Coalition partner StreetGames will host two free webinars during October to share and discuss the findings from its hard-hitting '1000 Young Voices' report.
The new report presents the thoughts and views of young people from lower-income households, and aims to understand the motivators, barriers and associated emotions that they experience in relation to sport and physical activity. It showed:
- 35% worry about their mental health, with many others feeling lonely or isolated
- 41% have felt discriminated against when doing sport in the past
- 35% of young people said the cost of living had negatively affected how much they take part in sport and physical activity
- 40% of young people said their top concern was 'mine and my family's finances / the cost of living'
StreetGames CEO Mark Lawrie said: "We believe that access to sport and its benefits are a right and not a privilege. But the message coming loud and clear from these young people is that access to sport and physical activity is not equal for everyone.
"If you grow up in a low-income, under-served community your opportunities to play sport and be active are either limited or non-existent."
Recent national data has shown how activity levels have returned to pre-pandemic levels for many but, as Mark states, "this is not the case amongst the least affluent where inactivity levels remain high and inequalities have widened".
He warns: "Our failure to provide a sporting offer that suits the needs of all young people has left us sitting on a public health time bomb."
Read Mark's full blog here.
Register for a webinar
