Active Gloucestershire awards Sportivate Project of the Year to Special Yogavate
Special Yogavate by Special Yoga Works, which delivers yoga sessions to young disabled people in Stroud, has been awarded the Active Gloucestershire Sportivate Project of the Year 2014.
The Special Yoga sessions were funded through Active Gloucestershire’s Sportivate initiative which is part of Sport England’s Olympic and Paralympic legacy programme Places, People, Play. It is a nationwide campaign that aims to capture the excitement of sport by providing funding to clubs and organisations that are able to deliver 6-8 weeks of coaching in a sport or physical activity for teenagers and young adults to encourage them into regular participation.
The ‘Active Gloucestershire Sportivate Project of the Year 2014’ award was presented to Special Yoga Works for their enthusiasm to deliver sessions to people who are not ‘traditionally sporty’ or who had not previously taken part in many exercise activities.
Working in partnership with local schools, the Special Yogavate sessions ran from April 2013 until October 2013, introducing 67 disabled students to Yoga in various locations in Stroud and around the county.
Each of the eight week sessions offered students with moderate to profound impairments and/or autism, a chance to practice yoga and meditation. The sessions included breath work, a physical practice and relaxation. Each week’s session focused on a different theme which mirrored the Olympic and Paralympic values.
The Special Yogavate sessions also focused on supporting young people to develop a practice that they are able to use outside of class by providing CD’s for the participants to take home after each session. This has helped to improve the participants muscle tone, balance and co-ordination which would enable them to more easily take part in yoga or other sporting activities in the future.
One 15 year old who attended the sessions is now able to independently move themselves from lying to sitting and sitting to standing unaided. The yoga has increased this individuals flexibility, body awareness and strength. They previously relied on two members of staff to support them physically at all time.
Another young person’s parent reported that this was the first group activity that they have been able to engage with and sustain for many weeks due to emotional and behavioural difficulties. Consequently, the young person is now calmer, more able to regulate his behaviour and is beginning to be reintegrated into group settings where he has previously been excluded from.
Lucy Clarke, who runs the sessions by Special Yoga Works, said:
“We are delighted to have been chosen as Sportivate Project of the Year. The Sportivate Special Yoga Project for young people with physical and/or learning disabilities has had profound effects on many young people and their families all over Gloucestershire. This project given young people with additional needs the opportunity to try something new in a supportive and nurturing environment. Consequently, many of the young people have a new interest, increased their physical activity, developed greater body awareness, better mental health and built new friendships within their community. This has meant a lot to the participants and their families.
She continued:
"By funding these sessions young people have been able to access yoga and meditation no matter what circumstances. Thank you Sportivate/Sport England/Active Gloucestershire for enabling us to offer this incredible work”.
Looking forward to the future, Special Yoga Works are working in partnership with St Roses School and Active Gloucestershire to develop a three-year Satellite Club, which will aim to create a pathway for young people to bridge the gap between school sport and community sport.
Martyn Reeves, Development Officer for Active Gloucestershire, said:
“Congratulations to Special Yogavate on winning our Project of the Year Award 2014. The Yogavate sessions have grown beyond what was initially planned and the participants have now discovered a sport that they love and will go on to participate in regularly. It’s a great example of how Sportivate can impact on young people’s lives.”
Special Yogavate has now been entered into the national Sport England Sportivate awards in September, whereby the top three winners will be invited to an award ceremony at the Houses of Parliament in London. First prize will win a £1,000 voucher to help with the running of their club.
Active Gloucestershire still has Sportivate funding available to clubs and organisations that are able to deliver 6-8 weeks of sport or physical activity sessions to 19-25 year olds. The funding can help pay for coaches, equipment, venue costs or coach education. Sessions must engage and stimulate individuals who do not currently participate in sport or exercise and all projects have to link to a local club/activity provider or continue as a project. This is to ensure that the participants have the opportunity to continue in the activity beyond the initial sessions. Active Gloucestershire are especially looking for projects that are able to deliver to females.
