The Kent Social Inclusion programme – the biggest single community scheme project in the country - will use football to divert children from anti-social activities, promote healthy living and encourage local communities to flourish.
The project will focus on two key points in its initial stages; improving the behaviour, attitudes and lifestyles of young people on housing estates and reducing conflict, and working with identified ‘at risk’ young people from pupil referral units and school pre-exclusion units by using sport to get messages across regarding issues such as drug misuse, racial awareness and sex education.
Kent County FA Football Development Officer Darryl Haden said: “Football has the scope to tackle a number of agenda’s, particularly those of social exclusion and health. Football’s appeal, especially to young people, means that it has the ability to engage with hard to reach groups. It has the potential to achieve a number of social outcomes such as improving fitness and health and developing social and technical skills.”
Alan Dennington, Kent Social Inclusion Manager stated: “The objectives of the project are to reduce levels of crime and anti-social behaviour, address social exclusion and drug misuse and support regeneration programmes in particular areas of need.
The social inclusion project was launched across Kent on Friday 29 September, with Sir Trevor Brooking the FA Director of Football Development, attending the Abbey School, Faversham.
The project was also launched at Charlton’s home Premiership match against Arsenal on Saturday 30 September, when Charlton Athletic Chief Executive Peter Varney signed an agreement with Kent County FA Chief Executive Keith Masters, KCC Chief Executive Peter Gilroy and Chief Constable Michael Fuller, representing the Kent partners.
The programme has already received £823,000 investment over the next three years, which includes £250,000 from the Football Foundation Community and Education Grant, and this overall figure is set to rise.
The social inclusion project sees the Charlton community scheme join forces with Kent County Council, Medway Council and the 12 District Councils, Kent Police, Kent Fire & Rescue, Network Rail, The Football Foundation, Kent County Football Association, Gillingham Football in the Community and numerous local partners to run the programme across the County after nearly two years of planning.
The project will see coaching taking place in estates and wards as identified by local and county agencies, as well as within schools, alternative curriculum programmes and pupil referral units, to target young people who for various reasons have become disengaged from mainstream education.
The Estates based programme delivers football coaching sessions on specifically identified housing estates identified by the local steering groups. Inter-housing estate teams are developed and these then play against each other. This is an initiative that has been effective in reducing tension between gangs on the estates. Gang culture has caused much friction amongst rival groups and this has meant that some parts are strictly ‘no go’ areas for certain young people. The inter-estate football matches have further developed into running incentive-based late night estates football leagues, young people are encourages to behave positively during the week, whether at school or out on the streets
The Schools programme sees weekly three hour sessions occur at identified secondary schools, Pupil Referral Unit’s and Alternative Curriculum Programmes across the districts. These sessions will be for disengaged pupils, male and female, and take the format of approx 50 minute fitness/dance session, 50 minute workshop, and a 50 minute small sided games session. The workshops will have an overarching theme of ‘Social Responsibility’ and topics include: impact of crime, effects of drugs, anti-racism, dietary requirements, fire safety, anger management / conflict resolution and anti-social behaviour. The programmes are not restricted just to Football. Dance and Drama sessions are also used as and when requested.
The County FA Development team have been instrumental in encouraging links between the local football clubs and the Inclusion project. This has lead to many of the local Football Clubs benefiting from the project. The programme is now providing an opportunity for young people, who otherwise would not participate in football via the traditional route, to participate in competitive football with local football clubs. The Charlton coaches are also acting as a support mechanism for the local clubs providing assistance to local club coaches. Kent County FA are also supporting the delivery of the various workshops aimed at improving social responsibility of the young people, and are heavily involved in the work around reducing teenage pregnancy.
For further information on this project please contact darryl.haden@kentfa.com.