EFDS teams up with the National Citizen Service
Last summer, the English Federation of Disability Sport teamed up with the National Citizen Service (NCS) to deliver the Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training. With workshops delivered nationally, over 300 young people on NCS’s summer programme were able to benefit from the free training.
The training, delivered as part of the social action element of NCS, equipped the young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to engage and support disabled people to be active. It also helped the young people to develop their leadership and communication skills.
A number of workshops were delivered in Shropshire through Energize, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, the local County Sports Partnership. Jessica Lightwood, who organised these workshops said:
“We wanted to organise these workshops for the NCS participants in Shropshire as it provided a perfect opportunity to inspire young people on the benefits of inclusivity and enable them to experience the various career paths and environments that they may find themselves in in the future. The training aligns very well with the values of NCS particularly in terms of building young people’s skills and knowledge as well as providing an insight into social action in the community.”
The workshops were well received by the young people on the NCS programme. Nearly all (94%) participants agreed or strongly agreed that they learnt about practical ways to support inclusive delivery as a result of the training. Furthermore, after the workshop, 8 out of 10 participants rated their confidence, skills and knowledge as either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in the inclusion of disabled people in sport and physical activity.
Click here for a full summary of the participants’ feedback.
The feedback from the young people was also very positive. One NCS participant, Ashleigh said:
“I thought the workshop was eye opening and enjoyable as I’ve never previously had a chance to learn about how different activities could be adapted to involve everyone.”
Andrew Bradbury, the NCS coordinator in Shropshire, explained how the Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training is beneficial for the young people involved in NCS:
“The Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training provided numerous benefits to the young people participating in NCS. It helped them understand how to make activities more inclusive so that everyone can take part. It also taught them valuable life skills such as communication, teamwork, equality, how to plan and organise activities.”
The Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training can be delivered to a group of 14 or more people for free, if a suitable venue can be provided. This is a something that Ciara O’Brien, from Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Sport who organised the workshops delivered in Coventry last summer, believed is a benefit of the training:
“It’s fantastic that the Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training can be delivered for free, this really helped all the NCS participants to access the workshops. It was also very easy for both parties to arrange a series of bespoke workshops for the young people involved in NCS.”
Jessica Lightwood added:
“I would strongly recommend other local NCS providers to consider the Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training as part of their offer. If these workshops are booked early then the rest of the NCS programme can be structured around them.
To read more about the workshops delivered in Shropshire then please click here.
