Levelling the Playing Field shares EDI learning with legal profession
Levelling the Playing Field exchanged valuable learning with equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) experts from the legal profession over the summer.
Levelling the Playing Field unites in celebration at 2023 National Awards
Young people, role models, leaders and dignitaries from across the country were united in celebration at Saturday’s 2023 Levelling the Playing Field National Awards at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.
The Awards highlighted the incredible impact made by people and partner organisations within the LtPF network who use the power of sport and physical activity to engage ethnically diverse children and prevent and divert them from entering the Criminal Justice System.
The event saw winners from our four Regional Awards earlier this year in our delivery areas of London, the West Midlands, South Yorkshire and Gwent, entered into our national awards, with overall winners determined by our specialist panel.
In attendance were the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Cllr Chaman Lal, England’s Commonwealth Games-winning netball captain Ama Agbeze, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, Keith Fraser, and Joe Thompson, Head of Funding at our principal funders the London Marathon Foundation.
To see a full gallery of pictures from the event, click here.
The event at the prestigious 2022 Commonwealth Games venue included a variety of fun sports sessions including track and field delivered by esteemed coach Tony Hadley from Birchfield Harriers, kabaddi by coaches and young people from our specialist partners Wolverhampton Wrestling Club and Blaze Pod.
Firstly, we celebrated the young people who had won our respective four regional ‘Young Person of the Year’ and ‘Cohort of the Year’ awards:
Abdennour Azougli, Abdiwale Hashi, Abdiraham Hashi, Ashenafi Fita, Alice Sommerville, Darius Dumitru, Ehab Al-Haddi, Florin Dumitru, Joao De Sousa, Hilmee Mohamed, Ilhaan Farha, Isa Hussain, Jaiden Conway, Jaroslav Babiak, Jasmina Dunkova, Josie Furness, Juliana Pechova, Marko Koditoto, Mohammed Hussain, Mohammad Said, Mufasser Aslam, Muhamed Mirabadi, Najla Hashi, Nikolas Pecha, Roman Kandrac, The United 4 Community cohort from Rotherham United Community Sport Trust, Saeeda Hashi, Sana Aldferi, the asylum seeker cohort from Street Soccer London and Snow Camp’s 2023 Excel programme group.
Our ‘Role Model of the Year’ award was given to two joint winners...
- Reahana Gordon, Fight 4 Change (London)
- Imran Ali, Saalik Youth Project (South Yorkshire)
- Runners-up: Reggie Al-Haddi, NYCA (Gwent), Neeco Williams, InPower Academy (West Mids)
Reahana said: “I wasn’t expecting to win but it’s nice to have the work I do recognised and have people backing me. I work hard for the kids, but it’s not about me and what I am doing, it’s about providing that space and opportunity for the children.”
Imran said: “It’s fantastic to win, especially in the category of role model as it’s a big responsibility. The young people look up to you, so I need to look after what I do, what I say and refine my character. Being a role model is also about what you say meaning a lot to them. Your attitude, behaviour and words are projected onto these young people.”
Our ‘Organisation of the Year’ prize went to our specialist partners in Birmingham who use football, community role models and education and employment opportunities to deter young people from criminality...
- Sporting Elite CIC (West Mids)
- Runners-up: The Gap Wales (Gwent), Reach Up Youth (South Yorks), Urban Yogis (London)
Seb Hamilton, Chair of Sporting Elite CIC, said: “It’s great for us to know that the work we are doing behind the scenes is appreciated. Through Levelling the Playing Field, we’ve been able to set up volunteering programmes where we are looking at the employability side for young people. It’s great we are keeping young people off the streets, but now we are looking at the next phase around volunteering and employability which I think is going to be a great help for them.”
Our 'Partnership of the Year' project went to the incomparable multi-agency Newport partnership (read more) - the tight circle of organisations in the city who have come together to support local ethnically diverse children, giving them 'safe places and safe faces' to enjoy sport on their own doorstep and divert them from negative influences on the streets.
- Newport multi-agency partnership (Gwent)
- Runners-up: Coventry Youth Partnership (West Mids), Street Soccer London and Palace for Life Foundation (London), Reach Up Youth and Saalik Youth Project (South Yorks)
Martine Smith, Community Focused Manager at Maindee Primary School, said: “It’s fantastic recognition for the work we are doing, collectively, in Newport. We’ve worked hard over the last couple of years to develop a friendship and partnership. For the young people, it shows them that being together, working together, that partnership actually benefits them and it’s important for them to see that this works.”
Ama Agbeze, who claimed an unforgettable gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and has a degree in law, said: “These Awards are a great amalgamation of my personal interests; young people, law, justice and sport. It’s great that these young people have been selected from their regions, have been able to travel to the Alexander Stadium, all because of sport. I’ve loved celebrating their achievements with them, too.
“Sport is great because it channels people into different things. People always say that we need to get young people off the streets, but actually young people just want something to do and somewhere to go. They are meeting new people, making friends and learning new skills. Sport is brilliant at diverting young people in the direction of organisations or activities that are great for them and they then don’t realise that they aren’t on the streets, because instead they are doing something they love.”
Keith Frasier (pictured above with Matt Elliott from Newport Youth Justice), added: “Levelling the Playing Field is a tool for promoting positive outcomes for young people. This programme isn’t about stopping bad behaviour, it’s about trying to raise children’s aspirations, about having more difficult conversations and broadening young people’s perspectives.
“Being at the Alexander Stadium for the National Awards has been fantastic, mainly to recognise the young people and their achievements, and the hope that the project has given them.”
LtPF's Newport partners unite to celebrate young people
On 1 June, the wonderful organisations in Levelling the Playing Field’s network in Newport did what they do best – joined forces to celebrate young people!
On a glorious day at Maindee Primary School, 24 ethnically diverse young people from our specialist partners in the town were recognised for their engagement, dedication, perseverance, care for others, leadership and volunteering.
Positive Futures, Community Youth Project, Newport Yemeni Community Association, The Gap Wales, Maindee Primary School, Newport Youth and Play Service and Newport City Council's Youth Justice team are all members of a multi-agency partnership that has been unified by the Levelling the Playing Field project and has worked wonders in supporting ethnically diverse children and young people across the city.
Together, they help to ensure that as many young people as possible across the town are given opportunities to get involved in sport and physical activity, delivered in safe places by safe faces (local role models who they know and trust).
Young people know those ‘safe faces’ have got their back, will listen to them and support them in avoiding the pitfalls and nefarious influences in the local area, such as crime, gangs and exploitation.
The Newport Community Takeover at Maindee Primary School was the fourth and final 2023 LtPF Regional Awards event. All winners from Newport, the West Midlands, London and South Yorkshire will be invited to our 2023 National Awards at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Saturday 15 July.
In Newport, each specialist partner submitted their own award winners. They were:
Positive Futures
Florin, Darius, Mohammad and Joao
Cousins Florin and Darius are from the local Roma community and attend Positive Futures’ sessions in Pillgwenlly to do football, boxing, swimming, fishing, go-karting and more.
Florin (pictured above with boxer Sean McGoldrick) said: “Matt, Declan, Lauren and all the Newport workers are kind to us. They are like big brothers and sisters. I always feel happy when I see them.”
Darius added: “Sometimes school can be tricky and sometimes things happen on the streets. We feel safe with them. We can tell them anything that happens. Life would be boring without them.”
The Positive Futures team helped Florin and Darius play a full season with a football team with other young people from across the city they didn’t previously know – a new and very beneficial experience for them both.
As part of the Levelling the Playing Field multi-agency partnership’s early intervention activities, Matt Elliott from the Newport Youth Justice team is central to delivery of sport sessions and forming relationships with young people. He said: “We support young people, but it’s a two-way street. Seeing kids like Darius and Florin flourishing really brightens our day.”
The Gap Wales
Muhamed, Abdennour, Ashenafi, Sana
The Gap Wales supports refugees and asylum seekers on arrival in Newport, including weekly sport and physical activity sessions.
One such newly arrived person was Ashenafi (known as Ash). “He’s certainly had a few challenges,” says The Gap manager Mark Seymour, “but thanks to a lot of community support he is now really flourishing.”
He adds: “Ash is now the person he’s supposed to be. The change in him has been huge. He is back in education, his family unit is transformed and he is growing into an excellent volunteer.”
Ash helps out with The Gap Wales’s bike repair service and has earned his Football Leaders qualification. “I’m really excited about his future now, whereas for a long time I would not necessarily have said that,” says Mark. “He is a huge success story and that’s thanks to cross-sector working across Newport’s partners, who have all played their part.”
Muhamed, an Iranian-Kurdish refugee, is deaf and mute. He also volunteers at The Gap Wales bike repair shop in town. “He navigates life really well considering his disabilities and adversities,” says Mark. “He brings with him a little bit of mischief and chaos – but we value and celebrate what he’s achieved.”
Community Youth Project (CYP)
Najla, Saeeda, Nik, Roman
Sarah Miller, Lead Youth and Community Worker, says CYP “provides a safe space for young people where they can have fun, be themselves and feel welcome.” They also link in with other local delivery partners to give young people more opportunities.
“Levelling the Playing Field has professionalised the partnership working that was going on before,” says Sarah. “It helps us out even more in supporting young people to achieve their ambitions. We create smiles, joy and new friendships.”
One such beneficiary is award winner Najla (pictured above, centre) who said winning the trophy made her “feel very important.”
Newport Yemeni Community Association (NYCA)
Alice, Ehab, Isa, Hilmee
NYCA focus on early intervention through sport, education and volunteering opportunities to steer children in the multi-cultural area of Pillgwenlly away from crime and exploitation.
“Sport is just the medium to get us together,” says NYCA chairman Reggie Al-Haddi. “It creates a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, a sense of community and family.
“Our award winners today are over the moon. They’re all a perfect examples of what can happen when the community works together - grassroots and mainstream organisations – to put young people on the right road.”
Maindee Primary School
Juliana, Jasmina, Ilhaan, Jaroslav
Martine Smith from Maindee Primary School (pictured above, left) is hugely influential in the local community. Thanks to her and other staff members, the school has become a community hub, with many evening and weekend sporting activities run by local partners in the LtPF network taking place on its grounds to support young people.
“We’ve become a ‘super shield’ for young people,” says Martine. “There’s no competition between the partners, it’s pure collaboration. We all look out for each other.
“Historically, young people in Newport have got a bad rap and there hasn’t been much for them to do. They needed safe spaces and safe faces and, together, that’s what we provide. Our multi-agency approach is working; it’s impacting positively on families. We’re building a community and giving young people role models to look up to. They want to become youth workers themselves with Positive Futures, CYP and NYCA. It’s wonderful to see.”
Newport Youth and Play Service
Marko, Mohammed, Abdiwale, Abdiraham
Marko arrived in Newport from Sudan in 2018 aged 14. After a very lonely start, he has embraced every opportunity to play sport with Newport's many partners, including the Newport Youth and Play Service.
With them, Marko has now earned his Sports Leadership Level 1 qualification and is on his way to completing his Duke of Edinburgh bronze award.
Chloe Chandler, Wellbeing and Homelessness Coordinator at Newport Youth and Play Service, said: “Marco is so good at setting up the teams that we practically leave our football sessions for him to run now. He is a great example of how our support network can help young people thrive.”
When fellow award winner Abdiwale arrived from Egypt, he admits he “didn’t know what to do and didn’t have any friends.” With Newport Youth and Play Service, he has learned English, gone camping, climbed mountains, started a public services course at college and found part-time work.
The Newport Community Takeover was attended by many leading figures in the community, such as Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning boxer Sean McGoldrick, who has led many community sessions with young people for Positive Futures.
Gwent Police & Crime Commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert (pictured above left, alongside Mark Seymour), who funds Positive Futures’ initiatives in the area, said: “Newport has many young people who are in danger of drifting into a life of crime if they’re not offered more positive activity.
“The organisations assembled here have shown they are a wise investment in preventing this from happening. Their great work reduces offending, meaning there are fewer victims and young people are prevented from ruining their lives for decades to come by becoming involved in crime.”
John Griffiths, Member of the Senedd for Newport East & Severnside (pictured above right), added: “Diversionary activity that gives young people things to do, places to go and constructive use of their time is massively important for them, their family and their community.
“All partners here today are giving young people opportunities, choice, access to education, training and get them thinking about their futures.”
LtPF celebrates sensational impact of West Midlands partners
We brought together our West Midlands specialist partners on Saturday 13 May to celebrate the achievement of their young people and role models.
Sponsor Morgan Mitchell to run the London Marathon for London Sport!
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.
LtPF help to launch anti-racism education for young people at HMP & YOI Parc
Levelling the Playing Field has facilitated anti-racism education for young people and staff in the secure estate by linking up with the charity Show Racism the Red Card.
Show Racism the Red Card started sessions with staff at HMP & YOI Parc in Bridgend, Mid-Glamorgan on 29 March, focusing on awareness, manifestations and impact of racism in the secure estate.
The next step is delivering sessions with young people in Parc’s young persons’ unit which will combine with sport and physical activity sessions delivered by Dallaglio RugbyWorks and Cardiff City Foundation.
At its heart, Levelling the Playing Field is an EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) project which aims to tackle the problem of over-representation in the youth justice system through the power of sport and physical activity. Linking up partners to deliver this anti-racism project in the youth estate is part of that ethos.
Show Racism the Red Card’s anti-racism education sessions form part of a new enrichment project at HMP & YOI Parc which sees young people given opportunities to earn their Duke of Edinburgh awards as well as working with coaches from Dallaglio RugbyWorks and Tennis Wales.
Dallaglio RugbyWorks have recently become a specialist partner on the Levelling the Playing Field project and join our other partners working in the secure estate; Sports Connect, Sharks Community Foundation and Climb Unity.
Dean Pymble, Campaign Manager for Show Racism the Red Card, is delivering four sessions for staff at HMP & YOI Parc. The sessions with young people will consist of three sessions per group, each delivered over six weeks.
Dean said: “Our work is very engaging and empowering for young people and is designed to bring about lots of young people-led conversations. Peer-led learning is essential.
“We look at how racism is manifested, stereotypes and understanding how stereotypes are created. We look to develop their critical thinking skills around the subject.”
The course looks at the use, history and power of terminology and challenging the use of certain words in the secure setting, even if they’re used as terms of endearment. Strategies to challenge racism (whether it is direct and intentional or otherwise) are also explored.
Dean explains: “We talk about rephrasing, questioning and challenging racism (directly and indirectly) and when to withdraw from a situation if young people don’t feel safe and the situation might escalate.
“We also talk about identity and allyship – how to support targets of racism – and we create an anti-racism action plan.”
Sessions with staff will help them developing understanding and definitions of racism, its manifestations and its impact both in the Criminal Justice System and wider society.
As well as informing them about statutory duties and key reports and recommendations, sessions will help them reflect on their own world view and how this may influence their practice.
This work feeds into the EDI Forum which has been developed at the Parc young persons’ unit by Enrichment Officer, Jamie Williams.
He says: “The young people we have here are extremely complex. Our EDI Forum has boys in it from lots of different ethnicities so this project with Show Racism the Red Card will raise awareness of what to do if they feel racism has occurred.
“It will educate all our young people about the wider context of their language and behaviour. Education is absolutely key and hopefully that will help them post-release.”
Jamie feels that blending the one-hour sessions with an hour of sport and physical activity is essential to encouraging young people’s engagement.
“From 23 years in the prison service, there’s no doubt in my mind that sport and physical activity is the key to reduce reoffending. Working with outside agencies and educating by using the power of sport is such an important tool.”
Levelling the Playing Field is also partnering with Show Racism the Red Card and the NOVUS education team to co-design a similar programme for young people inside HMP/YOI Wetherby in West Yorkshire. More news will come on this in the near future.
LtPF gives young people a voice at YJB Youth Justice Leaders' Summit
Six role models from Levelling the Playing Field's specialist partners were given the opportunity to represent young people's views at last week’s YJB Youth Justice Leaders’ Summit in Birmingham.
South Yorkshire celebrates the cream of the community!
It was an absolute joy to celebrate the achievements of our South Yorkshire partners at the 2023 Levelling the Playing Field Regional Awards in Sheffield on Saturday 11 March.
LtPF London Awards recognise achievements of young people and partners
Young people, leaders, role models and partners came together to celebrate our inaugural Levelling the Playing Field London Regional Awards on Wednesday 1 March at Decathlon in Canada Water.
Announcing our LtPF 2023 South Yorkshire Regional Awards!
We’re reaching out to our specialist partners in South Yorkshire to nominate participants, groups of young people and staff members in our 2023 Levelling the Playing Field South Yorkshire Regional Awards!
Levelling the Playing Field 2023 London awards shortlist announced!
Levelling the Playing Field has announced the shortlisted nominees for our 2023 London regional awards!
YJB stats on over-representation show 'glimmer of hope'
Despite huge inequalities remaining, Levelling the Playing Field was pleased to see reductions in the over-representation of ethnically diverse children in the youth justice system in the Youth Justice Board’s latest report.
Levelling the Playing Field is funded by the London Marathon Charitable Trust to tackle the issue of over-representation by using the power of sport and physical activity to prevent and divert ethnically diverse children from becoming involved in the justice system.
Although there is clearly a long way to go, these new statistics indicate Levelling the Playing Field and other similar projects within the system are starting to have a positive impact.
The YJB report shows small reductions in, for example, the numbers of Black children entering the justice system, the proportion of Black children in youth custody and reduction in the proportion of Black children sentenced to indictable offences compared to four years ago.
Sport and physical activity are vital tools in giving children, regardless of background or characteristics, an equal chance to thrive (i.e. a level playing field!).
Although the statistical improvements are small, we are optimistic that Levelling the Playing Field can make further inroads into this vital issue.
By supporting frontline organisations who work with ethnically diverse children – helping to train staff, form partnerships, support them with funding and promoting their impact and positive role models – we can build an evidence base that advances future policy, practice and investment in this area.
Keith Fraser (left), Chair of the Youth Justice Board (who co-manage Levelling the Playing Field), said in a blog announcing the report:
“For a long time, the YJB and multiple partners have been working towards reducing the over-representation of children from ethnic minorities, including White minorities, in the youth justice system. Finally, I can say that there may be a glimmer of hope.”
Read Keith’s blog in full here.
Announcing our LtPF 2023 London Regional Awards!
We’re reaching out to our specialist partners in London to nominate participants, groups of young people and staff members in our 2023 Levelling the Playing Field London Regional Awards!
Mental health hacks for January from Leeds Rhinos Foundation
January is often a time where we set new goals and start new healthy habits, but for some it can be a difficult month to get motivated.
That's why we asked Leeds Rhinos Foundation's Health Improvement Officer, Amy Livingstone, for some tips for looking after the mental and physical health of staff. Amy works with the charity Rugby League Cares who helps all Super League clubs with mental health provision for staff and beneficiaries.
Leeds Rhinos Foundation have just joined the Levelling the Playing Field network after launching a sport and education project inside HMP YOI Wetherby in West Yorkshire.
Here are Amy's tips for frontline staff working in the sport and criminal justice sphere - which are equally applicable to participants.
1. 1% changes add up. Don’t feel like you have to make big goals for the year. Pick one small achievable change you can make in January.
e.g. If you switch caramel syrup in your daily coffee to be sugar free you would be saving 54 grams of sugar every month - equivalent to 13 and a half teaspoons of sugar. Across the year this would add up to 648 grams of sugar or 162 teaspoons.
2. Getting active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym. Breaking up our sitting time with small bouts of activity is just as effective. Set yourself a challenge to write down a list of exercises you can do (e.g., star jumps), set a timer on your phone for every half an hour and complete one of the exercises from your list.
3. Do you struggle to decide what to eat and end up going for something that is quick, convenient and potentially not the healthiest choice? Have a go at creating a meal plan, this way you will find it easier to stick to a budget when you shop and make more consistent healthier choices. You are less likely to lose motivation with your meal choices.
4. If you have something on your mind that you might be overthinking, or it is starting to become a worry, then write it down on a piece of paper. Rather than looking at this negatively, turn these into positive items for a to-do list the following day.
5. In a similar way to your goals these tasks can be broken down into smaller more manageable steps. Draw yourself a ladder on a piece of paper, put the task that you would like complete at the top and then break it down into achievable steps to write onto your ladder. Tick each one off and you will have completed your full task.
LtPF's Mental Health First Aid training: “There were so many take-aways!”
Levelling the Playing Field’s specialist partners in London gave glowing feedback after we delivered a two-day Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course tailored for those working with ethnically diverse children in the community, the secure estate and the youth justice service.
Blog: LtPF research has 'striking similarities' with landmark Sporting Chance review
Levelling the Playing Field researcher Hannah Hammond writes about the findings from the project so far - and highlights many crossovers with the seminal 2018 Sporting Chance review into sport in the secure estate.
The ‘pilot’ phase of Levelling the Playing Field will conclude in summer 2023, five years after the release of Professor Rosie Meek’s landmark report, A Sporting Chance: Independent Review of Sport in Youth and Adult Prisons.
Despite it being predominantly based on findings from the secure estate, there are striking similarities between the observations and recommendations in Prof. Meek’s report and those we are seeing in the community through Levelling the Playing Field (LtPF).
At this point in the research with the LtPF Interim Report having recently been published, four key similarities seem to stand out:
- A lack of data around disproportionality for ethnic minorities in sport
- The importance of multi-agency partnership working
- A need to improve monitoring and evaluation of sport-based programmes
- The need to promote good practice examples.
Prof. Meek’s review highlighted the unrecognised disproportionality in access to sport and physical activity for minority ethnic groups in the Justice System, recommending that physical activity participation and outcomes be properly monitored according to ethnicity to address this.
This disproportionality is reflected in community sport engagement amongst children and young people in the UK. But as with the secure estate, the full extent of underrepresentation from ethnic minorities in sport in unknown.
Sport England and Sport Wales provide us with the best understanding that we have for how active our children are outside of school, but this data consists of six categories for ethnicity, without any representation of ethnicity at a local level. Therefore, we cannot say what community sport participation looks like for children from individual ethnic minorities, or what the variations in engagement for such groups might be across different regions in the UK.
The children and young people engaged in community sport organisations supported by LtPF represent over 60 categories for ethnicity – and yet we still do not truly know the diversity of their ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities.
These sport organisations are often based in communities that have a strong distrust of statutory services resulting from decades of prejudice, and as such are reluctant to provide information on questions such as ethnicity or nationality.
Understanding the experiences of these individuals and where this distrust originates from is key to building relationships. The coaches and leaders at these sport organisations hold the key to this understanding. Through better trust we can gather more reliable data on engagement in sport and physical activity for children across all backgrounds and regions of the UK, informing us of the gaps in participation and where we need to do more.
Ultimately, these relationships break down barriers so minority communities can access the support and services which should be open to all.
Prof. Meek’s review emphasised the importance of partnerships between prisons, communities, sporting groups and bodies. LtPF has provided a space for those partnerships to develop where this does not already exist. These spaces facilitate conversations which put the child first, without any room for excuses or passing blame.
Third-sector sports organisations can voice their needs and statutory bodies have the opportunity to respond with offers of support from existing groups, forums, schemes or funding. The rhetoric of “we are here, just tell us what you need”, may seem like a helpful approach, but what these organisations really need is for services to come to them.
LtPF endeavours to bring youth justice services and community organisations together in spaces where sport is played, whether that be a football pitch inside a prison or a basketball court in the community. These relationships form best when the child is at the centre, so asking community sports coaches and youth workers to come to the offices of a statutory service may tick a box for some, but is unlikely to result in changes which benefit children who need support.
If statutory services can come into the community to experience a Wednesday night boxing session, engage in a group discussion about mental health or attitudes towards the police with young people in a youth club office, or advise a group of young volunteers who want to put on a football tournament at their local council-run leisure centre, they will gain a much deeper understanding of the needs of these organisations and the children they support.
This understanding extends beyond children and reaches deep into ethnic minority communities who have a historical distrust of statutory services. Leaders of LtPF delivery partners are embedded in their communities, and have the local knowledge needed to improve trust and communication.
The government response to Prof. Meek’s review promised to improve their monitoring and evaluation of sports-based programmes for a stronger evidence base and effective practice in the future which seeks to address disproportionality in sport and physical activity engagement within the secure estate.
These outcomes are precisely what we also hope to achieve in the community through the evaluation of LtPF. Using the Alliance of Sport’s Theory of Change as a framework, we aim to add to the evidence base around key stages in an organisation’s process of supporting desistance from crime. This includes a motivation-based theory to better understand what works in coach-led sessions to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing and individual development and a wealth of qualitative data to inform best practice around education and training, and social and community development.
Finally, the Sporting Chance review presents good practice examples of sport and physical activity delivery across the youth and adult estate, many of which are collaborative, innovative, and strength-based approaches. Celebrating these successes is crucial, and the review calls for better mechanisms for rewarding and sharing good practice.
The Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice is recognised for promoting good practice examples into the community where sport helps to prevent crime and support desistance. The Alliance have amplified this work through LtPF with the communications team working tirelessly since the outset of the project to write and share over 100 case studies across multiple platforms, whilst the project team attend conferences and meetings to beat the drum of best practice in the field of sport for development. From a research perspective, we hope to continue this theme through the launch of the findings and reports in summer 2023.
>> Read the Levelling the Playing Field Interim Report here <<
APPG meeting told of Levelling the Playing Field's "massive potential"
Levelling the Playing Field project was the subject of the 10th meeting of the APPG on Sport and Physical Activity in the Criminal Justice System.
Levelling the Playing Field (LtPF), a £1.7m initiative funded by the London Marathon Charitable Trust, uses the power of sport and physical activity to engage and improve health and life outcomes for ethnically diverse children, who are more likely to enter, or who are already involved with, the Criminal Justice System.
Launched in 2020 and co-managed by the Alliance of Sport and Youth Justice Board, LtPF brings together over 100 strategic and specialist delivery partners in four pilot areas – London, the West Midlands, South Yorkshire and Gwent.
The project increases the capacity of its delivery partners who work directly with children in ethnically diverse communities, maximises their frontline impact, helps share learning across the network and builds a collective evidence base of good practice to advance future policy, practice and investment.
Ethnically diverse children are more likely to be arrested, more likely to receive a formal sentence and make up over half the population of youth custody. The reasons for this over-representation are complex but often come down to lack of opportunities. Levelling the Playing Field offers these opportunities for ethnically diverse children to engage in activities that promote physical and mental wellbeing, benefit from mentoring, gain qualifications and access positive role models.
Keith Fraser, Chair of the Youth Justice Board and LtPF’s Steering Group, told the APPG meeting at the Houses of Parliament that the project has “massive potential” to impact on the issue of over-representation nationally.
“A project on this scale has never been attempted before – it is unprecedented,” he said. “We have gained a lot of support from the sport and criminal justice sectors and it has already brought statutory and non-statutory partners together to effect really positive change.
“When we meet the needs of children and provide support and opportunities, they flourish. It’s when we fail to do that that we see children more easily drawn into offending behaviour.”
Dr Hannah Hammond, Research Fellow from the University of Birmingham, leads the research team conducting independent monitoring and evaluation of LtPF. She addressed questions from attendees at the APPG meeting – including Baroness Brady CBE, member of the House of Lords, CEO of West Ham United and Trustee of the Twinning Project.
“We know sport and physical activity is good for physical and psychological wellbeing, but sport alone is not enough to divert children and young people from the justice system,” said Dr Hammond.
“What Levelling the Playing Field has done very successfully is provide a platform for community sport providers to partner with other local agencies and create pathways for ethnically diverse children and young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour. It gives children agency, a sense of belonging and support towards positive outcomes.
“Creating partnerships in each of the four delivery areas has been another key outcome of the project so far. It gives stakeholders a shared agenda which gets them all around the table – in many cases discussing individual children and what can be done to support their vulnerabilities.”
Nowhere is LtPF’s partnership model better exemplified than in Newport, South Wales. Martine Smith (pictured above) represented LtPF’s Newport partnership at the APPG meeting. She is Equity Lead at Maindee Primary School, based in a hugely diverse inner-city area, and plays a key role in supporting local children through the vehicle of sport and physical activity.
“Ours is a multi-agency approach – we’re all around the table for these children,” she explained. “It’s a true partnership. We call it our shield. Levelling the Playing Field is what has brought us all together.”
The Newport partnership brings together LtPF delivery partners Positive Futures and Community Youth Project, Newport Youth Justice, Maindee Primary School and other agencies. Together they give local ethnically diverse children ‘safe places and safe faces’ – weekly sports sessions in the community led by mentors and role models and, crucially, a Youth Justice worker who has become a trusted and regular figure in the participants’ lives.
This protective ‘family’ are relentless in increasing children’s access to opportunities and breaking down barriers, as well as proactively addressing local issues and building relationships with families.
“We show up consistently and all send the message that we’re there for them and in this together,” said Martine. “At any time, I can contact other members of the partnership and say, ‘This young person needs help, let’s make a plan.’
“Young people from our community used to feel marginalised and distrustful. Now because of the project, they have hope. They’re active and engaged, part of mentoring programmes and going to college. It’s working.”
APPG Chair Sir Clive Efford MP called the project “inspiring” and highlighted the potential savings for the justice system of such effective early prevention and diversionary projects which use sport and physical activity to inspire change.
The full evaluation of Levelling the Playing Field’s initial three-year funding phase will be published in summer 2023, but an interim report was released in October and is available here.
Interim Report highlights Levelling the Playing Field's success
Levelling the Playing Field's many successes have been highlighted in an Interim Progress Report compiled by the University of Birmingham, who are externally evaluating the project.
LtPF dream team promote project at Howard League Conference
As part of our Women and Girls month in October, we reflect on our trip to the Howard League Conference at Oxford University, where our researcher Hannah Hammond, from the University of Birmingham, and Reahana Gordon, a coach and youth mentor from our specialist partners Fight 4 Change, represented Levelling the Playing Field at a roundtable session.
Reahana and her brother Davarel (who also attends Fight 4 Change boxing club) offered their personal experiences and insights on the roundtable theme: experiences and perceptions of the police by young people from overrepresented ethnicities in the justice system.
Reahana and Davarel grew up a stone’s throw from Fight 4 Change’s boxing gym in Lambeth, South London, an ethnically diverse area with high levels of crime and social deprivation.
LIVED EXPERIENCE
Both have lived experience of the sort of issues that typically bring ethnically diverse young people into contact with the police and the justice system, such as stop and search. They were able to share their views and opinions with an academic audience.
“We were able to give people at the Howard League Conference insight into how young people feel about their relationship with the police and express the reality,” says Reahana. “Young people don’t feel very positive or trustful at all about the police and have genuine reasons to be upset.
“Young people these days aren’t as tolerant of certain things, but our generation is a lot more hands-on and willing to do the dirty work to get results. That’s why Dav has applied to be a police officer. To achieve change within a system, you sometimes have to become part of the system.”
Reahana and Davarel were also able to articulate how important Fight 4 Change has been in engaging them in the positive activity of boxing, as well as providing local role models, mentors, education opportunities and, in Reahana’s case, employment as a youth leader and mentor. Both are also involved in the Lambeth Young Advisors group (run by Fight 4 Change) which uses youth voices to bring social, economic and political change to the community.
COMMUNITY SPORT PARTNERS
Fight 4 Change is just one example from the Levelling the Playing Field network of how community sport organisations can support ethnically diverse children and young people who – statistics show – are less likely to be physically active and are over-represented in the Criminal Justice System.
The 40 community sport partners across the LtPF network all use sport as a vehicle to support young people’s desistance from crime. The project recognises that young people’s perceptions of the police can be a barrier to them developing strong social bonds and social capital, and that community sports clubs can play a role in shaping these perceptions.
Researcher Hannah, who is leading the evaluation of Levelling the Playing Field, said: “It was really important that the audience at the Howard League Conference heard real-life stories about how police are perceived by young people in ethnically diverse communities. It lifted their gaze from reports and academic studies to listen to powerful first-hand accounts about an issue that has a high profile in the justice system at the moment.”
Reahana, Davarel and Hannah were joined by Alliance of Sport Chief Operating Officer, Justin Coleman, PC Ali Hunt from Derbyshire Police and Michele Glassup, ROTL and Resettlement Coordinator at HMYOI Feltham to talk about how community sport organisations can link with the Criminal Justice System to bring better outcomes for young people.
'A SAFE PLACE'
“For young people at risk or already involved with the justice system, sport can be a ‘safe place’ where they can engage in something positive, find support and pursue healthy ambitions,” said Hannah. “The key is to get community sports organisations and statutory bodies, such as probation and the Youth Justice Service, talking to each other and forming partnerships. “We’ve seen Levelling the Playing Field succeed in that process in places like Newport, where their unique (and award-winning) community/statutory partnership model has received praise and recognition.
“The Howard League Conference was also a good forum to achieve this cross-sector communication. Several people approached Reahana and Davarel afterwards to ask about referring young people from statutory services into Fight 4 Change.
“We now hope to achieve further insights and inroads at other events like the Include Summit in Birmingham next May.”
LtPF mentoring training programme proves its potential
In this blog, Alliance of Sport COO Justin Coleman and Aspire Sports UK’s tutor/assessor Stuart Bates reflect on the achievements and lessons of delivering the mentoring programme with the Levelling the Playing Field network.
Alison O'Connell MBE joins Levelling the Playing Field
Alison O’Connell MBE has joined the Levelling the Playing Field team as Regional Coordinator to help our West Midlands specialist partners maximise and evidence their impact on young people.
Winners revealed at LtPF awards!
Children, role models and leaders from across the Levelling the Playing Field network came together to celebrate at our inaugural awards at Decathlon’s flagship Surrey Quays store in London.
Levelling the Playing Field announce 2022 awards shortlist
Levelling the Playing Field has announced the shortlisted nominees for our first ever annual awards!
Faisal appointed as first LtPF Regional Coordinator
Levelling the Playing Field has appointed Faisal Eid as our first Regional Coordinator to help specialist partners maximise their impact on ethnically diverse children in the local community.
Enter the Levelling the Playing Field awards!
We want YOU, our Levelling the Playing Field partners, to nominate your outstanding achievers for our first ever annual awards!
Top tips on Monitoring and Evaluation from Dr Craig Corrigan
As part of our focus on monitoring and evaluation in May, we asked Dr. Craig Corrigan from Sport4Life, our specialist partners in Birmingham, for his top tips.
Putting sun protection on the LtPF radar
As we head towards summer, we're encouraging the Levelling the Playing Field network to build sun protection habits into their daily routine by supporting Sunguarding Sport, a new campaign by the Melanoma Fund.
Plea for help for 'forgotten' refugees in Rotherham
Sithule Mguni, founder of Levelling the Playing Field specialist partners Young Minds Together, has highlighted the plight of refugees who have been sidelined due to the influx of new applicants from Ukraine.
Levelling the Playing Field: what's the latest score?
Levelling the Playing Field is delighted to announce its first participation and impact data, courtesy of our research team at the University of Birmingham.
As you may know, the project has two common goals:
- Increase the number of ethnically diverse children taking part in sport and physical activity
- Prevent and divert ethnically diverse children from becoming involved in the Criminal Justice System
The figures below give an indication of how we're getting on so far...
SAFEGUARDING: 'Don't ignore data protection'
One aspect of safeguarding that Levelling the Playing Field specialist partners may overlook is cyber security. For organisations who often hold sensitive information about their beneficiaries, it’s not an area they can afford to ignore.
Funders are increasingly mandating effective data protection within their funding applications, which is another big reason it should move up the priority list for organisations within the Sport for Development sector.
David McCarthy is CEO of SolSoft, who tailor their cyber offering for small to medium size organisations, particularly the not-for-profit sector. He uses the analogy of home security to illustrate the importance of security online:
“In the pre-internet days, we all understood that if we left a window or door open, the opportunist would make the most of that eventually. In the cyber world, the equivalent of the small window left ajar is rampant.”
This should alert leaders working in Sport for Development, including specialist partners across the Levelling the Playing Field network.
Working in a sector where funding is tight and time is pressured means focus is often solely on the day-to-day operations, with issues like cyber security left for a rainy day.
But in addition to securing safeguarding information which is highly sensitive, there are forthcoming legal requirements which will make ‘Cyber Essentials approved’ status mandatory. For several reasons, then, this is an issue that organisations can no longer ignore.
As SolSoft CEO David says: “Small to medium sized organisations must weigh up whether the level of risk matches their level of insurance and expertise. For many, that’s quite a scary calculation.”
Levelling the Playing Field partners sustaining their organisation via funding and data protection will help the continued push to achieving our common goals:
- Increase the number of ethnically diverse children taking part in sport and physical activity
- Prevent and divert ethnically diverse children from becoming involved in the Criminal Justice System
You Can Be What You Can See!
Levelling the Playing Field has produced a set of posters for our partners which promote the positive impact of the project on children, families and communities.
LtPF inspires partnership to support Newport's ethnically diverse children
Levelling the Playing Field has been the catalyst for a partnership in Newport which brings key people together to support ethnically diverse children most effectively.
Wisdom on leadership: LtPF speaks to Met Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu
As part of our 'Leadership Month', Levelling the Playing Field was privileged to meet Neil Basu, Assistant Commissioner for Special Operations in the Metropolitan Police, and find out about the pleasures and pressures of holding such a senior role.
Levelling the Playing Field offers leadership skills programme
Levelling the Playing Field is delighted to offer CEOs, project leaders and key management staff in our network of specialist delivery partners the opportunity to take part in a bespoke leadership skills programme.
LtPF support Show Racism the Red Card’s ‘Month of Action’ in Wales
Levelling the Playing Field is delighted to offer CEOs, project leaders and key management staff in our network of specialist delivery partners the opportunity to take part in a bespoke leadership skills programme.
"Smokin' Joe" joins Levelling the Playing Field
Pro boxer Joe Maphosa has become an Ambassador for the Levelling the Playing Field project and the Alliance of Sport.
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STATE OF PLAY: The Impact of Covid-19 on Youth Justice
The ‘Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Justice’ research project aims to understand and document the unprecedented implications that the pandemic has had on the youth justice system and the vulnerable children it works with.
New LtPF partnership to benefit children in custody
Levelling the Playing Field has partnered with prison education provider Novus to offer sport and physical activity opportunities to children in custody and after their release.
Youth offending: a practitioner explains the process
As part of Levelling the Playing Field’s ‘Criminal Justice Month’, we asked Jay Shortall, Youth Justice Officer at Sheffield Youth Justice Service, to explain from a practitioner’s viewpoint the process for a young person entering the Youth Justice System, starting from the point of arrest.
Blog: 'The project's ambition and scale are so exciting'
As part of our ‘Criminal Justice Month’, we asked the Youth Justice Board’s Programme Manager for Over-Represented Children, Adam Mooney, for his thoughts on Levelling the Playing Field’s potential to achieve lasting, positive change.
Blog: How to engage autistic children in sport and physical activity
We know that children with neurodivergent traits are hugely over-represented in youth justice. As part of LtPF's Neurodiversity Month, we've asked Levelling the Playing Field researcher Morgan Mitchell to look at how sport and physical activity practitioners can best engage those with autism - one of the most common neurodiverse conditions.
Blog: How to support participants with neurodivergent traits
As part of LtPF's Neurodiversity Month, we've invited Professor Amanda Kirby, CEO of our strategic partners Do-It Solutions, to explain why neurodiversity is so important for those working with children in community sport and criminal justice settings.
Blog: how does ethnicity affect youth diversion?
Levelling the Playing Field researcher, Morgan Mitchell, assesses some of the findings in the Centre for Justice Innovation’s report, ‘Equal diversion? Racial Disproportionality in Youth Diversion' – and seeks some solutions to the system's racial bias and disproportionality.
Toolkit provides evidence base for youth diversion
‘Valuing Youth Diversion: A toolkit for practitioners’ is an incredibly valuable resource for Levelling the Playing Field delivery partners seeking an evidence base to underpin their work and looking to make a strong case for continued investment.
LtPF welcomes Welsh rugby stars on board
Welsh rugby stars Leon Brown and Ashton Hewitt have pledged their support for Levelling the Playing Field as ideal role models for our participants in Gwent.
Blog: creating psychological safety for the return to sport
Sports neuroscientist and Levelling the Playing Field researcher, Morgan Mitchell, offers tips for looking after participants' mental health as they return to sport participation following the easing of Covid019 restrictions.
You Can't Be What You Can't See!' - Why does diversity matter?
Morgan Mitchell from Levelling the Playing Field’s research team offers a fascinating perspective on the psychology and importance of diversity.
New 'Child First' report to bring "exciting opportunities" for youth justice
Keith Fraser, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, says a new report supporting the 'Child First' approach to youth justice will open up "exciting opportunities" for the sector.
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LtPF holds its first 'Team Talk'
Levelling the Playing Field has launched ‘Team Talk’ events to bring our fabulous network of partners together.
How agility and ingenuity has conquered Covid
As a return to sport and physical activity draws closer, Levelling the Playing Field takes a look at some of the ingenious ideas that our Local Delivery Partners are using to stay connected with children during lockdown.
LtPF plants the seed for new Diversionary Action groups
Levelling the Playing Field is set to benefit at-risk children in Coventry in a way that organisers of the project could never have foreseen.
Unicef UK praises LtPF in key Youth Justice report
The United Kingdom Committee for Unicef (Unicef UK) has praised the "innovative blueprint" offered by Levelling the Playing Field in efforts to tackle over-representation in the Youth Justice System.
Welcome to Levelling the Playing Field’s mentoring month!
Throughout February, we’ll be finding out what mentoring means to you and gaining insights into how our local delivery partners in London, Gwent, the West Midlands and South Yorkshire go about it.
TIF funding a lifeline through dark times of Covid lockdown
Levelling the Playing Field’s local delivery partners say Sport England's Tackling Inequalities Fund has helped them provide a lifeline for participants through the ravages of Covid-19 lockdowns.
BTEG launch Inclusive Employers Toolkit
Our Levelling the Playing Field strategic partners, the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG), have produced an Inclusive Employers Toolkit to help businesses increase the recruitment, retention and progression of young black men.
Research Fellow wanted for Levelling the Playing Field
The University of Birmingham is seeking a Part-time Research Fellow (Grade 7) who will join the Monitoring + Evaluation Team in the School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences currently working on Levelling the Playing Field.
LTPF's funders hail its potential to bring “major social change”
Levelling the Playing Field’s funders have revealed the reasons behind their record £1million grant and highlighted the project’s potential to have “a major impact on social change”.
How we're supporting participants through lockdown
Local Delivery Partners on our Levelling the Playing Field project are showing great agility and ingenuity to continue engaging with participants during England’s second Covid-19 lockdown.
Updated NYA Guidance on Covid-19
The National Youth Agency has updated its Covid Guidance after the announcement of a second national lockdown saw the youth sector move to RED in the Readiness Framework.
LTPF boosted by generous tech donation
Darrel Arjoon says “a passion for helping young people” was behind his decision to donate free laptops to all the mentors working on Levelling the Playing Field.
Why does the playing field need levelling?
As Levelling the Playing Field gets under way, the project's lead researcher Dr Hannah Baumer outlines our starting point with BAME children's under-representation in sport and physical activity and over-representation in the youth justice system.
Rotherham ready to roll
Rotherham United Community Sports Trust are set to be the first of our Local Delivery Partners nationwide to start delivering Levelling the Playing Field as part of their weekly sport and physical activity programme.
Alliance of Sport secures funding for LtPF delivery partners
The Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice has secured a grant of £90,048 from Sport England which will be immediately distributed to frontline organisations involved in the Levelling the Playing Field project.
YJB's 'Racial Disparity' report shows urgent need for action
New figures published by the Youth Justice Board show that the need to address disproportionality in youth justice is more acute than ever.
YJB business plan shows full support for LtPF
The Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice was delighted to see its Levelling the Playing Field project highlighted in the Youth Justice Board’s 2020-21 business plan.
LtPF team strengthens as University of Birmingham appoints Dr. Hannah Baumer
The appointment of Dr. Hannah Baumer has significantly strengthened the University of Birmingham's research team working on the Levelling the Playing Field project.
LtPF boosted by endorsement from United by Birmingham 2022
Levelling the Playing Field has received a major honour after being endorsed by United by Birmingham 2022, the community programme of the Commonwealth Games.
BBC puts spotlight on Sport England report
The BBC’s Newsround has spotlighted the report from Sport England which shows that children from a BAME background are less likely to take part in sport or physical activity.
Lockdown has increased inequalities gap, research shows
The COVID-19 lockdown has seen children in Wales from lower socio-economic backgrounds suffer from a decrease in physical activity, according to new research.