Looked After Children’s football is weekly football/mulit-sport session for Looked After Children of Lancashire in partnership with Lancashire County Council and funded by Children in Need. The participants learn valuable skills from the project such as teamwork, confidence, communication, respect and fair play. As well as increasing their participation in sport and keeping them very fit, healthy and active.

Homeless Sport is a weekly football session for homeless individuals in partnership with Nightsafe; a homeless charity based in Blackburn. To use sport as a tool to help steer vulnerable young people who are economically inactive away from crime/violence and anti-social behaviour into gainful employment. To help vulnerable16- 25 year olds gain qualifications by providing positive diversionary activities for young people in the local community as well as addressing issues that impact on them and supporting behaviour change. This will include young people that are: at risk of or involved in Antisocial Behaviour / Offending; homeless; NEET; at risk of sexual exploitation; involved in alcohol / substance abuse. The aim is to work with our partner agencies and engage with young people through sporting programmes alongside learning programmes offering basic English, maths and health education programmes including the effects that alcohol and drugs can have on young people. Young people will be encouraged to become positive role models within their communities by becoming volunteers, gaining sport leader/coaching awards and deliver sessions to their peers. This project aims are to improve the confidence and the self-esteem of the participants. They also have the opportunity to socialise with other young people in similar situations to themselves and make new friends. The participants also are engaging in possibly their only physical activity of the week through this session and therefore are keeping fit, healthy and active. Some of the participants from this project have been able to complete their FA Level 1 coaching badge and they are now helping to run the project as the coaches. Ultimately helping the young people combat their homelessness issues along with our partners

This project runs in association with The Lifeline Project who are a substance misuse charity. To use sport as a tool to help steer vulnerable young people who are economically inactive away from crime/violence and anti-social behaviour into gainful employment. To help vulnerable16- 25 year olds gain qualifications by providing positive diversionary activities for young people in the local community as well as addressing issues that impact on them and supporting behaviour change. This will include young people that are: at risk of or involved in Antisocial Behaviour / Offending; homeless; NEET; at risk of sexual exploitation; involved in alcohol / substance abuse. The aim is to work with our partner agencies and engage with young people through sporting programmes alongside learning programmes offering basic English, maths and health education programmes including the effects that alcohol and drugs can have on young people. Ultimately helping the young people combat their substance misuse problems. Sport releases natural endorphins that help you young people realize sport and being healthy can be a much better substitute to substance misuse. The sport sessions act as a major incentive and pull for beneficiaries to attend their counseling sessions on a regular basis.

To use sport as a tool to help steer vulnerable young girls who are economically inactive away from crime/violence and anti-social behaviour into gainful employment. To help vulnerable12- 25 year olds gain qualifications by providing positive diversionary activities for young people in the local community as well as addressing issues that impact on them and supporting behaviour change. This will include young girls that are: at risk of or involved in Antisocial Behaviour / Offending; homeless; NEET; at risk of sexual exploitation; involved in alcohol / substance abuse. The aim is to work with our partner agencies and engage with young people through sporting programmes alongside learning programmes offering basic English, maths and health education programmes including the effects that alcohol and drugs can have on young people. Young people will be encouraged to become positive role models within their communities by becoming volunteers, gaining sport leader/coaching awards and deliver sessions to their peers. This programme particularly aims at girls and helping increase their participation in sport. It works in partnership with Blackburn with Darwens Young Peoples Service and The Lifeline Project.

“Let Kids Play” is a project in partnership with local Social Housing Associations who own stock in some of the most deprived wards in Lancashire, to provide weekly sport sessions for the young people living on their social housing estates, in order to tackle anti-social behaviour. The Housing Associations found that the majority of the petty crime and anti-social behaviour on their estates was being caused by young people aged 11-18, therefore this initiative was provided to give young people somewhere to go, to socialise and to keep off the streets as well as the added health benefits and an aim to improve landlord/tenant relations. The project is very inclusive due to the fact that OSF offers a variety of different sports within the “Let Kids Play” project and the sole aim is to keep young people active, healthy and taking part in sport as opposed to on the streets potentially causing anti-social behavior. As part of the project the participants are encouraged to take up our mentoring scheme (similar to Looked After Children’s) whereby an older participant mentors, encourages and socialises with a younger participant. We also provide the young people with the Sports Leader Certificate and via multi-agency working we are able to signpost the young people to organisations such as FE providers, Connexions, and The Young Peoples Service.