By Paul Evans
Thousands of young people from across Wales have started the school holidays with sporting endeavour and a full stomach thanks to a multi-sport festival organised by StreetGames, held at Cardiff’s iconic Principality Stadium today.
Children and young people aged from 11-18 got to shoot at goal, test their strength and aim for a hole in one, among many other activities, thanks to StreetGames, a national charity whose aim is to change the lives of disadvantaged communities across the UK through sport.
Today’s event saw youngsters not only try sporting activities they’ve never experienced before but thanks to ‘Fit and Fed’, StreetGames’ initiative to help tackle holiday hunger, they got a good meal that sustained them throughout the day.
StreetGames has introduced the ‘Fit and Fed’ programme as a response to a growing body of research on the triple inequalities of holiday hunger, isolation, and inactivity. Of the poorest families, 73% struggle to buy food during the summer school holidays, and kids can lose 80% of their fitness built up over the school year.
Throughout the day, over 3,000 youngsters from the most deprived parts of Wales got to take part in over 60 different activities ranging from football, cage rugby, urban boxing, golf chip and put, free-running and gymnastics, skate boarding, and break dancing. In addition, many young people got the chance to be involved in event management and volunteering and played a key role in helping plan and deliver the festival on behalf of StreetGames.
The event’s success was reinforced by the close partnership work of a number of organisations including the Welsh Rugby Union, Nando’s, Warburtons, South Wales Police, Sport & Leisure Services, Youth Service, Soreen, Run4Wales, Boys’ and Girls’ club of Wales, local community groups, and various National Governing Bodies of Sport.
The multi-sport festival reinforced the work StreetGames has been undertaking throughout Wales since 2008. Its focus is on developing and supporting the delivery of doorstep sport, helping bring sport to people in the heart of their community.
StreetGames supports the needs of communities across the UK so young people in poverty get some form of sport and physical activity delivered in the right style, in the right place, at the right price and at the right time. It’s ‘Fit and Fed’ programme has therefore become an important and natural addition to this work.
“The huge benefits sport brings to young people are obvious, not just its ability to improve physical wellbeing but to help grow a young person’s confidence and provide them with a new outlet and direction,” says Rachel Carter, StreetGames’ Business Support and Head of ‘Fit and Fed’ in Wales. “However, it is now well recognised that during the school holidays the need to keep young people active is matched by the need to support them with access to a decent free meal.
“For many parents and guardians, the summer holidays are particularly stressful and full of worry about where the next meal will come from. By working with partners, StreetGames is proactively looking to address this and help fulfil a crucial role. To be able to ensure every young person had a chance to eat at our festival, thereby helping them get ‘Fit and Fed’ was vitally important and something we are very proud of.”
In Wales, StreetGames is a joint funded programme through the Welsh Government’s Communities 1st Shared Outcomes Project and Sport Wales’ engaging young people in sports activities, to reduce inequalities and tackle poverty through sport.