Massive increase in disabled young people using youth zones

Data collected by youth charity OnSide, which runs six state-of-the-art youth zones, shows the number of disabled young people attending them has increased from 587 to 2,023 young people in the past two years.    

It said the increase has come about since the launch of its A Level Playing Field project, a partnership between the charity, its youth zones and the Seashell Trust to address the issue of limited facilities for disabled children.

It aims to get disabled young people involved in inclusive sports, recreational activities, and create activities to increase their experience of independence.

The project has been taking place in all six youth zones, in Bolton, Carlisle, Manchester, Wigan, Blackburn, and Oldham.

Stephen Pearson, project co-ordinator for the project, said: “We have seen more young people, more regularly, access youth zones to take up the offer, which impacts on the young person’s confidence and aspirations.

??“Inclusion is more than a word or a carefully placed statement to describe what we are all about. ??

“It is an intrinsic value that we work hard towards ensuring every staff and volunteer member owns, as part of their delivery and approach in engaging young people with a disability.”