The power of sport to inspire and capture the imagination was on show on Friday [8th April 2016], as over 90 young people from across London came together in a unique event that combined innovative educational sessions with sporting activities.
The ‘SPORT-to-EDUCATE’ tournament was part of sporteducate – a pioneering sport for development programme in partnership between Deutsche Bank’s Born to Be youth engagement programme and Sported, to improve the life chances of young people from some of the capital’s most deprived areas.
Participants were given the opportunity to take part in a series of fun and informal workshops, designed to develop key life skills and educate young people about a range of pertinent issues, using sport as the central theme. A range of partner organisations were invited by Sported and Deutsche Bank to deliver the workshops.
Drawing on its vast experience using football to educate young people across Africa about HIV, the charity TackleAfrica delivered a session on sexual health. With 1 in 10 children and young people experiencing diagnosable mental health issues, Mind’s workshop focused on raising awareness and promoting understanding. Other educational sessions included tackling discrimination led by
Show Racism the Red Card; personal finance by MyBnk; communication skills by Inneri and raising aspirations by former Olympian and GB track cyclist, Bryan Steele.
Complementing the day’s educational activities were a range of sporting activities, which are traditionally difficult to access and not often played by young people living in central London. Among which were golf, rowing, cricket, rugby and netball. All the educational and sport sessions were supported by Deutsche Bank employee volunteers.
The young people that took part in the ‘SPORT-to-EDUCATE’ tournament all attend one of the 33 community sport clubs on sporteducate, and benefit from regular supplementary educational, employability and mentoring sessions as part of the programme.
Nicole Lovett, Head of Corporate Citizenship UK at Deutsche Bank, said: “It was fantastic to see so many young people come together to engage in a day of sport and education. This tournament captured the essence of sporteducate as a holistic programme. It’s about improving the life chances of young people from some of the capital’s most deprived areas, developing the whole person – their well-being, academic achievement as well as key life skills, to help them realise their full potential.”
Chris Grant, Chief Executive at Sported said: “The government’s new sport strategy is all about harnessing the power of sport for social good and this is exactly what we’re doing through sporteducate. We’re creating fun, engaging and culturally relevant educational opportunities, so that young people facing disadvantage in London get the life chances they deserve.”