelling the Playing Field. Her organisation, Young Minds Together, uses performing arts to empower girls from ethnically diverse communities in Rotherham to overcome many barriers in life.
Young people at Fight 4 Change’s Levelling the Playing Field sessions on Wednesday nights in Lambeth will receive coaching, guidance and support from the very best in the game.
Newport Aces are the latest Local Delivery Partner to join Levelling the Playing Field in Gwent. Their founder, Asa Waite, has a great phrase to sum up the issues his community basketball club tries to tackle with children in the area.
Mentoring has had a profound effect on Keanna Arnett’s life – and Levelling the Playing Field’s support for mentors is set to spread that positive impact across our four delivery areas.
London Thunder have a reputation for producing elite-level basketball players, but their community sessions - open to all young people in the culturally diverse borough of Lewisham - are the club's beating heart.
Youth empowerment and social cohesion are the aims of Community Youth Project in Newport, which has become the first organisation in Wales to join Levelling the Playing Field as a local delivery partner.
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Chris Willetts can testify to sport’s positive social impact after a 20-year career managing sports initiatives in diverse but deprived areas around the world. He says the opportunity “to be part of a collective all helping to evidence of the power of sport” made joining Levelling the Playing Field an easy decision.
There can be few more ethnically diverse environments than that of Wolverhampton Wrestling Club. Situated in a Sikh gurdwara, it is melting pot of religions, nationalities, backgrounds, ages and sporting abilities. Once through the door, all are treated as equals.
Children so often find themselves labelled these days: ‘socially excluded’, ‘at risk’ or ‘disadvantaged’. One of Street Soccer London’s philosophies is that these tags are left at the door.
Self-expression and social cohesion are the buzz words at Young Minds Together in Rotherham where girls from diverse local communities enjoy dance, acting, singing and poetry.
Amy Cooper’s childhood home in Sheffield had an ‘open door’ to local youngsters who needed shelter and support. When her father Mick died of leukemia in 2012, his family were determined to continue his ethos of caring for disadvantaged young people. OnBoard skatepark is his legacy.
“I just love what I do,” says Imran Ali from the Ellesmere Youth Project. “As a kid, I went to the same youth club as I’m standing in right now. Even if I become a millionaire tomorrow, there’s no way I’ll be leaving.”
Sky Blues in the Community, the charity arm of Coventry City FC, exemplify the ways that collaboration between sport and criminal justice can bring positive outcomes for children.
These are tough times in Sheffield. At the time of writing, Tier 3 lockdown measures are in place and it’s October half-term, with holiday hunger a major topic of conversation.
Every Friday night at Goals five-a-side centre in Nechells, inner-city Birmingham, up to 90 young males aged 14-19 gather to play football. In-between matches, Sporting Elite director Seb Hamilton and his staff mingle and chat.
Frustrated and fearful at the lack of opportunities for children in her community back in 2017, Tara Foster wanted to bring back the “lost art” of youth work to help. Aptitude, in the deprived Radford area of Coventry, was the result – and its impact has been phenomenal.
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A new organisation which uses yoga to engage and divert children away from crime, gangs and anti-social behaviour is joining the Levelling the Playing Field project as a local delivery partner.
Changing mindsets and building resilience are the cornerstones of the InPower Academy in Wolverhampton, which uses martial arts to engage children who are at-risk of entering, or already involved with, the Youth Justice System.
Sports Key are a valuable addition to Levelling the Playing Field’s network of Local Delivery Partners in the West Midlands. They use sport as a ‘magnet’ to attract people from their largely disadvantaged but hugely diverse local community, helping to make it more active, healthy and cohesive.
Sport 4 Life use sport as a ‘hook’ to engage young people in Birmingham and guide them towards sustained education, employment or training. Last year, 79% of their beneficiaries were from BAME backgrounds and 15-20% have an offending history. For Levelling the Playing Field, they’re a gift-wrapped delivery partner.
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The Positive Youth Foundation has built such an esteemed reputation for supporting young people's needs over the last 23 years that the decision to approach them to be a Local Delivery Partner for Levelling the Playing Field was a no-brainer.
Joe Jackson, founder of NPV Football Development, has worked with at-risk young people from diverse backgrounds in Wolverhampton for the last 22 years. His organisation's reputation and vast experience make it an ideal Local Delivery Partner for Levelling the Playing Field. Find out more about their frontline work.
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In the underprivileged Sheffield area of Burngreave, young men and women wearing distinctive blue, red, grey and black t-shirts are recognised on every street corner. But this is no ordinary urban gang.
Newport Live's highly-regarded Positive Futures initiative has come on board as LtPF's Local Strategic Partner in Gwent. Find out all about their award-winning and innovative work with young people and how they plan to support the area's at-risk BAME young people through our project.
Sport Birmingham is an independent charity that uses the power of sport and physical activity to improve lives. We're delighted to have them on board as a Local Strategic Partner and spoke to Operations Director, Tom McIntosh, about our forthcoming partnership.
The Yorkshire Sport Foundation is Levelling the Playing Field's Local Strategic Partner in South Yorkshire. We hope to help them build on their exemplary work with local sport-based projects that support young people from BAME communities.
London Sport's ambition is to make London the most active city in the world. As one of LtPF's Local Strategic Partners, we will work with them to engage and energise at-risk young people from minority backgrounds across the capital. Read on to find out how.
