Improving mental and physical outcomes for young adults leaving care: Yare Outreach Project
In line with British Rowing commitments to provide access to rowing to a greater diversity of communities, Yare Rowing Club decided to launch a new programme. They worked with Active Norfolk to develop a rowing programme designed to target young adults with disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Aim
For the first round of the project, Yare Rowing Club liaised with Norfolk County Council to provide an offer for young adults leaving care. Many young adults in this group were not previously involved in organised sport and faced a range of physical and mental health issues.
Research shows that physical activities can significantly contribute and improve mental and physical health. This is particularly true for outdoor activities. The activities arranged by Yare Outreach Project were designed to target disadvantaged young people, with the hopes of tackling reduced mental and physical health head on.
In addition, it was hoped that these activities would inspire the young attendees to see themselves as part of a wider diverse community, and eventually feel a sense of connection and belonging to the club community.
The Challenges
Setting up the project was the first main challenge for the club. Whilst they had the initial idea, this was the first outreach programme and as a result, additional support was required. Active Norfolk were able to step in and provide the funding whilst offering valuable insight on how best to manage the project. They were also able to
As with many clubs, costs are often a factor to consider when establishing a new project. Particularly with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the price of a membership can put off new members from enquiring. The rowing club were able to get around this by using feedback from the participants of this project to determine a fair price for a subsidised membership for young people.
Capacity is another concern with many clubs. However, Yare Rowing Club have managed to increase their capacity by getting more young people to sign up after the completion of the programme. These young people have also offered to help with future programmes.
“We recognise the potential rowing in a club can have particularly for marginalised young adults. We are looking forward to starting the next round in March 2024.”
“It’s very evident in how many different ways rowing at the club as a community can contribute to the overall wellbeing, physically and mentally for young adults.”
The Approach
Outline of the sessions:
The project consisted of 7 sessions for 6 people starting with an introduction to rowing. In this first round this involved meeting the young care leavers at one of their sessions. This session was followed by a taster session at the club enabling young people to make an informed decision if they wanted to join a Learn to row course.
All sessions were organised and led by a coach and the club welfare officer and supported by a youth worker linked to the group of young adults. All sessions were also wonderfully supported by a dedicated group of Yare club members which allowed the young people to get their first impression of what it means to be part of a rowing club.
The sessions included rowing machine training, understanding it’s importance for developing rowing skills. It introduced young people to virtual training using the Peleton app and introduced them to Yoga, mindfulness and stretching to support their rowing experience.
The group was moved on to rowing in various boats – singles and crew boats swiftly including learning all about boat set up, safety on the water and boat maintenance.
How the funds were allocated:
The Yare rowing club applied successfully for £3525 and supported with their own saved funds. These funds were then put towards covering the cost of 3 rowing machines, coach fees for the club, and 10 subsidised memberships for 3 months.
Additional support:
Alongside supporting the club with the funding, Active Norfolk worked closely with them to develop their initial idea further. This included the implementation of sustainable funding through subsidised memberships for those who could use it. We have also provided support and signposting to other organisations they can liaise with.
Ensuring the project’s sustainability:
Throughout the project the young people were involved in deciding how they wanted to engage and progress. They were also consulted on the new reduced membership rate and the club took their advice on affordability. At the end of the course all young adults will be offered a chance to join the club at a discounted rate for young adults.
The Outcomes: Yare Rowing Club
This has been an extraordinary experience for the club and through the feedback from the group, it’s very evident in how many different ways rowing at the club as a community can contribute to the overall wellbeing, physically and mentally for young adults.
Feedback from participants:
At the end of the first round of this project, Yare Rowing Club have happily reported that this project was a great success. All participants gave the course a 10 out of 10 based on their experience in participating.
All young people were overwhelmingly positive about each aspect of the course. All participants, particularly the young women who hadn’t done much physical activity for a few years, loved the rowing machine as a tool that allowed them to follow their own rhythm, challenge themselves. They praised the rowing machine as they did not need to be in completion with others whilst all the same enjoying it as a group activity.
- Those involved fed back that the project significantly improved their mental health, whilst providing a range of other benefits such as pushing them out of their comfort zones and encouraging them to meet new people through the club.
Future plans:
Following the positive feedback, Yare Rowing Club would like to continue developing the project and will be offering the next round from March 2024. After seeing an increase in several young people as members of the club, this has offered additional capacity requirements as said young people have agreed to help with the next group in March. This will hopefully ensure the continuation of the projects.
Find out more
Yare Rowing Club were able to apply for funding through the Together Fund. Whilst applications for this has now closed, you can click below to see more funding opportunities near you.