The Young Start Programme helps to empower young people with a disability to develop their coaching skills.
By William Moncrieff, Communications Officer.
To celebrate National Volunteers’ Week (2nd–9th June), SDS caught up with Josh Kitchen, Amy Smith and Lea Smith from the Young Start Programme, who have been volunteering in basketball across Scotland.
The Young Start Programme is a yearlong course designed by Scottish Disability Sport (SDS). The course has been developed to help young people aged between 16 – 24 living with a vision impairment, hearing loss, physical disability or mild learning disability, to develop their confidence and coaching skills.
One of the most beneficial elements of the programme is the volunteering work that the course participants get involved with. Josh, Amy and Lea are all part of the current cohort and all three have been working closely with their mentor, Tina Gordon, from basketballscotland.
For each member of the group, the course and volunteering work has been vital in helping them develop. Amy (aged 16) commented on how the programme has impacted her. She said: “Young start has helped me develop my confidence and has helped me be able to speak and explain my points clearer to people.”
This theme of the programme helping develop skills has been resonating with 16-year-old Josh, who is looking forward to getting out and volunteering. Josh commented: “I believe volunteering will help me develop skills in communication. I think it is important to volunteer as it develops skills and gives more perspectives on different social circles.”
Along with the skills that members of the Young Start Programme can develop through volunteering, there are many more benefits to being part of the cohort.
Lea, Amy’s twin sister, touched on the social element of the course, saying that, “meeting other disabled people from Scotland” is a huge bonus for her.
She continued to say: “I have enjoyed having my teammates on the course as we are very close with each other and I think being on Young Start helps us develop closer as athletes and people.”
Amy agreed with this saying, “I have enjoyed having Lea and Josh on the Young Start Programme with me, it’s always nice to have some people you know.”
The group has had the opportunity to volunteer at a range of events and clubs, including Volunteering at the West of Scotland Parasport Festival and with Lothian Phoenix Basketball Club. The group are further having an exciting opportunity to volunteer at SDS’s National Exhibition event 2025, held at Stirling University on the 14th of June.
These volunteering opportunities have been preparing the group to gain a coaching qualification, which is a key outcome of the Young Start Programme. The group have been working closely with their mentor, Tina, to achieve basketballscotland’s Skills Coach qualification. This has been done whilst attending many other courses delivered by Scottish Sporting Futures.
Attending various events and having the opportunity to gain qualifications, has provided the group with an opportunity to develop in a range of areas, with Amy saying: “I think the Young Start Programme has challenged me to answer more questions, to give answers, and speak in front of people. Therefore, helping me gain more confidence.”
Developing his confidence is something that Josh is also looking forward to working towards.
Along with developing her practical skills when coaching, Lea has been loving the sense of reward that volunteering provides. She said, “The realness of it, not helping because of personal gain, but for the benefit of helping others,” has been one of her favorite elements.
All three of the group believe the programme has had a positive impact on them in many ways, including developing skills and making them feel proud about the impact that they are having.
Lea commented on why she thinks she will continue to volunteer: “I think I would continue to volunteer, to help other people with disabilities in sport to get chances to excel, just like people have helped me get to where I am today.”
Although Josh is still to get fully immersed in the programme, he can already see the impact it can have, saying: “I would recommend the Young Start programme to people who want to develop their coaching.”
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
If you would be interested in volunteering within disability sport in Scotland, check out all the current opportunities on the SDS website, here.
SDS NATIONAL EXHIBITION EVENT
If you would be interested in finding out more about SDS and how sport and physical activity can support you, sign up to attend SDS’s first ever National Exhibition Event. The event is free and is being held at the University of Stirling on Saturday 14th June. The event will allow people from all over Scotland to interact with all elements of SDS in one place.
You can also find out more about what sporting opportunities are available in your community by contacting your Regional Development Manager. To keep up-to-date on all of the ongoing work, make sure to follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website.