Firhill Youth Project & Community Sports Hub
A collaborative approach to reducing the barriers to participation in sport is helping more young people in the North of the city get active. Glasgow Life Sport and Firhill YP & CSH working with Scottish Rowing, Glasgow Kayak Club, Partick Thistle Community Trust and have developed a thriving and inclusive water sports hub at Firhill Basin.
Having meaningful opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity is completely crucial for the health and wellbeing of our youth. It is not just the type of activity that matters, it’s the people, the places and the whole sport & physical activity experience.
The hub supports the empowerment of local young people to obtain key life skills, creating more confident and skilled sports leaders equipped to play a central role in contributing to their local community.
Funding secured from Glasgow Communities Fund will see “The Wellbeing on the Water “project actively target young people from areas of the city with some of the highest rates of socioeconomic deprivation. The focus is to tackle poverty and inequality, promoting good physical and mental health and wellbeing, community cohesion as well as building the skills and resilience of individuals.
It is all about creating an environment in which young people feel safe and supported to participate and progress at the level that’s right for them – which in turn can help foster growth in many other aspects of their lives
In 2022, the project delivered 182 free rowing sessions, a “Let’s Row” schools programme as well as 500 sessions with Glasgow Kayak Club who have seen 5 paddlers compete for Great Britain. The hub has developed partnerships with over 20 local organisations, helping them to secure the Glasgow Community Project of the Year and Queens Cross HA Health & Wellbeing Award.
