In Funding Stories, Physical & mental health, wellbeing & safety, Strengthening community cohesion

Project: Wycombe Youth Action provide sports workshops to break barriers to sport and movement for young people from poor socio-economic backgrounds or with long term conditions and disabilities.

Grant: £3,660.00

Fund: Moving Our Community Fund 

Wycombe Youth Action (WYA) work with the community to target and challenge attitudes and perceptions surrounding young people.  To do this, they run conservation projects providing young people with the chance to give back to their local communities and provide them with the chance to change the stereotypes faced by young people today.

Together with the support of Heart of Bucks’ Moving Our Community Fund, WYA extended their #BreakingBarriers project and provided free sport and creative workshops for young people. More often than not, these young people would not have been able to access similar sporting activities due to lack of finance, or coming from families with low income or who are out of work. The beneficiaries of this project include young carers, refugees and those living in poverty, allowing them the opportunity to socialise with their peers from different backgrounds and cultures, helping build stronger community cohesion.

The WYA also offered workshops on identity and positive body image, physical and mental wellbeing. Over 50 young people attended the three-day event and were given the opportunity to take part in both team sports, as well as individual 1:1s. Many local sports coaches were kind enough to offer free sessions once the project had finished. The workshops allowed everyone to increase their physical activity, as well as educating them on the importance of positive body image, sport, education and nutrition in maintaining both physical and mental health.

One young man aged 17, a refugee from Algeria, attended all three days, along with his two brothers engaging in football, martial arts, boxing, and sports education. It became clear that he was a skilled footballer, so a local football coach discussed the possibility of joining a local football team with him, whilst another member of the WYA team had a 1:1 session with him to explore this further. WYA then met with his parents to discuss transportation to training and the matches. He was also provided with details of other youth projects that he and his brothers could join, and he then attended WYA’s Empower group the following week.

Wycombe Youth Action continues to support their local community and if you want to find out more about any of their workshops click here.