Partnership of Voluntary Youth Organisations and Sport England to Establish Unit to Promote Sport
A partnership of five organisations led by the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) and Sport England have announced the establishment of the Youth Sector Sports Development Unit, in a move to help create more sporting opportunities for young people in youth organisations.
Sport England is investing around £750,000 over the next three years to help NCVYS, in partnership with 4Children, Clubs for Young People, YMCA England and UK Youth, to promote the value of physical recreation and sport in the personal and social development of young people.
NCVYS’s Chief Executive, Susanne Rauprich commented: “The three year programme will be a fantastic opportunity for voluntary and community-based youth organisations to develop young people’s active participation in sport. The London 2012 Olympic Games and the Green Paper on youth will provide excellent incentives and opportunities for young people to participate in sporting and volunteering activities. The Youth Sector Sports Development Unit will support these developments and provide a voice for the youth sector to inform future policies and strategies that will impact on young people’s active lifestyles.
Susanne Rauprich continued: “Young people will be placed at the core of the programme and the partnership is committed to making youth participation a reality. The valuable contribution that young people can make to the direction and delivery of this initiative will ensure the Unit’s success.”
Roger Draper Chief Executive of Sport England said: “Sport England’s vision is to make England an active and successful sporting nation. Not only do we want to support a new generation of Olympic and Paralympic medal winners, but most importantly we want to increase the number of young people leading active and healthy lifestyles through sport. The Youth Sector Sports Development Unit will play a key role, linking closely with PESSCL, the Government’s strategy for school sport.”
Contact details
Vivienne Nwabuzo, Communication and Information Officer, 020 7253 1010, email vivienne@ncvys.org.uk
Sarah Shore, Communications Manager, Sport England, 020 7273 1590, email sarah.shore@sportengland.org
Editor’s notes:
2. The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) is the independent voice of the voluntary youth sector in England. A diverse network of over 160 voluntary and community
organisations and local and regional networks, NCVYS has been working since 1936 to inform and influence public policy, support members to improve the quality of their work, and raise the profile of the voluntary and community sector’s work with young people. For more information visit http://www.ncvys.org.uk/
2. Sport England invests Lottery and DCMS funds into sport. Our aim is to encourage people of all ages to start, stay and succeed in sport at every level and make England the most active and
successful sporting nation. Sport England has nine Regional Sports Boards (RSBs), each made up of experts from areas such as business, local government, sport, health and education. The RSBs provide the strategic lead for sport in their regions and distribute investment for grassroots sport. Sport England has invested more than £2bn of Lottery funds into sport across England and more than £300 million from the Exchequer. For more information visit http://www.sportengland.org/
3. 4Children is a national charity dedicated to creating opportunities and building futures for children. For more information visit: http://www.4children.org.uk/
4. Clubs for Young People is a UK-wide network of clubs, services, projects and activities providing support for young people in their local. For more information visit: http://www.nacyp.org.uk/
5. UK Youth exists to develop and promote innovative non-formal education programmes for and with young people – working with them to develop their potential. For more information visit: http://www.ukyouth.org/
6. YMCA England is one of the largest welfare charities in England. It delivers a comprehensive range of services throughout England and is one of the largest single voluntary sector providers of sport, health, exercise and fitness. For more information visit: http://www.ymca.org.uk/
7. The Green Paper on youth, ‘Youth Matters’, was announced as part of the Government’s five-year strategy for education in July 2005. It aims to address the lack of ‘places to go and things to do’ for young people, through overhauling the way services and activities are delivered. This will form an important part of the initial work undertaken by the Youth Sector Sports Development Unit.
Adverts for the appointment of the Project Manager and Research and Administration Officer for the Youth Sector Sports Development Unit will be available from the Sport England website at http://www.sportengland.org/ week commencing 1st August 2005.