Education Today Education Today Magazine
Inspiring Learning, a leading provider of outdoor education and adventure experiences has announced a formal partnership with the Youth Sport Trust which will see its Kingswood brand become a Changemaker Business, and the Youth Sport Trust become Inspiring Learning’s new charity partner. The Youth Sport Trust is a UK leading children’s charity for improving young people’s wellbeing through sport and play. Inspiring Learning aims to raise £10,000 per year, over three years, to support the charity to tackle health inequalities affecting young people.
Only 45% of young people are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines which recommend taking part in sports or physical activity for an average of 60 minutes or more every day (Sport England, 2021). Alarmingly, one in seven children is obese by the time they start school, increasing to one in four by year six (NHS, 2021).
The new partnership builds on Inspiring Learning and Youth Sport Trust’s previous collaborative work when Inspiring Learning sponsored the charity’s 2022 Conference. Going forwards, all Inspiring Learning centres will have a fundraising target where the Inspiring Learning teams can devise their own ways to raise money for the charity. In addition, Inspiring Learning will continue to develop their own content and ideas to share with the Youth Sports Trust to help broaden and build the development and adaptability of young people. With some children struggling socially and emotionally following the COVID-19 pandemic, providing pathways to enable positive adaptability and the tools to overcome challenges is an important goal that Inspiring Learning and the Youth Sport Trust share.
Alex Williamson, Chief Executive Officer of Inspiring Learning has said: “Our long-standing relationship with the Youth Sport Trust has been further substantiated through our new partnership. Inspiring Learning embodies the importance of being active in the outdoors across all our educational programmes and we’re delighted to be fundraising for such a life-changing organisation.
“Our diverse range of active residential, holiday camp and apprenticeship programmes, are designed to modify individuals’ behaviour, equipping them with the skills to rise to challenges, to become more adaptable, and to work collaboratively, enabling them to thrive in a changing world.”
Jen Rouse, Commercial and Fundraising Director at the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Following the impact of the pandemic and at a time when 18% of children aged 7-16 have a probable mental health disorder, these are difficult times facing young people and the challenge for charities like ours is great. This fantastic partnership with Inspiring Learning will be a huge boost to support our work post pandemic and to take urgent action to support young people most in need.
“We strongly believe sport has the power to change young lives, we are proud to be chosen as Kingswood’s charity partner for 2023.”
Inspiring Learning launched its fundraising efforts this autumn and will continue fundraising efforts at its various centres throughout the UK for the next year. For more information on Inspiring Learning and its centres, please visit www.inspiring-learning.com and www.youthsporttrust.org to see more on the YST.