Premier League Changemakers is a jointly funded project between the Premier League, Premier League Charitable Fund and Sports Relief, which has been developed to support girls and young women to develop their personal skills and positive attitudes for leadership. The project is delivered with support from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
The project launched in July 2020, and since then PitCโs has seen over 25 invited participants undertake a UNITAR accredited themes of delivery which will include; mental health, wellbeing, self and identify, confidence and self-esteem, empowerment and leadership, resilience, role models and allyship, education attainment, career development, social action, community, leadership and body image. Participants are referred from PitCโs PL Kicks, SSYP and local secondary schools such as Priory School have come together to discuss subjects important to them in a safe environment. By the summer of 2022, PitC aims to work with over 30 individuals who will have designed and implemented their own social action project, here in the city of Portsmouth.
Gemma Freaney, PitCโs Inclusion Project Coordinator said, โI’ve really enjoyed delivering our PL Changemakers course over the past few months. The participants have all been really engaging with the topics we discuss, and even mentioned how they’ve never had an opportunity to talk about certain topics with anyone before – especially body image. So it’s incredibly rewarding to be creating a safe space for the girls where they feel comfortable enough to initiate some difficult conversations. With the help of the course, we’re able to develop their personal skills as individuals and really empower them as young females.โ
Activities
- Football and other sport/physical activity sessions targeted at girls and young women
- Female leadership workshops, seminars and conferences
- UNITAR accredited leadership programme
- โTrain the Trainerโ female leadership initiatives
- Youth-led social action projects focused on mental health and gender equality
- CCO-led placement and volunteering opportunities
Outcomes
- Participants feel inspired and engaged,improve their mental and physical wellbeing
- Participants improve their personal and practical skills, increasing their awareness of gender equality and mental health related issues
- Participants increase their understanding of the knowledge, skills and behaviours of successful leadership, improving their attitudes, relationships and future aspirations through football and sport
- Participants have improved teamwork and communication skills
- Participants progress in/into training, education and employment
- Staff are able to develop meaningful youth-led social action initiatives relating to gender equality and mental health
- Staff create opportunities for participants to demonstrate peer leadership and/or give back to their school and/or local community
PL Changemakers is an invitation only programme, which can be accessed by regular PL Kicks participants, for more information please contact [email protected]
