The Youth Sport Trust are working alongside the major events team at UK Sport and five major host cities to build a project which aims to identify, train and deploy teams of young people as ‘event crews’ at a number of major sporting events which will take place from 2008 through to 2011 and beyond.
The delivery of a successful 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the many International major events that will precede the games, will rely heavily upon a 70,000 strong volunteer workforce, many of whom will be Young People. It is essential that young people are equipped with the necessarily skills and experience that it takes to undertake a volunteering role at a major sporting event.
The ‘event crews’ will be led and managed by young people from Higher Education Institutes who will take on the role as Team Managers. Each young person will be deployed at a minimum of three major events over a 12 month period with the project aiming to recruit 250 young people per year.
Over that past 18 months, the Youth Sport Trust have worked closely with a number of National Governing Bodies and organisers of major events to investigate the roles that young people can play as event volunteers. The 2006 Glasgow UK School Games included 40 young people as volunteers and in 2007 this number increased to 70. We have also had five young people attend the World Rowing Championships, eight work as stewards at the All England Badminton Championships and 20 at the Paralympic World Cup.
"I would like to say thank you for the opportunity to volunteer at an event of such importance to the global image and reputation of the country it really felt good to be part of something that the whole world would be able to see," Young Volunteer World Rowing Championships.
"It has been a privilege to be a part of making a major event a success. Hearing the athletes comment on the fact that it’s the volunteers who make such events a fantastic place to compete in, motivates me to volunteer and help others to reach their potential," Young Volunteer World Rowing Championships.
Click here to download a programme information sheet
If you would like any further information please contact: louise.gruchy@youthsporttrust.org