Scottish Disability Sport, along with Dundee City Disability Sport are delighted to be working in partnership with Sported to develop new opportunities for people with a disability to get involved and shape sport and physical activity in Dundee.
Sported is working hard to address some of the compelling figures around the activity levels of people with disabilities. 81% of people with disabilities would like to be more active but are twice as likely to be physically inactive compared to non-disabled adults. On top of this, 21% of young people in Scotland are considered disabled, yet many do not get to take part in physical activity.
This year Sported is launching Project 21 in Dundee to tackle some of these barriers to young people with disabilities getting involved in sports and physical activity. We also know that improving inclusion for young people with disabilities ensures sports groups are a more inclusive space for everyone.
The Project has attracted a lot of attention from across the city and we are delighted to welcome eight different sports clubs and groups to the programme:
- Dundee West
- Dundee Dragons
- Dundee United Para-Sports Club
- Dundee City Aquatics
- Dundee Madsons
- Fairfield Community Sports Hub
- Yusef Youth
- Sport Karate East
The groups plan to develop new opportunities in Swimming, Football, Basketball, Karate, Tennis, Athletics, Wheelchair Sports and Multi-Sports. Project 21 also offers an opportunity for young people (aged 18-25) to become a Sports Tutor and deliver inclusion training to these groups and throughout Scotland. The groups will be supported by young influencers – participants in the sport groups aged 13-18 – who will provide the young persons voice throughout and develop their own leadership skills.
The young tutors, Gemma Lumsdaine, Ben Leitch and Murran Mackay, are already halfway through a Sports Scotland professional development accreditation. After completing this course, they will be guided through their own development to work with, coach and educate the groups on how to positively include people with a disability into a sporting environment.
The Young Influencer programme is designed to equip young people to become leaders in the sports clubs they participate in. The programme will engage with young people passionate about disability inclusion and prepare them to develop and deliver their own agenda for increasing inclusion and the voice of young people in their groups. The project aims to give talented young people an opportunity to shine while equipping them with skills to create the future of sports they want.
The energy and passion these young people carry will multiply impact and get people excited about inclusion in their communities and beyond. Most importantly, Young Influencers are the cornerstone of Project 21 and will lead the legacy of its success well into the future.
“I am delighted to be working in partnership with Sported and DCDS to bring these plans to life. The clubs that are participating have great ideas for their projects and these will help fill a gap in provision within Dundee. The opportunities for young people to get involved and shape disability sport in their communities will be a huge benefit for all as we return to sport following the pandemic and in years to come” Scottish Disability Sport Tayside Regional Manager – Graeme Doig
“I’m really excited about Project 21 and can already see the momentum the groups are building every day. The work these groups are doing is incredible and I’m confident the project will mean they can deliver even more activities for young people with disabilities in Dundee. It is more important now than ever before to get young people active, especially after such a hard year of COVID-19 restrictions.” Sported Project 21 Coordinator – Fiona Cooper
Keep up to date with this exciting project on twitter: @sported_Scot. Or read more about it on the website: Scotland | Sported.
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