Tim Burke finds the best websites to help young people get active as well as information about where youth groups can apply for funding.
The nights are drawing in fast and the memories of glorious events in Beijing are beginning to fade. But this is still a good time to fire young people's enthusiasm to take part in sport, whether as potential Olympians in London in 2012 or simply as healthy individuals who play an active part in sporting activity.
For the Olympics, www.london2012.com is the place to go to for everything from latest pictures of the stadium going up to details of how to get involved as a volunteer. It also explains how non-sports projects might get involved in the cultural Olympiad that will accompany the 2012 games.
An education programme called Get Set was launched on 18 September this year, designed to help all types of education providers involve young people in learning opportunities in areas ranging from healthy living to internationalism. An interactive Get Set website will be launched that will include educational materials aimed at 13- to 19-year-olds. The main 2012 site also has a blog from young people that have been involved in the handover from the Beijing games and initiatives such as the Welcoming the World project.
If your interest is in the possibilities of supporting potential participants in the 2012 games, then www.uksport.gov.uk provides details of the strategies and programmes that will, as London Mayor Boris Johnson memorably suggested, bring ping pong (and every other sport) home. The site explains the talent identification and confirmation programmes being developed, including the Girls4Gold programme, which seeks out potential medallists in the targeted sports of cycling, skeleton bob, modern pentathlon, canoeing, sailing and rowing. There is also the Pitch to Podium initiative, which is trying to mobilise young footballers who didn't manage to get contracts at their professional clubs to use their abilities to excel in another Olympic sport.
The Youth Sport Trust takes a more general approach to youth sport development, with a mission to "build a brighter future for young people by enhancing the quality of their physical education and sporting opportunities". Visit www.youthsporttrust.org for details of how it can help schools. Other programmes explained here include the Young Ambassadors programme, getting young people to champion sport and the values of the Olympic and Paralympic movement in the run up to 2012. Also flagged up is the Young Officials scheme, which is designed to provide new ways for young people to engage as volunteers and leaders in sport.
Familiar to many in youth work will be the Community Sports Leader Award, an accredited qualification now completed by 130,000 every year. The award, now administered by Sports Leaders UK, is designed to inspire people, especially young people, to volunteer and learn new organisational, communication and teamwork skills through sport. Reducing youth crime and providing a stepping stone to future employment are two of its key aims. The award has three levels and can be done by anyone aged 14 and over, with a young leader award also available for nine- to 13-year-olds. No previous qualifications or specific sporting abilities are required and there are no exams involved. Information for candidates and tutors is at www.sportsleaders.org.
If you were hoping to get funding for sports development work from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, then you will need to get a wiggle on. The trust, which has awarded £350m over the last 17 years, has decided to wind itself up in 2012 and so will cease taking newapplications after March 2009. Go to www.thefsa.net for details of how to apply for up to around £40,000 for projects that encourage the active participation of young people - Birmingham Scout Association recently did so and got £9,900 for a new climbing wall.
If you are a youth wing of a sports club, or indeed a youth club setting up a sports team, a specialised website can be a great tool for helping to organise your activities and building up a sense of ownership and community. www.hitssports.com supplies a quickly customised website with features designed to help sports clubs run smoothly - from managing availability of players and fixture lists to comprehensive results and statistics.
web file
www.london2012.com The official London 2012 Olympics website
www.uksport.gov.uk Information on supporting and developing talent for
the 2012 games
www.youthsporttrust.org Details sports projects for schools and young
people
www.sportsleaders.org Information on the Community Sports Leader Award
www.thefsa.net Funding for sports development work
www.hitssports.com Allows users to set up a website for their sports
club
