GOGA volunteers benefit from Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training
On Monday 13 March, Bradford Disability Sport and Leisure (BDSL) hosted a Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training workshop for a group of their Get Out Get Active (GOGA) volunteers. There were 15 disabled and non-disabled participants who attended the workshop, all of whom are active volunteers within the local community. Their backgrounds varied from wheelchair rugby league volunteers, students, to individuals working within the education and leisure sectors.
Get Out Get Active (GOGA) supports disabled and non-disabled people to enjoy being active together. The programme runs within 18 localities across the UK and is funded by Spirit of 2012. Working together with expert partners we aim to get some of the UK’s least active people moving more through fun and inclusive activities. To help support the training and deployment of GOGA volunteers Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training has been used to upskill these enthusiastic individuals.
Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training consists of a three hour practical workshop, supported by online resources and costs a maximum of £10 per person.
The training compliments GOGA objectives- improving the skills and confidence of those who support disabled people within the community to be more active. This results in increased demand and accessibility of local opportunities.
Alice Wright, an experienced sports coach UK tutor, who delivered this workshop, said:
“The Inclusive Community Training course gives individuals a simple, practical and effective tool that helps them make a big difference by making small changes to the way they deliver their sessions.”
Humayun Islam, Chief executive of BEAP Community Partnership, who attended the workshop to learn how they could make the activities at their community centre more inclusive, said:
“I have limited knowledge of disability sport and I want to make sure we increase Asian participation and be more inclusive as a centre. I think it is so important, that we get more people from all backgrounds, especially people with disabilities, to take part in physical activity with non-disabled people at our centre. The Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training has been fantastic in supporting us to achieve this!”
Sam Stebbings, a student and volunteer for his local Wheelchair Rugby League club, who also attended the workshop, said:
“I thought the training was very good, it was attended by a diverse range of people and we got to try lots of different inclusive activities. My background is within rugby league and I’ll definitely be able to apply what I’ve learnt to those sessions, I also think the training will help me find work when I graduate from university.”
Karla Burton, Inclusive Sports Officer at BDSL, who organised the workshop said:
“There was a great turnout for the first Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training workshop as part of the GOGA programme. The participants put their ideas together and developed their learning on how to deliver inclusive sessions. It was a very beneficial workshop for those who didn’t feel confident in delivering activity to disability groups – the first step to an inclusive GOGA in Bradford!”
