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Young people on the Isle of Wight are being offered a unique opportunity to lead on the redevelopment of a recreational space.

It’s part of plans to increase youth engagement in sport and physical activity in the Bay area, and also provide them with the skills needed to feel empowered to run projects themselves.

The new initiative is being led by the charity , in collaboration with the ���ϳԹ�’s School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences, and .

More than half of children living in the UK did not meet the chief medical officer’s minimum amount of physical activity guidelines in 2020 (55 per cent). found a lack of available activity options was a primary cause for declining activity levels. 

The Sandown region was identified as an area which has been neglected in terms of access to youth facilities and services. As a result, Sandham Gardens has been chosen to be redeveloped into a new recreational space, with upgraded state-of-the-art facilities.

Sandown Town Council are working with the on a potential , as part of its capital investment programme. Using investment from the Premier League, the Football Association and the Government through Sport England, the initiative aims to engage with local communities across the country to create outstanding sports and activity spaces and tackle inequalities in participation.

Julian Wadsworth MBE, Community Action Isle of Wight Bay Resilience Coordinator and Youth Intervention and Development Officer, said: “This is an exciting collaboration with the ���ϳԹ� which will contribute to the re-development of the only public space of this type in the Bay area, support young people’s skill’s development and empower them to have an increased voice, both locally and Island wide. 

“‘Project PlayZone’, as it's now known, is bringing together Sandown Town Council along with our valued partners including several Island sports clubs and the respective National Governing bodies to bring this project to life working alongside children, young people and young adults.

“We envisage that the site will support our established youth work provision in the Bay area through a Sport for Development’ methodology and wider wellbeing and physical activity benefits.”

Dr Thierry Middleton, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the ���ϳԹ�, added: “Sport, physical activity, and exercise can have many positive impacts on young people’s physical and psychosocial wellbeing.

“But participation in sport doesn’t automatically result in positive youth development, because often they are excluded from any decision-making when it comes to the spaces they use and the programs meant to help keep them physically active.

“The purpose of this project is to give young people an opportunity to have a say on how youth sport can be re-envisioned to meet their own needs. Over the next three years, young people are going to be taught the fundamentals of research, and given the skills to lead projects and feel empowered to make decisions.”

A PhD student from the University has been employed full-time to develop the initiative, alongside a local youth provision forum, which will help ensure consultation with children, young people and families to help shape the project as it progresses.

Over the next three years, young people will carry out interviews with members of the community, analyse data in a collaborative way, and use arts and storytelling to convey what they find.

Hannah Prieto, the PhD student working on the project, said: “Young people are assets, who can provide valuable knowledge when called on to participate in community and social affairs. 

“I’m excited to teach them the fundamentals of research, the skills needed to lead projects, and to help them feel empowered to make decisions.”

Sandown Town Mayor, Alex Lightfoot, added: “Sandown Town Council have had a very fruitful partnership with Community Action Isle of Wight, reintroducing youth provision back to Sandown.

“The expansion of this partnership, working with the ���ϳԹ�, is going to allow our young people to help lead on the development of the Play Zone. Sandown Town Council is committed to providing more support and opportunities for our young people in Sandown and we are very much looking forward to the next stages of this project.”