Supported by Sported:
Karate club Kanzen Karate give the youth of Dundee a sporting chance with extra kick to deliver educational attainment.
Vihandu isn’t solely taking part in karate for the kicks.
“Personally, it’s helped me,” the teenager says. “It’s always giving, it’s helped me build up my confidence by a lot. And I made lots of friends here too.”
The life-changing conduit for him and dozens of other young people is located in the midst of some of the most deprived neighbourhoods of Dundee, behind an anonymous door with real transformations on offer on the mats inside.
Kanzen Karate – one of almost 250 community groups resourced and supported by Sported in Scotland – prides itself on being “committed to building better lives.”
Its focus is on wellbeing and a much-admired programme that grows educational attainment, funnelling the bodies and minds of those who might slip through the net in a way that turns them into high-achievers, as well as black belts.
In a city where over 25 per cent of children grow up in poverty, the barriers come thick and fast.
“Like many sports clubs, we’re working in a really challenging environment in Dundee,” Roy O’Kane, Kanzen’s CEO underlines.
“Dundee has been on a great change. But it also has a lot of issues that it needs to overcome, and we’re playing a real part in that.
“Just a short while from here, we’ve got some of the poorest SIMD (multiple deprivation) areas.
“And it’s about how we, as a club connect with schools, connect with health, connect with all kinds of other things to help overcome these issues.”
Its partnership with the local high school leads the likes of Vihandu into its facility. It has been so effective that other educational establishments have been beating a path to the door.
“We have great results with people who are disaffected with school, who are not participating in any physical activity, who don’t respond well to other forms of discipline,” Peter Stanton, the group’s Chair outlines.
“If they buy into what we’re doing here and can adhere to the rules.
“Once they realise that there’s no detriment to them in doing that, it’s not uncool, the younger people can take those skills away and becomes enormously a benefit.
He adds: “We have our charitable and social enterprise projects, which takes us out of the studio, into the community, into the schools, to put forward our values, our ethics, and try to encourage people into that.
“So they realise that they’re coming into a safe space, that they can be themselves, as well as part of a team.”
Kanzen, with the help of Sported’s national delivery team, has advised others on how to use physical activity to complement the education system.
It is a proven winner, with areas such as truancy and anti-social behaviour addressed effectively by trusted local leaders who know that a generation tabbed as ‘hard-to-reach’ is often anything but.
Sport opens doors. Unlocking that potential is Sported’s core purpose as a charity.
“The difference community sport makes for young people is that it helps them to be a part of groups like this here at Kanzen, to help them grow in confidence and to give them a sense of belonging.” Dee Pearson, Sported’s National Delivery Officer states.
“It helps them with lots of things, not just from sporting activities. It helps them with their social skills, and that spills over to their education as well. So it’s crucial, I think, in helping them grow and thrive.
“The difference community sports groups make in Scotland is all around community cohesion; help with reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, helping young people and their families with health and wellbeing.
“It’s essentially making communities stronger through the power of sport.”
Sported Support
““We have great results with people who are disaffected with school, who are not participating in any physical activity, who don’t respond well to other forms of discipline.”
– Kanzen Karate chair Peter Stanton
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