Football today: The Sport 4 Life training sessions near Spaghetti Junction helping young people achieve their goals

Young people now account for more than two-fifths of the total fall in PAYE employment, with employment for young people down to 9.6% compared with 1.8% for other age groups.

As a result, long-term youth unemployment is growing at its fastest rate in a decade and has reached its highest level in five years.

Now in its fifteenth year West Midlands based Sport for Life UK, supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with a goal of helping them create a better future for themselves.

The charity provides its services to 11-29 year-olds. They deliver structured sport sessions across the region with a goal of delivering key life skills to those participating and also to improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

In parallel they also run a number of other activities and services including:  structured one-to-one mentoring, mock job interviews and the opportunity to gain qualifications.

What do the Sport 4 Life participants say?

Kieron, Ali and Mohammed regularly attend the football sessions which take place near Spaghetti Junction.

They say the sessions have given them focus and improved their mental well being additionally the activities have led to new frienships.

The trio agreed: “Without this we would have just been bored at home. Football relaxes me. It clears my mind.”

Sport 4 Life UK coach Zekarias Tadesse feels that the activities have a positive impact on participants well-being and that they also the events give young people the opportunity to make new friends.

Zekarias told BirminghamWorld: “It gets them out of the house after school. They get to play something that they enjoy and it’s good for their mental health.

What does Sport 4 Life UK say?

Tom Clarke-Forrest, Founder & CEO for Sport 4 Live UK told BirminghamWorld: “Last year we worked with around a thousand young people. We support young people to achieve tangible and sustained outcomes and that includes  job outcomes, getting accredited qualifications, improving their key life skills, transforming their wellbeing,  their physical health, and progressing them into education and training.

“In parallel to that we also run a number of other key activities that includes structured one-to-one mentoring, mock interviews and we deliver on the NCS programme.

“Those disadvantaged and those facing additional barriers fare worse, so it’s really important that we play our part to support these young people.

“We want to continue work with and support young people. We’ve got big ambitions to continue to grow in the region and to support more young people to better futures.”

To find out more go to Sport 4 Life UK

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