Morgan Mitchell, former Levelling the Playing Field research lead, is running the London Marathon to raise funding for our strategic partners London Sport. She outlines why the LtPF project and running the Marathon, mean so much to her (sponsor her here!).
As a young woman from a low socio-economic background, ethnic minority group who was born and bred in Tower Hamlets, I have first-hand lived experience of how sport served as a positive influence during my childhood.
I mainly played football but also accessed local services offered by smaller sports organisations and my youth club that provided holiday sports activities. Without these opportunities outside of school (when many girls my age were not taking part in football or sports generally) I know I would have struggled to live an active, healthy lifestyle.
Being involved in sport throughout my lifetime has given me important life skills that have enriched my academics no end. I am a disciplined, diligent and confident person which I believe has helped me to work hard in my studies, to this point I find myself in now – pursuing a PhD at the University of Oxford.
Sport has helped me defy and break through the barriers that a girl raised on a council estate in Tower Hamlets faces. Growing up, I watched the London Marathon 30 seconds from my home, so it has always been something I have aspired to do.
Sport has given me the drive to chase my dreams and help those around me do the same, so I am relishing in the opportunity to continue to do so through running the marathon and raising money for London Sport at the same time.
I have had the privilege to work with London Sport and witness first-hand the brilliant work they are doing in some of the most deprived communities throughout London. My personal favourite projects are their Opening Schools Facilities Fund and their Urban Sport Project.
The Opening Schools Facilities Fund offers partnering schools the opportunity to apply for grants for up to three years to have their facilities open outside of usual school hours and term times. This is a really important offering as so many of London's young people don't have anywhere to play sport during the weekends or school holidays and are forced to use places that may be private property with restricted access - or play in their local estate courtyards/gardens/car parks - often characterised as antisocial behaviour.
Often this disproportionally affects young people from ethnic minority groups and many of these young people engage in other forms of antisocial behaviour as a last resort. This feeds into the rhetoric that young people from ethnic minority groups are the drivers of antisocial behaviour in their local areas.
London Sport's Urban Sport project also aims to address this lack of opportunities in urban areas by collaborating with local sport providers to maximise the potential of London's urban environments to deliver sport sessions right where young people find themselves - small green spaces, car parks and estates.
While a researcher on the Levelling the Playing Field project, I worked closely with delegates from London Sport to find ways to make physical activity more accessible to young people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and worked closely with local communities to empower young leaders from small and large sports organisations to better engage their young people in physical activity.
I know that the work that London Sport has done to support this project has been invaluable to the sports organisations and communities involved, and has positively impacted the lives of some of the hardest to reach young people across London.
To support me in running the London Marathon, please donate here: London Sport: Morgan Mitchell (enthuse.com)
All donators of £10 or more before 23 April will go into a prize draw for Premier League tickets to a Brentford game of your choice this or next season!