Engaging Young People With Nature Through Sport
Background
Starting in April 2022, Groundwork’s Youth Workers delivered a 50-week programme of activity in Crumpsall in Manchester in association with Sport England.
Throughout the programme Youth Workers looked to engage young people who were least likely to take part in physical activity and were relatively inactive apart from when they took part in PE lessons. Groundwork invited them to try a number of physical movement and outdoor sporting activities which would increase their health and wellbeing, connect them with other people and with nature.
From March 2022 to June 2023 Groundwork’s Youth Workers delivered a sport and physical activity programme in Crumpsall in Manchester in association with Sport England.
Throughout the programme Youth Workers looked to engage young people who were least likely to engage in sport and physical activity apart from the standard 1 hour of PE per week. This low level of activity made them particularly vulnerable to long term health conditions, low wellbeing and lack of social opportunities.
Groundwork invited them to try a number of physical movement and outdoor activities which would increase how much time they were active each week, connect them with other people and with nature, with many of the activities taking place outside.
Mohammed’s Story
Mohammed had been attending the Crumpsall youth club for some time and despite polite requests by the youth workers he informed then he was not interested in taking part in sports and was happy to watch.
After 4 weeks of observing other young people taking part in a range of sports, Carlos sat down with Mohammed for a heart to heart. Mohammed explained that he was concerned that he wasn’t good enough and was nervous of what others may think of him if he missed the ball or if he fell over during a game.
Carlos reassured him that no one would judge him and reminded him that everyone was a beginner once. Carlos explained that the team was like a community and as such, everyone is treated with encouragement regardless of their ability.
After this engagement Mohammed decided to engage take part in a game of football. He was moving around, passing the ball and shooting. Carlos added,
“It was clear that his confidence was growing which was amazing to see. He was clearly happy playing, he just needed to overcome this first barrier.”
After playing the game of football Mohammed explained that he:
- Felt good
- Enjoyed playing in a team
- It was a lot better than he expected
- He scored 4 goals!
Mohammed went on to engage with a number of sports activities at Crumpsall youth club, including Table Tennis, Badminton, Hockey, Basketball Boxing and Athletics.
He developed new skills, improved his overall fitness, built resilience, felt happier in his self, and now has the motivation to participate in sports more regularly.
Junaid’s Story
Junaid had never played table tennis before Groundwork arranged for a table tennis table for Crumpsall youth centre. They hoped that having access to this resource would encourage young people get involved in sports and learn new skills.
Junaid showed an interest in the table tennis table as soon as it arrived. He was keen to learn something different and wanted an activity which he could do with his friends which he enjoyed.
Despite his best efforts, it took Junaid some time to get into the sport. To help him develop, Groundwork’s youth workers arranged for a specialist coach to attend the Youth Club,
Junaid found this support extremely useful, adding
“I really enjoyed having a coach. I love table tennis”
Despite such a positive start, a few months youth worker Carlos asked Junaid for a game, however he explained he didn’t want to play anymore as he found it difficult and he kept losing.
Carlos explained that loosing is part of development and encouraged Junaid to keep going, reassuring him that if he focused on his journey and not the losses, he would continue to enjoy the sport.
Many young people who attend the Crumpsall Youth Club experience a variety of challenges in their life. Many lack positive encouragement in their home life and as such, lack confidence when faced with new opportunities or challenges. The Sport England programme provided opportunities for young people to try new sports and with support from youth workers, were encouraged to keep going despite perceived setbacks.
Made possible thanks to support from:
