Sport for those Suffering

Aim

To engage with communities through sport for those that are disadvantaged financially and for those suffering with poor mental health.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - We got there!

A huge thank you to all of you who donated and shared this with your friends. We are so grateful for everyone's generosity and look forward to now putting these raised funds towards the community work that now needs to be done. We are excited to be able to take sport into some new communities to really help those that need it in the New Year when Covid restrictions permit. A very Happy Christmas to you all - God bless you.

Who We Are

We are GET Sported, the local young people element of the charity World Sport Ministries, that's been impacting people in communities for almost 15 years through sports coaching and other community engagement projects in the Bath and Bristol region. We have a small staff and a growing network of volunteers from local churches and the wider community.  We share the love of God by developing character experientially through fun and educational activities.

We teach life skills through sports drills! 

We do this through impacting communities by staging children's school holiday time sports camps, teenage tournaments, community days and Youth Sports Leadership, where we equip and empower young people to lead now. We also partner with other organisations to add value such as 'Make Lunch,' where we provided fun and healthy activities for disadvantaged children before they were fed a nutritious meal for free during the school holidays. As well as in the wider community, we also serve schools by delivering PE lessons, extra curricular clubs and special project days such as 'GET FIT' (focusing on children's Fitness, Talent & Identity), 'Well Being' (helping address and tackle poor mental health) and 'The Games,' (like a whole-school mini-Olympics).

We have a heart to share God's love and help improve people's physical and mental condition knowing that healthy activity does this when carried out passionately by trained people that really care. You can find out more about us here

Our Impact

In the Bath & Bristol region, we reach and engage with over 2,000 young people and some of their families every year. We run 15 sports camps in 4 different areas; we also currently train and mentor 30 teenage young leaders who are making a difference in their local communities. We also reach into 21 local schools which enables us to invite young people into the other community projects that we do. People are impacting people physically, spiritually and mentally through our 'Total Coaching' approach. We are grateful to have witnessed many changed lives.

“The coaches have an amazing and unique way with the children. Inspirational leadership through learning sport and sport, teaching the core human values of respect and teamwork. I am sure they will / have become better people through knowing the coaches.”              Michael, camp parent

"Children love the sport of course and the competition, but they also respond so well to the development of character and spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects that are always worked into each lesson."
Peter, Former School Headteacher

“There is no doubt that my skills as a leader have improved and my confidence has grown by being a part of the Youth Sports Leadership group.”
Martha, aged 13

Recently we partnered on a project working in a disadvantaged area and this is what one of the project organiser's had to say about our involvement:

"Sport is something that I know is important, but I have never really thought about it that much in relation to our work. I think I often experienced and have seen organised sport as something that can be triggering for children and not at all nurturing. However, you have really challenged me in my thinking. I loved your approach, you were very nurturing and encouraging and gentle with the children. I was particularly moved by how you supported Millie and Thomas to join in and feel able to try new things. As we know both of those children are significantly overweight, possibly obese, for most children like that they would not dare to try sports, but you made it safe, you helped them to feel loved and wanted and to believe they could do it. That was very moving to see and experience." 

The Vision of the project

We want to extend our projects stated above as well as initiate 'Saturday Sport' (where we provide sports coaching and games to young people and their families as well as a simple meal) into more disadvantaged areas. We will also target those requiring 'extra attention' by providing small group and 1 on 1 mentoring, helping engage minds by engaging bodies. We will then build relationships with young people and their families and invite them to further enjoyable and wholesome opportunities that we already have in place such as sports camps and youth sports leadership groups.

We aim to do this in 4 specific areas within Bath and 2 places within south Bristol. We believe we can help and impact an additional 350 people in a healthy, fun and meaningful way. Our hope is to see more children and young people experience fun and coached sport, (a variety of sports) children join local clubs and receiving on-going mentoring and support through established other activities from ourselves or other partner organisations / churches. 

This really can be life changing for many.  

Why this is needed right now

Sport facilitated well is always needed to help create community and to provide enjoyment and competition as well as healthy and engaging activity; however, we can't think of a more crucial time in recent history where the benefits sport provides, than right now due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This infographic helps illustrate the problem and the need which is exactly why we want to do this.

Young people's mental health has been deteriorating for many years, but it's rapidly and dangerously doing so right now with children and teenagers (as well as adults) having faced physical and social isolation due to the disease. Tragically, levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide are all rising during this pandemic and we believe that getting people active will help address these seriously important conditions which are even more prevalent amongst those who would be classified as disadvantaged financially. 

We want to provide enjoyable opportunities to engage with the people who really are suffering to help them physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. 

Your Donation

Please support this project and our work - if you do, we will be able to engage with more people that really do need it. We will be able to mobilise coaches, train more volunteers, purchase additional sports equipment and feed the people that attend some projects.

We see many young people becoming more physically active, mentally well, socially connected, confident with their identity and spiritually aware - all really important in these difficult Covid-19 times.

Thank you for considering our project.

This project successfully funded on 16th December 2020