Commonwealth Games Legacy initiative celebrates engagement of over 20,000 children
Power of the Commonwealth Games
The power of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games firmly placed the city on the global stage. It also acted as a catalyst, allowing funetics to establish an ambitious legacy activation initiative, funded by Sport England.
To date, over 20,000 children have engaged with this initiative marking a significant milestone in funetics’ vision for every primary-aged child in the country to have access to learning fundamental movement skills.
At the same time, funetics, along with partners in the sport, is calling upon political parties to unlock the potential of sport and physical activity to play a more meaningful role in tackling the UK’s growing mental health epidemic.
A sustainable legacy
The primary goal of the funetics Commonwealth Games Legacy initiative is to establish a sustainable legacy of athletics provision throughout the City, by expanding the funetics offer to include more community and after-school provision. The Legacy sessions have allowed more children access to running, jumping and throwing locally, and in some cases free-of-charge provision.
Within England Athletics track and field clubs, members have been encouraged to further embrace more young talent, using funetics to help reduce waiting lists and to expand their offerings to the under-11 age group.
Forging partnerships
In an explosion of outreach effort, funetics has forged partnerships with a diverse array of organisations, spanning the sport and third sector. This initiative has effectively dismantled barriers perceived or real that hindered children's participation at the hyper-local level.
The funetics Legacy delivery is perpetuated through after-school clubs, holiday camps, satellite centres, as well as the junior sections of our track and field clubs, ensuring consistent provision and connectivity opportunities for partners, schools and local community groups.
Through the Shareshack scheme, funetics has extended the invitation for children and parents to engage in funetics activities in their homes and gardens; even providing equipment on loan, thereby reducing barriers related to time, access, and resources.
Embracing participation across the generations
Across our diverse range of offerings, spanning from summer festivals to weekly coaching sessions in leisure centres, parks, clubs, and communities, over 20,000 children have embraced active participation.
But funetics' mission goes beyond numbers. We have also pioneered intergenerational programmes that support care homes and their residents dealing with conditions like Parkinson's and Dementia. These initiatives provide valuable opportunities for residents to connect with their grandchildren while embracing the fundamental principles of play.
funetics continues to make waves in the world of child-centric athletics, forging a legacy that is not just sustainable but also impactful in the lives of countless young athletes and the wider community.
The funetics Legacy initiative was recently expanded to support communities and schools in Lewisham. funetics will continue to explore new opportunities and ways to break down barriers for children to engage, and for partners to deliver.