The “Get on Track” programme is a personal development project that aims to change the lives of young people through sports participation.
The programme provides disadvantaged and disengaged young people (aged 16-25) with the self-discipline, motivation and confidence they need to enhance their employability and to lead more active lives. Up to the end of 2016/17 financial year, North Yorkshire Sport in partnership with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust (DKHT) had run six programmes benefiting 87 participants, as part of our ‘Creating Better Futures’ model.
However, rather than simply delivering the DKHT programme, North Yorkshire Sport has developed an innovative approach to the delivery of Get on Track by securing £100k of additional investment from other partners in the area including Department of Work and Pensions, Police & Crime Commissioner, Youth Justice & Fenhurst Trust.
Sourcing match funding from additional investors has allowed the continuing programme to be more sustainable and has afforded the CSP greater autonomy and accountability for the programme. In practice this means that North Yorkshire Sport is able to take more ownership of the design, format and targeting of programmes utilising local knowledge, insight and feedback to continually improve the programme.
This process also demonstrated that a sport related project could effectively generate results to satisfy the needs of multiple non-sport funders. While this has been a challenge, the programme has been carefully managed and coordinated to demonstrate a range of social and economic outcomes to funding partners. A number of key partnerships have been formed with local sporting and non-sporting bodies such as Job Centre Plus, Youth Justice Service, Foundation Housing, Local Authorities, colleges and local housing providers to deliver a comprehensive programme of activity and support for the young people. As a result;
- 89% have accessed an exit route into employment, training, education and / or volunteering
- 60% gaining employment
- 75% of attendees reported feeling more connected to their community.
The Youth Justice Service Area Manager told us:
I had the privilege of attending the presentations for Scarborough, which included three of our service users (one a victim referred to help regain confidence) and a number of other socially-excluded young people known to us. This course has been transformational. To see those young people expressing hope, pride and team spirit was very moving. The course delivers what we have been striving for with previous projects, but I have never seen a project deliver more impact. Very impressed. “