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Developing Lives Through Sports
Greenhouse Sports works with young people from deprived backgrounds because the crisis in children living in deprivation is real. Greenhouse Sports believes young people given the opportunity to play sport regularly and be mentored by coaches become adults who have confidence and resilience and who develop into leaders. Since 2002, they have worked with over 42,000 children, the majority of which are children who experience racism.
Missed Opportunities
Children from the poorest families are three times more likely to not participate in any extra-curricular activities compared to those from wealthier families. These young people lack many opportunities that are available to their wealthier peers. These youngsters are more likely to:
- leave school with no qualifications,
- be excluded from school,
- get involved in crime and gang violence, and
- suffer from mental health issues.
These children miss out on the many positive outcomes that are linked to regular exercise, including longer life expectancies, improved mental and physical health, and better grades in school. Just as important, they are denied lessons in discipline, teamwork, and resilience - the very qualities that most parents want for their children - which are so often taught in sport. Despite the well-documented advantages of sport participation, there is a striking lack of opportunities for poorer children.
A Chance To Excel
Thanks to the vital support of People's Postcode Lottery players, Greenhouse Sports is there to make sure these children get the best possible chance to do well in life. Our players are directly helping to give 7,500 young people access to coaching and mentoring through sport for a full year. Greenhouse Sports run extra-curricular breakfast, lunch and after-school clubs, as well as holiday camps across London, mentoring young people through life's difficulties.
Greenhouse Sports coaches are present in young people's lives six days of the week, from 7am until 6pm, and are there from Year 7 until children leave school. It is the longevity of the coaches' relationships with the children they support that is particularly unique - on average lasting four years. Last year, Greenhouse Sports coaches completed over 11,000 hours of 1:1 and small group mentoring.
Greenhouse Sports' Head of Coaching Jason Sugrue said, "Our activities and mission could not be achieved without players of People's Postcode Lottery. They enable our coaches to be there every day for our children, developing not only their physical ability, but their social and life skills so they are able live up to their potential and access opportunities that they did not have before."
Changing The World
People's Postcode Lottery players are helping a range of deserving causes make a difference every single day. Find out more about the Charities for which our players raise funds.
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Published: 20/09/2021
