Written by: Rhiannon Sheen de Jesus
At the end of July, StreetGames Wales took part in their now annual Dragons Den pitch day, supported by SEWSCAP and SEWH. The event was the mid-point in what will become an 18-month project to support young people living in areas of poverty across South East Wales to get their voices heard, and take action. The project includes working with a range of Locally Trusted Organisations (LTOs) in the StreetGames network to help them identify young people to become peer researchers. These magnificent young people then undergo a series of training workshops and receive support to help them investigate a research project, and ultimately develop a business proposal to tackle their local issues. This year’s research theme was around developing attractive sport and/or physical activity offers for young people living in underserved communities, engaging around 20 peer researchers from six LTOs. The team in Wales have worked tirelessly to support the peer research groups locally, and all four dragons (judges) were blown away by the pitches delivered. The young people they met gave them so much hope for the future and how this funding could make a massive impact on the young people’s lives in underserved communities.
Each group was given 15 minutes to pitch for up to £15,000 and had to produce and submit a business plan, detailed budget and risk analysis. The groups ranged from 16 years old to 24, and feedback from the dragons stated that some of these proposals were the best they had ever seen! With well-written proposals, a brilliant analysis of the research undertaken and such detailed budgets, the dragons were all blown away in different ways by different groups. One group talked openly about their personal challenges to accessing sport and physical activity and how they want to ensure other girls in their community don’t face the same struggles. Another group talked about how anti-social behaviour and youth violence had rocketed since covid, and is causing real problems. Their simple intervention will make real and lasting change possible for their peers.
Why are we sharing this? Youth voice is an integral part of everything we do at StreetGames. By engaging, upskilling and supporting young people in local communities, we are shifting the power. The power that changes the lives of young people and their communities by offering them a way of expressing their concerns in a safe and empowering atmosphere. A place where local issues can be shared and acted upon to create meaningful change. This also has a positive impact on the peer researchers, who develop many soft skills and hard skills to further their personal and career development.
As a result of this project, the peer researchers have been successful in obtaining funding to tackle the issues they face in their local community through DoorStep Sport provision, with over £75,000 being invested into 6 underserved communities.
Our Partnership Fundraising manager in Wales, Kevin Roberts says: ‘We are delighted to be able to continue our excellent relationship with SEWSCAP & SEWH, and to be able to provide more young people with access to high quality, evidence-led Doorstep Sport sessions in underserved communities in South Wales. Our innovative partnership has resulted in over £75,000 being invested into organisations across the region, using the peer research methodology which will have a lasting effect on the young people involved, beyond the life of their projects. We are incredibly grateful to SEWSCAP & SEWH for their continued support, and look forward to seeing the projects develop over the months ahead.’
Ar ddiwedd mis Gorffennaf, cymerodd StreetGames Wales ran yn eu diwrnod maes blynyddol den y dreigiau, gyda chefnogaeth SEWSCAP a SEWH. Roedd y digwyddiad yn ganolbwynt i’r hyn a ddaw yn brosiect 18 mis i gefnogi pobl ifanc sy’n byw mewn ardaloedd o dlodi ar draws De-ddwyrain Cymru i leisio’u barn, a gweithredu. Mae’r prosiect yn cynnwys gweithio gydag amrywiaeth o Sefydliadau y mae Ymddiriedolaethau Lleol (LTOs) yn eu helpu i adnabod pobl ifanc i ddod yn ymchwilwyr cymheiriaid. Yna mae’r bobl ifanc godidog hyn yn mynd trwy gyfres o weithdai hyfforddi ac yn cael cymorth i’w helpu i ymchwilio i brosiect ymchwil, ac yn y pen draw i ddatblygu cynnig busnes i fynd i’r afael â’u materion lleol. Roedd thema ymchwil eleni yn ymwneud â datblygu cynigion chwaraeon a/neu weithgarwch corfforol deniadol i bobl ifanc sy’n byw mewn cymunedau nad ydynt yn cael eu gwasanaethu’n ddigonol, gan ymgysylltu ag oddeutu 20 o ymchwilwyr cymheiriaid o 6 LTOs. Mae’r tîm yng Nghymru wedi gweithio’n ddiflino i gefnogi’r grwpiau ymchwil cymheiriaid yn lleol, a chafodd pob un o’r pedair draig (beirniaid) eu chwythu i ffwrdd gan y caeau a ddarparwyd. Rhoddodd y bobl ifanc y gwnaethant gyfarfod â nhw gymaint o obaith iddynt ar gyfer y dyfodol a sut y gallai’r cyllid hwn gael effaith aruthrol ar fywydau’r bobl ifanc mewn cymunedau nad ydynt yn cael eu gwasanaethu’n ddigonol.
Rhoddwyd 15 munud i bob grŵp gynnig am hyd at £15k, bu’n rhaid iddynt gynhyrchu a chyflwyno cynllun busnes, cyllideb fanwl a dadansoddiad risg. Roedd y grwpiau’n amrywio o 16 oed i 24, ac roedd geiriau gan y dreigiau yn nodi bod rhai o’r cynigion hyn y gorau a welsant erioed! Wedi’i ysgrifennu mor dda, dadansoddiad gwych o’r ymchwil a wnaed a chyllidebau mor fanwl. Cafodd y dreigiau eu chwythu i ffwrdd mewn gwahanol ffyrdd gan wahanol grwpiau. Siaradodd un grŵp mor agored am eu heriau personol unigol eu hunain i gael mynediad at chwaraeon a gweithgaredd corfforol a sut maent am wneud yn siŵr nad yw merched eraill yn eu cymuned yn wynebu’r un brwydrau. Soniodd grŵp arall am sut mae ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol a thrais ieuenctid wedi cynyddu ers covid, ac yn achosi problemau gwirioneddol. Bydd eu hymyrraeth syml yn gwneud newid gwirioneddol a pharhaol yn bosibl i’w cyfoedion.
Pam ydym ni’n rhannu hyn? Mae llais ieuenctid yn rhan annatod o bopeth a wnawn yn StreetGames. Drwy ymgysylltu, uwch sgilio a chefnogi pobl ifanc mewn cymunedau lleol, rydym yn newid y pŵer. Y pŵer sy’n newid bywydau pobl ifanc a’u cymunedau trwy gynnig ffordd iddynt fynegi eu pryderon mewn awyrgylch diogel a grymusol. Man lle gellir rhannu materion lleol a gweithredu arnynt i greu newid ystyrlon. Mae hyn hefyd yn cael effaith gadarnhaol ar yr ymchwilwyr cymheiriaid, sy’n datblygu llawer o sgiliau meddal a sgiliau caled i hybu eu datblygiad personol a gyrfa.
O ganlyniad i’r prosiect hwn mae’r ymchwilwyr cymheiriaid wedi llwyddo i gael cyllid i fynd i’r afael â’r problemau y maent yn eu hwynebu yn eu cymuned leol trwy ddarpariaeth Chwaraeon Cam Ddrws, gyda dros £75,000 yn cael ei fuddsoddi mewn 6 chymuned nad ydynt yn cael eu gwasanaethu’n ddigonol.
Meddai Kevin Roberts, ein Rheolwr Codi Arian Partneriaeth yng Nghymru: Rydym yn falch iawn o allu parhau â’n perthynas ragorol gyda SEWSCAP a SEWH, ac i allu darparu mynediad i fwy o bobl ifanc i sesiynau Chwaraeon Stepen Drws o ansawdd uchel, a arweinir gan dystiolaeth, mewn cymunedau nad ydynt yn cael eu gwasanaethu’n ddigonol. yn Ne Cymru. Mae ein partneriaeth arloesol wedi arwain at fuddsoddi dros £75,000 mewn sefydliadau ar draws y rhanbarth, gan ddefnyddio’r fethodoleg ymchwil cymheiriaid a fydd yn cael effaith barhaol ar y bobl ifanc dan sylw, y tu hwnt i oes eu prosiectau. Rydym yn hynod ddiolchgar i SEWSCAP a SEWH am eu cefnogaeth barhaus, ac edrychwn ymlaen at weld y prosiectau’n datblygu dros y misoedd i ddod.
