First Young People’s Forum cohort complete a successful two years

Monday 18th December 2023

Members of the YPF with Zoey Clark at this year’s Club Conference (photo by Bobby Gavin)

Cohort Two for ATS YPF announced earlier this month

The first cohort of young people to participate in the Athletics Trust Scotland Young People’s Forum (ATS YPF) have now completed their two-year term in post, with a remarkable range of achievements under their belt, and some important contributions to the sport.

The forum has been led by scottishathletics with support from Erin Gillen of Springburn Harriers, along with Natalie Sharp from Kilmarnock Harriers. Fifteen members, representing more than ten clubs, have attended more than 15 meetings, and twice supported the National Club Conference, delivering a workshop in 2022.

The forum also carried out a survey of scottishathletics members aged 23 and under, on mental health and retaining young people in sport, and used the results to guide the creation of the YPF Conference at the Emirates Arena in March – scottishathletics’ first conference ‘for young people by young people’.

The conference was attended by 45 young people from 27 clubs, and discussions there, combined with survey results, were used to create a valuable resource for clubs and coaches – Athletics Trust Scotland Young People Information booklet 2023. It covers a range of topics, including retaining young people in the sport, disability inclusion, coaching during exams, and competition participation.

Members of the YPF have also worked with a number of other organisations – two continue to write blogs for Kyniska Advocacy, one is part of the Young People’s Working Group with Scottish Club Sport, and others attended the Introduction to Mentoring training delivered by Active Advantage.

They have also come up with their own ideas on how they can take some initiatives back to their own clubs to help and support young athletes.

We are delighted to say that many of the YPF members will continue their involvement following the recruitment of our second cohort – three will remain on the forum as part of the new cohort, and six will become mentors for the new young people joining.

Cohort Two for ATS YPF announced earlier this month

Executive officer for scottishathletics, Fran Snitjer, who has worked closely with the YPF, said: ‘Over the two years, each of the young people have grown and developed, both as individuals and together as a team.

‘They’ve worked on projects as a group and individually at their own clubs, with the two main areas of focus being mental health and the retention of young people in athletics.

‘They’ve had the opportunity to get involved with volunteering at our events, being part of focus groups, and learning about other areas of the organisation.

Three members have gained Officials qualifications and have been officiating at scottishathletics events.

‘We would like to say a huge thank you to all the young people who have been part of the Young People’s Forum – it has been a pleasure working with each one and every one of them.’

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And the new cohort has already met for the first time online . . .

Great to have the first meeting (induction) with Cohort Two of the @AthTrustScot YPF this evening. Looking forward to the next couple of years ahead and to seeing the impact and personal development of these 15 young people! @LindsayMcMaho15 @scotathletics @SALChiefExec pic.twitter.com/JdPU0zHWvF

— Francesca Snitjer (@FranSnitjer) December 11, 2023