In March 2018, the Year of Young People (YOYP) fund launched in Scotland. This £550,000 fund aims to change the lives of young people aged eight to 26 through the provision of health and wellbeing projects that encourage positive mental wellbeing and active lifestyles.
As part of its support for YOYP, Spirit of 2012’s Youth Advisory Panel launched a £1,000 Thrive Challenge Fund for a project it could support for the year. Today, it reveals the winner: South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, for a new netball/football project that will be based in Biggar.
“It was fantastic to be involved in awarding the YOYP2018 Thrive YAP Challenge Fund,” says YAP member Hayley Bennett. “We always look to advise on projects we feel will empower young people, and I was really impressed with how South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture designed their project with young people in mind.”
The new project will engage secondary school-aged boys and girls in netball and football, linking them into local clubs and a community sports hub.
Biggar is a very remote part of rural Lanarkshire, and so the project will not only provide opportunities for playing sport, but will also help young participants make new friends and grow their social connections.
Supported by Sport Scotland’s Active Schools, the project will be driven by young people, with youth ambassadors managing the sessions and delivering activities in each club. There will be a particular focus on engaging the least active local pupils, helping them develop a passion for sport and physical activity that will continue into their adult lives.
Further information
Click here to read more about Scotland’s Year of Young People.
Click here to read more about Thrive, a digital toolkit for practitioners who want to help people become active.