Project outcomes
The number of people experiencing mental health issues has been increasing. Listening to feedback from the groups supported by Sported, group leaders told us they wanted to build their confidence and knowledge.
Funded initially by the generous donations to The Times Christmas Appeal, Sported introduced the Time In Mind project to better equip group leaders with the knowledge, skills and confidence to better support their young people experiencing mental health issues.
12
Youth Mental Health First Aid Awareness workshops, delivered by StreetGames, were held from May - December 2021
240
groups from across the UK were supported by the workshops
£23,000
allocated in grants to groups in the Sported network
23
groups trialed projects with their grants to support their young people's mental health and wellbeing
Time in Mind research
Learning from practices in
mental health support for
young people in community
sports groups
From the 23 pilot projects, our research identified those elements of the projects that might usefully inform a model of good practice for other community groups interested in developing mental health support structures. It then aimed to propose a potential model of good practice based on this learning for consideration and use by the sector.
An update from our groups
Somerford Youth and Community Centre
Through the Time in Mind project, Somerford Youth and Community Centre (based in Dorset) felt better equipped to deal with mental health issues within their group. One-to-one mentoring, social activities and volunteer opportunities all helped the young people involved in the project to talk openly about their struggles, gain confidence and feel empowered. As a result, a Youth Council was developed to extend these learnings to all members of the youth centre.
“Our grant was spent on running one-to-one sessions for young people who had told us they were feeling down and low. From these one-to-one sessions we were able to find out a bit more about them and what the issues were they were struggling with. We then came up with courses of action to help them which took the form of further mentoring one-to-one sessions or techniques that they could use to help themselves.”
“A male 15-year-old was able to come and talk to me about feelings of low mood and depression. He had never been to anyone before and spoke about this. Being involved in the project not only allowed us to engage with him but also gave him a sense of pride and importance showing him that he was someone and that he was important.”
Karma Seas
Karma Seas (based in Porthcawl, Wales) used the Time in Mind grant to train an additional surf instructor and provide greater provision for participants throughout the summer months. As a result, they were able to support more young people with additional needs through surf therapy and have had a greater impact in their local area.
“One young participant who is NEET due to autism and behaviour that challenges, was able to join for the first time and we received amazing feedback from his mum, thanking us for putting the smile back on his face and allowing him opportunities to join a regular group of his peers to participate in outdoor activities.”