Project
A sporting chance for the future
Grant amount
£141,841
project summary
The programme aims to coordinate and expand the youth football scheme for boys and girls aged 4 to 25 yrs over a 5 year period. It will provide: a variety of sport and fitness activities and events; organised football leagues; educational workshops and courses in health and fitness; training opportunities for young people to qualify in sport provision and coaching.
The priorities of the 'A Sporting Chance for the Future' programme include:
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Increase participation, by way of bringing new members in from the wider communities and expand on their services.
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Raise the profile of sports for young people at The Winch.
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Give young people the experience of taking part in sports at a rate they can afford.
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Promote awareness and understanding of health and fitness, and the benefits that taking part in sports can have on their lives.
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Develop skills such as communication and coordination, and enhance social and personal development, including self confidence and self esteem.
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Give young people an opportunity to further their development by gaining a recognised coaching qualification, thus opening doors to careers in sport and leisure industries.
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Promote girls and young women’s football and offer exit routes through playing opportunities or the coach education programmes.
what was the grant spent on?
The grant was spent on:
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Employment of coaching staff
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Coach Education
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Awards for the young people
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Facility hire
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Equipment
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Running cost for the whole programme
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Volunteer expenses
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PR and Marketing.
What are the long term benefits of the project on the community?
Assist young people and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds to increase their education attainments and raise personal aspirations. We have given young people a variety of new learning experiences that have created employment and self development. Our youth members (16+) who have obtained the FA Level One Certificate have had and are currently receiving first hand experience through the existing sports programme at the Winch through volunteer work.
Under the guidance and with the support of senior staff, the newly qualified coaches have the opportunity to put their skills into practice and increase their self development in the various sport sessions that they run for young people in the area. These up and coming coaches have now put in a request to further their learning skills and gain access to the Level Two Qualification. The Winchester Project will fund the cost of these courses for their members, as this is of value both to the organisation and the individuals involved. Other groups and organisations have also benefited from the Coaching Programmes by ensuring that their staff gain recognised qualifications and offer more sports session to disadvantaged young people in their areas.
Tell us about the positive affect on individuals
This is an example of the positive affect that the funding has had on an individual who has developed from a member of the sports session to now being one of sessional sports workers:
"I was a member of the sports session at the Winch from the age of 9, at 15 I did my work experience at the Winch After School Club, this helped me to gain knowledge of working with children & support senior workers to run activities. As my passion has always been in sport, this lead me to volunteer on the Sports Programme. During this time I gained Level One Qualifications in Football & Basketball. I now have a Small Sided Game Qualification. I’m always keen to take my experiences to new and fresh environments and this has assisted me to work on special events such as the Swiss Cottage Festival & Camden Unity Cup which involved over 200 young people.
"Other ways in which the funding has had a positive affected is by providing regular activities throughout the year. This has given children and young people a sense of stability and has establish the foundations for young people to gain more scope in developing their skills, helping to create a platform to attain a high level within sport. As mentioned this has lead to exit routes for young people at risk of social exclusion to develop communication and coordination skills, enhanced social and personal development. In addition to this, our sporting programme was used as a vehicle to tackle crime, drug & alcohol abuse and obesity through a programme of regular activities. Finally, this also presented an opportunity for young people to build relationships and foster skills in negotiation and bringing together the elements of understanding and respect."
quotes
Name: Paul Perkins
Position: Director of The Winch
"The Sporting Chance for the Future programme is a fantastic initiative which has had a double impact. On the one hand, it has provided an accessible, developmental route into employment, education and training for individuals of all ages seeking opportunities that may have previously been excluded for a number of reasons. On the other hand, it has resourced and enriched our wide ranging sports programme of events, benefiting over 1,000 children and young people from North London. The return on this project has been a synthesis between empowerment through equipping, and service through working. We hope that it can be rolled out and embedded at the Winch and further afield, as a way of producing a genuinely community based provision."
Name: James Lawrence, 23
Position: Sports and Play Worker
James was a member of the youth football programme from the age of 8 years old. Thanks to the funding from the Football Foundation, he has progressed from a volunteer, gaining his Level One in Football, to a permanent member of the coaching staff running After School sports sessions and activities during holiday sports schemes.
James was also employed within the play department of the Winchester Project and has gained experience working as a play worker, setting up and running activities such as arts and crafts workshops. He progressed further by obtaining a Level Two award in football, and Level One in basketball & netball, organised by the Winchester Project in The Sporting Chance for the Future Coaching Programmes.
“The Winchester Project has always provided young people with an opportunity to shine and express themselves in a range of activities. In my younger years I had the opportunity to partake in various sporting sessions and events organised by Lily and the Winchester Project over the years, which taught me many skills not only in sports but in becoming the young person I am today. Also on a professional level, now being a staff member, I value the Winchester Project for giving me the chance to give something back to the young people of today. Without the Winch, myself and many other young people would not have had the role models and chance to be a child in today’s ever demanding society. The development of the Winchester Project and their goals for young people and the local community would not be possible Without the support from outside organisations and funds."
