Healthy and Active People
The aim of ‘Healthy, Active and Creative People’ is to provide opportunities for people to become active citizens and live healthy lifestyles.
The concept behind this programme centres on the provision of opportunities for people living in disadvantaged areas. Opportunities that help to inspire people to lead healthy and active lifestyles, whilst contributing to community development and assisting people to break down barriers to work through creative and cultural activities. The South East has some of the highest actual numbers of young people with poor educational attainment and in the South East, there are 10 hot-spots where those not in education employment or training (NEET) remain consistently high.
Over the last 18 months, Groundwork has been leading on an initiative with SEEDA and the Prince’s Trust to develop Communities for the Future. We are currently delivering 4 pilot projects in Newhaven, Swale, Gosport and Southampton.
Other supporting activities include investing in the development of the Create, Compete, Collaborate - a regional project as part of the Olympic Legacy Trust – this multi-million pound project is in development with a launch date due for April 2009.
Future development activities within this programme include:
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Horticultural Therapy – this proven approach to engaging people in their natural environment helps to break down work place barriers through soft skills development, whilst providing the opportunity for people living in isolation to take part in group activities, which contributes to reducing depression.
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Natural Play – Groundwork has pioneered the concept of natural play in many of its play space regenerations. The tactile nature of these play areas play a role in connecting children to their local environment and encourage managed ‘risk taking’ at an early age.
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Tackling Worklessness – As a 3rd sector organisation, Groundwork believes that tackling worklessness is best delivered at a local level through tailored approaches. The Regional team will be looking over the next year to expand our offer to workplace inclusion and employability.