The Office of Sport has partnered with the Office for Regional Youth on a pilot project to give young people in rural and regional NSW the opportunity to be moving with different sports and activities.
Celebrating the pilot’s early success, Minister for Sport, Stuart Ayres, said the Regional Active Youth Program also gave young people the chance to have a say in how they participated in physical activity.
“The Regional Active Youth Program has been a game-changer for regional youth,” Mr Ayres said.
“Sport and active recreation can provide many benefits, but some young people do not participate in organised sports due to a lack of confidence, motivation or previous negative experiences.”
He said the pilot Program empowered young people to get active and try sports and activities “that they may not otherwise have done, and as an added incentive, participants can use Active Kids vouchers to cover the costs of the activities.”
Minister for Regional Youth, Ben Franklin said the participant-led Program was being piloted on the NSW South Coast, Mid North Coast and the Central West for young people between the ages of 11 to 15.
“[The] Program involves school camps, outreach and after school programs that empower regional young people to be more active and try new sports in a fun and social environment,” Mr Franklin said.
“Under the program, students identify which sports and activities they would like to participate in through ‘co-design’ sessions with NSW Office of Sport staff, who then connect them with local providers,” he said.
“COVID-19, lack of motivation and feeling isolated in regional communities can be barriers for young people to take part in sport, so giving regional youth the chance to choose how they want to play is a great way to encourage them to get active.”
Mr Franklin said the Program allowed participants to identify which sports and activities they would like to get involved in.
