Creating the conditions to transform lives through sport and physical activity to:

Support young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing

Reduce vulnerabilities to youth crime and exploitation

Strengthen our communities

Use physical activity and sport to prevent youth crime and violence

Youth violence is increasing significantly in Essex, especially the involvement of a weapon in youth offending. In Essex, 89% of the youth violence is attributable to just 10% of all police suspects. A strong evidence base has been developed over the past 10 years in the UK demonstrating that sport can have a positive impact on reducing youth offending.

Sport and Youth Mental Health

Around 36,000 Essex youth aged 5–18 experience low emotional wellbeing, with 1 in 5 facing mental health issues. This project uses sport and physical activity to support mental wellbeing and resilience. It collaborates with trusted community organisations across Essex, Southend, and Thurrock, offering safe spaces and training to meet young people’s mental health needs. The aim is to prevent prolonged clinical treatment, ease pressure on services, and ensure holistic mental health support.

Enhancing youth wellbeing through physical activity

The prevalence of poor mental health among children and young people in Essex is rising, with 1 in 5 affected. This impacts their relationships, education, and future prospects. Physical activity and sport play a key role in improving mental health, reducing stress, boosting self-esteem, and providing a safe, inclusive space to connect. We collaborate with local organisations to offer inclusive activities as part of broader support for young people.

 

Tackling holiday inactivity and food poverty

School holidays can strain families due to higher costs and reduced incomes, with some children missing out on nutrition, physical health, and activities. Free holiday clubs address this by offering consistent, accessible activities. Since 2018, we’ve partnered with over 100 local organisations to support holiday clubs, securing funding through initiatives like the Essex Local Delivery Pilot, Essex County Council, and the Department for Education’s HAF programme.

Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)

We have built a network of over 200 locally trusted organisations collaborating with Active Essex Foundation to use sport and physical activity for social, health, and economic benefits. Through the ABCD approach, we focus on strengthening communities across Essex, Southend, and Thurrock, enhancing local initiatives, inclusivity, safety, and prosperity with citizens leading the way.

 

How We Do This:
  • We work with our network of over 200 locally trusted organisations to increase opportunities for people to take part in physical activity and sport in their community to achieve positive social and health outcomes
  • We develop trusting and long-term strategic partnerships with organisations that align closely to our vision, mission, and strategic priorities
  • We use an asset-based community development approach (ABCD) to build on the energy and skills that exists in local communities
  • We grow capacity locally to sustain activities beyond the life of projects
  • We collaborate with a wide range of agencies to secure additional resources
  • We build and support networks of locally trusted organisations to share knowledge and resources
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