One Stop Advice work with a range of young people from various backgrounds including BAME communities. The demand for a physical activity session for young females became evident in 2019 with One Stop advice holding consultations with their service users who highlighted a need for a session outside of school curriculum in a safe and comforting environment. The following four key themes were highlighted during the consultations;

• Female focused project to help support young people concerned with body image and low self-esteem providing a comforting environment.

• The need for physical activity sessions to be heavily subsidised or free with cost highlighted as a barrier to participation.

• The young people favoured staying within their local area and having the session at a location they were already familiar with.

• The group were keen to have the opportunity to take part in boxing/ Martial Arts and gradually build on their fitness.

Following the consultation period One Stop Advice worked in partnership with team BEDS&LUTON in order to offer these unique sessions, taking into consideration the initial feedback from the young people.

The Satellite Club targets young females from BAME communities to learn new skills, build their confidence and self-esteem in a social and comforting environment with a particular focus on deprived wards of Luton.

TEAM BEDS&LUTON:

NON FINANCIAL SUPPORT Providing collaborative leadership, support and insight around the projects delivery ensuring the target audience is engaged in the project.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT We supported the project with £3,300 of funding for the delivery of the sessions until March 2021 as well as providing an evaluation framework to demonstrate impact.

ONE STOP ADVICE

Project management, ensuring the sessions run weekly, the feedback forms are completed and the right target audiences are being reached.

ULTIMATE ATHLETE

Provide the facility hire, coach and access to the equipment and music for each session.

Team BEDS&LUTON have worked in partnership with One Stop Advice since the projects early planning stages, with insight being obtained from the target audience before the session was launched.

Having liaised with the young people the session was designed around their individual needs and the following key learnings were made:

• With the project targeting young females from BME backgrounds, it was highlighted that female only sessions were imperative to support their attendance and engagement in the project. This included having a female coach lead and deliver the sessions.

• The young people favoured non-traditional sports opportunities, with a particular interest in Martial Arts and self-defence.

• The Satellite Club needed to be based within their current communities with Asian females stating they would prefer not to leave their familiar communities.

The insight and data collection for this project is still ongoing and it is likely there will be more insight gained, which will be shared with other Satellite Club partners to help increase our understanding of young people across Bedfordshire.

The Satellite Club project also highlights the importance of organisations working collaboratively in order to deliver impactful physical activity opportunities to young people across Bedfordshire, the partners involved in this project have delivered the following:

• Team BEDS&LUTON and One Stop advice have worked in partnership to ensure the project is young people led, providing accessible physical activity opportunities to young people who need it most.

• Ultimate Athlete have worked alongside One Stop Advice to provide a venue at a reduced rate in order to give back to the community and reduce the costs of the project supporting its future sustainability.

• Team BEDS&LUTON shared an evaluation framework and have supported in the analysis of WENWBS to demonstrate impact of the project.

The Satellite Club will continue to run until March 2021 supported by Satellite Club funding from team BEDS&LUTON. A small fee has been introduced to allow the project to be sustainable and continue after the funding ends. Feedback will continue to be obtained from the young people attending the project which will be used to help shape future projects within the local community as well as demonstrate the impact of the project. The Satellite Club provides an outlet to a local boxing gym and fitness session, providing an opportunity for young people to progress into a local club and continue their personal development outside the Satellite Club sessions.

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