Kind-hearted members of the Scottish Sports Futures Youth Panel have made sure young people can stay active while restrictions are in place by issuing sport and physical activity kits to young people across Scotland.
Scottish Sports Futures (SSF) use the power of sport and physical activity to engage with vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in communities across Scotland and work to empower them to be confident, healthy and happy. With a focus on at-risk communities, SSF initiatives are designed to encourage physical and mental wellbeing and integration.
During the COVID-19 pandemic SSF have adapted the delivery of their programmes to do more online to continue to support young people. In conjunction with online delivery they have sent resources home to young people and worked hard to be as innovative as possible with quizzes, baking challenges, workshops and TikTok challenges.
Despite these innovations, staying active was proving difficult for the SSF Youth Panel as they didn’t have the equipment to do so, like many young people across the country.
Youth panel members Ami Chastey, Chloe Lawson, Dylan Conti. Heather Little, Holly Hafterty and Katie Monaghan came up with the idea to create and send 150 sport and physical activity kit boxes to young people across Scotland to encourage physical activity throughout the lockdown period and beyond.
In addition to that, the youth panel have played a key role as SSF have:
- Sent 200 postcards and wellbeing letters have been sent home to young people.
- Helped make sure weekly support meetings are in place for young people alongside weekly workshops and challenges
- Supported the creation of mentor groups where groups of young people met with a mentor every two weeks to catch up and take part in different activities including baking and escape rooms.
SSF Youth Panel member Holly Halferty said:
"I believe this was important because it brought everyone together even though we were so far apart. I enjoyed deciding what goes into the packs as we were full of imagination and could include what we knew other young people would like."
Preeti Jassal of SSF said: " We are delighted to have been able to put a smile on the faces of many young people and their families over this tough period and grateful for all of the young people who were involved with this from start to finish."
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About Scottish Sports Futures.
