YCAG received funding from London Sport to have some youth activities delivered to young people, which would be decided by the young people themselves. The purpose of funding the activities is to get young people active after lockdown ends.
What have been the key successes of the project so far?
The young people from YCAG (Young Citizen Action Group) designed an online survey to understand their peers experiences of lockdown, their physical activity before/during/after lockdown and what kinds of activities they would like delivered. The feedback from the online survey was tremendous with 700+ students of Riverside School. This will provide a baseline of activity before lockdown and before commencing the project to be able to measure the level of benefit after its delivery.
Following this, YCAG used the results from the online survey to decide which kinds of activities they would like to offer based on what their peers would most like to get involved in. A short video appeal was then produced by them to local community groups asking them in turn to create their own videos to share their offer and raise awareness of the opportunities to get involved in. Great video submissions were received from local community groups summarising their organisations and the activities they offer and these were shown in form time at Riverside School and voted on by students.
Thereafter, YCAG took the results of the vote and invited the top 4 to a “Dragon’s Den” style interview with them where the young people asked questions to confirm the offer available. These were led by the young people and were received very positively by the community groups involved who offered high praise for the approach in general and for the young people involved.
“It was great to be part of YCAG Dragon’s Den, and brilliant to see young people being put at the head of the table. Those involved were strong minded and came out with amazing and important questions.”
"I was very impressed with the young people's resourcefulness. Not only did they survey the needs and preferences of the other students, but also asked pertinent questions to establish whether an activity would be beneficial to them. Very professional throughout the process!"
"It was very good to see young people on a board, working together to provide enrichment opportunities for their peers, schools and community. Everyone was very welcoming and polite and asked good questions. A great example that when young people come together they can design purposeful and impactful projects."
What activities are being funded?
YCAG decided on the following community activities, which will take place at Riverside School:
- BDYD (Barking & Dagenham Youth Dance) – Dance classes (to take place at Riverside School, 3-4pm once per week Thursdays for Years 7-9).
- Creative Wellness – Cooking & Healthy Eating Workshops (to take place at Riverside School, 3-5pm once per week day TBC, for Year 7s ONLY, Max 20 students.
- RDF – Basketball (Thursdays) & Boxing Clubs (Wednesdays) (to take place at Riverside School, 3-4pm once per week, for Years 7-9).
- Surya Wellbeing – Yoga and Mindfulness (Online, 5-6pm once per week Thursdays for all Years but focused on older year groups with exams and stress from school).
When will the activities start?
Activities will start on the week commencing 10th May, and end on the week commencing 21st June.