Gen22

StreetGames were delighted to be one of four flagship providers for Gen22, a legacy project created and run by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the Gen22 project gave hundreds of young people aged 16–24 across the West Midlands access to new volunteering and employability boosting opportunities.

As a flagship Gen22 provider, StreetGames supported 100 local young people – many of whom face barriers such as a lack of confidence, being a young carer or young parent, or having a criminal record – to design and deliver physical activity-related social action projects linked to the Commonwealth Games. Participants benefited from new transferable skills, increased confidence and self-esteem, improved mental wellbeing, and access to ongoing local opportunities for volunteering and youth action.

Our work with Gen22 built upon our established #NextGen approach, which provides young people with the tools they need to make a lasting difference to their community as well as empowering them to see beyond the boundaries of where they live.

We know that too many young people living in under-served communities don’t get the opportunity to realise their full potential. Through Gen22, we have been able to offer unique volunteering opportunities for talented young people and support them to develop their talents to the full – breaking down barriers and generating a lasting legacy of the Games in local communities.

Lucie Vickers, Head of Volunteering & Youth Voice at StreetGames