Context
Background Information
The aim of the Youth Voice Festival was to gather the views of the young people in the Leeds West SGO area and then use these views to help shape the SGO delivery for 2024/25.
We targeted pupils from KS2 and from BAME background, SEND pupils and girls. The invite to the event was sent to all primary schools in the partnership and 6 returned their interest.
What was the aim of work?
The aim of the Youth Voice Festival was to gather the views of the young people in the Leeds West SGO area and then use these views to help shape the SGO delivery for 2024/25.
We targeted pupils from KS2 and from BAME background, SEND pupils and girls. The invite to the event was sent to all primary schools in the partnership and 6 returned their interest.
Which outcome(s) did it focus on?
- 5. To advocate and engage key stakeholders on the value of School Games to support local provision and improve the experience for young people and their families
Which expectation(s) did it meet?
- Using local insight and youth engagement to identify young people and schools that would most benefit from a targeted School Games offer.
- Prioritising resources to implement meaningful youth engagement so young people have a voice and choice of opportunity.
- Work with schools to maintain and grow their active engagement in School Games.
- Work intensively with a minimum of two low engagement schools to improve their understanding, engagement and access of the School Games offer.
Community links
- Community sports clubs
- Youth board within Local Authority
Intent
Overview
The intent of the Youth Voice Festival was to gather the views on several issues that might impact on themselves, their school or local community. The festival targeted pupils from KS2 and from BAME background, SEND pupils and girls.
During the festival young people had the opportunity to comment on 4 different topics. We used specific Youth Voice methods and designed some Youth Boards to gather the information.
· Stick Person
o What I really like about my local community/school?
§ Examples
§ School - PE lessons, after school clubs, lunchtime activities – what do they like about them?
§ Community – safe, lots going on, local clubs.
o What I really dislike about my local community/school?
§ Examples
§ School - Behaviour of others, lack of opportunities, not many ASC, etc.
§ Community – not safe, nowhere to play, poor environment, etc.
· Graffiti Board
o What activities would you like to take part in?
§ Specific sports and activities
§ After schools
§ Festivals
§ Community Activities
§ Projects
· Barrier
o What is stopping you from doing sport/PE?
§ Cost
§ Lack of opportunities
§ Certain sports not catered for
§ Poor facilities
§ Background = home life
· Mood Board
o How do you feel about the PE & sport that is happening in school/community?
§ Positive and negative
§ Views of PE and ASC & community clubs
§ What you like to see in school and in the community
§ If you could change everything – what would it be?
Target group
- Ethnically Diverse Communities
- White (not British or English)
- Mixed
- Asian or Asian British
- Black or Black British
- Girls
- Primary Schools
- Pupil Premium
- SEND
- A cognitive disability (e.g. problems thinking or remembering)
- A sensory disability (e.g. problems with vision or hearing)
- A mental health or emotional disability (e.g. problems with mood)
- A communication or social relationships disability (e.g. autism, Asperger's, ADHD)
- Any other disability
- Targeted Groups of Young People
Aligns to Schools Games Intents of:
- Build social skills and connections (i.e. sense of belonging)
- Engage new/target groups of young people (tackling inequalities)
- Create positive experiences
Implementation
The festival was hosted at a local leisure centre, and we had 6 schools in attendance on the day. We invited Farnley Academy to bring 15 leaders to help deliver some of the activities and Ministry of Boxing attended to deliver some boxing activities.
The schools were split into 4 small groups, and they participated in 4 activities including Kinball, Boxing, Archery and Taekwondo and on each activity, they had a different Youth Voice board (see above). The children took part in the activities and schools were asked to select a few pupils to answer the questions on the Youth Voice boards. Each school had a different colour pen so we could identify them and collect the views of the pupils from the schools. This information would then be shared with the schools and would help formulate the SGO delivery for next academic year.
The groups rotated throughout the festival and participated in 4 activities and answered the questions. At the end of the festival, we provided schools with some refreshments to reward the pupils for their contributions throughout the festival.
Impact
The impact of the festival was highly significant, and it was extremely useful to gather the views of the young people from the schools in the SGO Partnership.
The information from the Youth Voice boards gave great insight into the positive and negative things that are happening in the young people schools and communities. This information was then given to the schools so that it can help them to identify an issue in school and devise an action plan of how to tackle any concerns.
As an SGO, I collected the information and summarised the views in a report to the schools and formulated a plan of how I can use ‘School Games’ to help have a positive impact on any concerns/issues.
See below example of a summarised report for one of the schools.
Greenhill – Feedback
· Stick Man - What I really like about my local community/school I & What I really dislike about my local community/school?
o Basketball 😊
o Running 😊
o Cold PE Lessons ☹
o Lots of comps & Clubs – its good 😊
o
· Graffiti wall – what activities would you like to take part in?
o Archery
o Dodgeball
o Boxing
o Gymnastics
o Dance
o Kinball
o Football
o Swimming
o Aqua festival
o
· Barrier – what is stopping you from doing sport/PE?
o Don’t know how to play.
o No one passes the ball. (building resilience?)
o Embarrassment and don’t feel confident. (develop self-confidence?)
· Mood board – how do you feel about the PE sport that is happening in school/community?
o Dodgeball is good.
o My fav is Tennis.
o I’m annoyed and don’t want to be here (develop self-confidence?)
o Like exercise but don’t like people shouting (building resilience?)
o Loved Football
o Happy – tennis & basketball sad – football
SGO Actions and Suggestions
· Develop a 6 week after school intervention looking at developing self-confidence and building resilience.
· Leading to a festival at the end of the 6 weeks in school – invite some other schools to attend
· (leaders for Stanningley to lead the festival)
Please see below the Youth Voice Boards below
Challenges
The overall aim of the festival was to collect both positive and negative views of the young people and several of the comments were very positive which is great, and it is always nice to see. From my SGO prospective, I wanted to see more negative or honest answers so that I could shape the School Games delivery towards this. Seems strange to say that but I have a feeling some children were influenced by the teachers supporting them and guiding the young people’s views. This isn’t totally negative, and we did receive plenty of honest answers that have helped towards the delivery of the School Games offer for next year but something to address for any future festivals of this nature.
Also, making sure that the school bring the correct young people to the event is crucial so that the festival has the maximum impact on shaping the School Games offer to the schools and the young peoples needs. We had a specific target group of BAME, SEND and Girls and I want to engage with those young people that are less active or that have specific needs.
Sustainability
The festival has helped with sustaining the work of the SGO and shaping the delivery of the School Games offer for 2024-25. Each school that participated in the festival received a summary and report of the youth voice captured from the activities and this information can be used by the schools to help impact on any issues/concerns.
We plan to run the festival again next year so that we can maintain the impact of School Games for schools and the young people in the community.
Top tips
Top tips
Research different methods of how to capture youth voice and have so way of capture the views
Related sport/s
- Archery
- Boxing
- Kin-Ball
- Taekwando
