Young people excluded from mainstream education are being
offered the chance to get their lives back on track through an
innovative rugby-based initiative.
FairPlay supported by Barclays Spaces for Sports comprises a
series of training schemes throughout the country aimed at changing
the attitudes, enthusiasm and lives of more than 2,400 'at risk'
youngsters. Schemes will kick off this month in Nottinghamshire at
Wesbury School.
Children's charity Wooden Spoon has teamed up with Barclays
Spaces for Sports, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Enterprise
Education Trust to launch a series of eight-week schemes for those
either in or on the edge of the criminal justice system through
exclusion from school.
Working in two phases - the first starting in January 2010 and
finishing in July 2010, the second starting in September 2010 and
finishing in April 2011 - the project will deliver 120 intensive
eight-week schemes across England, combining both physical rugby
training and classroom learning including life, enterprise and
financial skills.
Many of the youngsters targeted have some of the poorest rates
of educational attainment and future employment as well as some of
the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse and
long term unemployment.
Barclays Spaces for Sports is a community sports programme which
has created 200 sustainable sports sites in the UK in partnership
with the Football Foundation, giving more than half a million
people in disadvantaged communities the opportunity to benefit. It
was extended globally in 2008, with further sites and projects
established in South Africa, the United States, UK, Spain and
Zambia. The programme has seen many examples already of how sports
sites and community projects can tackle crime and anti-social
behaviour, as well as providing opportunities for youngsters to
develop as individuals leading to qualifications and
employment.
The coaching programme will be delivered by RFU Community
Coaches, who have developed relationships with youth offending
teams and local rugby clubs in their areas during an initial 'Try
for Life' pilot funded by Wooden Spoon, making them well placed to
ensure the right partnerships are established to deliver a strong
programme to those young people that need it most.
The classroom element will be delivered by Enterprise Education
Trust (EET) trainers who have links with Pupil Referral Units,
schools and business mentors throughout the country.
Jason Leonard OBE , Lead Ambassador for Wooden Spoon, said:
"Rugby is a contact sport which has a proven track record of
helping young children manage their aggression, increase their
aspirations and effort, and modify their behaviour for their own
benefit and that of the communities from which they are
drawn.
"From previous projects Spoon has found that rugby helps young
people at risk of violence feel less threatened, it manages
individual anger problems, and the discipline of the sport is
helping young people fit into education and employment."
Hannah Willis, Associate Director, Global Community Investment
at Barclays, said: "We are delighted to be adding this initiative
to the others we are working on as part of our Barclays Spaces for
Sports programme. We know already from the feedback we are
getting from our community sites and other projects the positive
impact that opportunities through sport can deliver for young
people, not only in terms of tackling issues such as crime and
anti-social behaviour, but also in developing their skills and
confidence and improving academic performance."
Nic Scott, RFU Equity and Inclusion Manager, commented, "Our
experience working with disadvantaged or excluded young people in
the past, has demonstrated the positive impact of rugby as a
mechanism for building trust, self-esteem and confidence in young
people. To be part of this programme takes us closer to our goal of
rugby as a wholly inclusive game and allows us not only to develop
the rugby skills of participants, but also be part of helping them
fulfil their potential as individuals."
Ian Thompstone, Director of Operations at The Enterprise
Education Trust, said: "I am naturally delighted with this exciting
new joint initiative with Wooden Spoon, Barclays Spaces for Sports
and the RFU. By working together The Enterprise Education Trust and
The RFU will be able to show young people that the disciplines of
sport and the business world are one and the same, they are
interchangeable and are the disciplines required for success in any
walk of life. I am convinced this initiative will make a huge
difference to the participants."
The partnership will encourage young people to return to
education, enter training programmes or secure employment. To
assist with this, participants will gain academic credits which
build towards formal qualifications. Barclays will also
support training young people in how to look after their finances,
as part of the Barclays Money Skills initiative.