Young People Inspired to Volunteer through Sport

Step into Sport Conference – Nearly 200 young volunteers attended the seventh annual Step into Sport Community Volunteering Conference at Loughborough University on Thursday November 5, 2009. The volunteers, aged between 16 and 19-years-old, came from a variety of schools and colleges across Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland.

Step into Sport, a national leadership and volunteering programme, is a joint initiative between The Youth Sport Trust and Sport England, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and organised by Leicester-Shire & Rutland Sport in conjunction with the School Sports Partnerships.

The aim of the Step into Sport Conference is to enable young people to begin and sustain an involvement in leadership and volunteering through sport, by providing training and experiences to develop their leadership, communication and social skills. This is in preparation for community volunteering placements within local sports clubs and organisations.

The young leaders, from all over the county, took part in a series of team challenges and a selection of practical and theoretical workshops throughout the day. The workshops incorporated a range of sports and activities such as badminton, dance, event/festival management, first aid, inclusive sport and tag rugby.

Fern Jackson, from Burleigh College, said: “I really enjoyed my day at the conference. It was a very useful day, which gave me great ideas to use with younger children. It was nice to meet and work with other young leaders, who are just starting their volunteering year.”

Andy Reed MP., Chair of Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport, added: “I am immensely proud to see so many of our young people giving up their time to benefit others. With 2012 approaching we need to inspire participants, coaches, volunteers and officials.”

All young leaders will now be supported and encouraged to complete either 50, 100 or 200 hours of community volunteering by November 2010 when an awards ceremony will take place to recognise their achievements.

For more detail about Step Into Sport contact: Lizzi Major, Sports Development Officer for Leicester-Shire & Rutland Sport on Tel: 01509 564871 email e.major@lboro.ac.uk or visit www.lrsport.org.uk

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