Leadership and Volunteering
The Youth Sport Trust believes there are many benefits for young people who get involved in leadership and volunteering from increased self-esteem through to developing new life skills. There are three main leadership and volunteering schemes run by the Youth Sport Trust.
Step into Sport
Step into Sport is a programme which focuses on giving young people aged 14 to 19 the chance to become involved in sports leadership and volunteering, and encouraging them to continue this into later life.
The programme involves five stages which give young people the necessary skills, knowledge and qualifications to engage in leadership and volunteering in a variety of sports. Step into Sport builds on existing structures and programmes such as the Level One Award in Sports Leadership (often referred to as the Junior Sports Leader Award or JSLA) and the Level One Award in Community Sports Leadership (CSLA) to encourage and generate greater volunteer links between schools and clubs.
The programme culminates in a four day camp where 400 young people come together to develop their leadership and volunteering talents. Some of the youngsters who attend the camp are chosen to take key volunteering roles at national events such as the UK School Games.
Step into Sport forms one of the ten strands of the government's Physical Education, School Sport for Young People (PESSYP) Strategy, which aims to enhance participation in sport among 5 to 16-year-olds and is run as a partnership between Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust.
Young Ambassadors
Each year until 2012, School Sport Partnerships across England will recruit two young people to take on the role of Young Ambassador for two years. In their first year, they work in their local communities championing sport and the ethos and values of the Olympic and Paralympic movement. In the second year they take on a mentoring role with the new Young Ambassador intake.
By the time the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games reach these shores in 2012, more than 5,000 young people from across the UK will have been through the Young Ambassador programme, which is run by the Youth Sport Trust on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Half of all the Young Ambassadors, which this year will total 898, are selected due to their sporting talent, while the other half are chosen due to their outstanding commitment and ability as young leaders or volunteers.
Sky Living For Sport Youth Volunteering project
The Sky Living For Sport Youth Volunteering Project engages young people who may not normally become volunteers, either through perceived lack of opportunity, lack of confidence or challenging circumstances and is a result of a partnership between the Youth Sport Trust BSkyB and V, the youth volunteering charity.
The project works with schools and further education colleges to identify young people aged between 16 and 18, who are invited to attend one of a series of 'inspiration days' around the country. Here, they work with athlete mentors, including Sky Living For Sport Ambassador, Olympic Gold Medalist Darren Campbell, to equip them with the practical resources, tips and motivation to take their interest in volunteering forward.
On returning to school or college, their teacher takes on the role of mentor, helping them find a suitable volunteering placement. This will involve anything from organising sports festivals for younger pupils, to helping out with less traditional sporting activities, such as organising sessions at skate parks or with local youth groups.