YOUTH SPORT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

The Youth Sport Development Project works in Dundee’s Community Regeneration Areas. The Project aims to help develop a range of sustainable physical activity and sporting provision within these areas and works in partnership with local groups and organisations. The Project also provides learning opportunities within sport for young people and volunteers.

The project works with all age groups and has specific programmes for:

• 0–3 & 3–5: Both of these programmes are designed to involve parents and carers and include resources for use in the home as well as the group environment. The Project works with a variety of local groups e.g. Nurseries, Family Support Centres, Parent & Child groups and has developed a range of resources for parents, volunteers, professional workers and coaches working with the 0–5 year olds. This is a lively, imaginative programme which is great fun for all involved and has achieved national recognition.

The Youth Sport Development Project’s pre-school programme was highlighted at the Early Years National Best Practice seminar in 2000 and received a COSLA Excellence Award in 2002.

• Sport Specific: Basketball, hockey, football, gymnastics, trampolining & swimming are just some of the sports we promote and develop in the Community Regeneration Areas. Weekly classes and holiday programmes are on offer. We support the formation and development of local clubs and organisations that offer a range of activities.
  

• Volunteer Recruitment and Development: Volunteers of all ages from the Community Regeneration Areas and from the wider city are involved with the project. Volunteers are able to receive training and expenses from the Project and many have gone on to gain recognised coaching qualifications. Volunteers can assist sporting activity in a variety of ways and time and enthusiasm is all that is needed.
  

• Healthy Lifestyles: We have been instrumental in developing resources for a multi agency healthy lifestyle promoting programme for primary 6 & 7. The programme has been very popular with teachers and pupils. We have also contributed and piloted a multi agency health and fitness promoting programme for secondary aged pupils and a specialised programme for children with weight problems.
  

• SPRINGBOARD: Sport Working For Youths is a flexible programme which uses sport as a tool and provides opportunities for work placements, training and qualifications for 14–25 year olds from Dundee’s Community Regeneration Areas. In the course of the work done by individuals within the SPRINGBOARD programme there is considerable benefit to the local communities in terms of increased local sporting provision.

  The Youth Sport Development Project has illustrated, through its past work, the potential and flexibility of sport in promoting social inclusion issues. Sport naturally engages many youths and the Project is a popular choice for work experience. SPRINGBOARD promotes and expands the role sport can play in the development of the individual and local communities.
  

• Coach Education: The Project runs a range of coach education courses and designs their own coach education resources. Workshops are held locally responding to the needs of parents, volunteers, coaches and professional workers.
  

Since April 2005, The Project is funded by the Community Regeneration Fund supported by Dundee Partnership, sportscotland’s Community Regeneration Programme and Dundee City Council.

After a successful pilot in 1998–1999, the Project was awarded SIP funding until March 2005. It has recently secured funding to continue its work until 2008.