VIDEO: Young People have an ‘A Level Playing Field’

OnSide Youth Zones starts with the principle that every young person is different with different strengths, aspirations and needs.

Our Youth Zones have benefited from the ‘A Level Playing Field’ project funding which was provided by the ‘Big Lottery’ and ‘St James’s Place Foundation’ between 2014-2016 and the impact has been phenomenal.

During the three year funded project, we aimed to create ‘A Level Playing Field’ for ALL young people and we firmly believe that #allyoungpeoplecan.

Every Youth Zone has received support staff who have and will continue to receive a comprehensive training package to ensure they can support any needs a child has to ensure they can take part in the wide offer available at the Youth Zone.

Our approach to including and integrating children and young people who have a disability is ‘person centred’ and is unique to every person. We accept difference in a positive way and communicate that through our values, training and expectations in the behaviour of members that attend every session at the Youth Zone.

As the A Level Playing Field funded project now comes to an end, we wanted to celebrate its success and draw on the impact the project has had on thousands of young people from across our Youth Zone network. The projects funders, partners and of course our Youth Zone’s united at Wigan Youth Zone last night to celebrate the past three years and talk about how each centre can now move forward in an inclusive manner knowing they have everything in place to give ALL young people opportunities to take part in inclusive activities.

Watch the highlights from the three years of our A Level Playing Field Project above.