PARTICIPATION Link2BActive Initiative Promotes Participation Among the Unemployed

02 Oct 2009


On Thursday October 1st, Minister for Drugs Strategy, Social Affairs and Integration John Curran T.D., together with John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council, will formally launch Link2BActive, a new initiative from South Dublin County Sports Partnership (SDCSP) that seeks to promote participation among the unemployed in local sporting facilities in the county.


In the last 20 months unemployment levels in South Dublin County, which incorporates areas such as Lucan, Clondalkin, Tallaght and Rathfarnham, have risen from 9,500 people to approximately 24,000. Being unemployed can be a very frustrating experience, is a time of great financial stress and it can drain people of their energy and affect their physical and mental health.


The importance of physical activity for our wellbeing is well known but often the cost of access to physical recreation means that is no longer as freely available, just when it's probably most needed. SDCSP, which was set up in 2007 through funding support from the Irish Sports Council to promote increased participation in sport and physical activity in the community, decided to try and tackle this problem in a unique way that could quite possibly be replicated nationally.


With Link2BActive, SDCSP is looking to link in unemployed people with the local facilities such as gyms, leisure centres, all weather pitches, pitch & putt clubs and other facilities where, coincidently, pressure is also on from people dropping off due to economic constraints.


It has asked local sports providers to come up with an offer, complete with terms and conditions, for the use of their facilities by unemployed persons. SDCSP has developed a page on its website www.sdcsp.ie/link2bactive with all the links to these facility offers.


It has now printed 30,000 promotional flyers with this information about the programme aims and the website details which will be distributed through social welfare offices, general practitioners'services, community centres, libraries and more in the county to inform unemployed people about the programme.


On the website there is also a questionnaire that according to Thos Mc Dermott, Co-ordinator of the SDCSP, will help to inform them of what people's preferred activities are, where and when, so that this information can be passed onto the sports providers to try and address any gaps that are showing up.


"We are also conscious that unemployed individuals may wish to participate in team activities such as indoor soccer but may not have the networks to other people to organise and develop this. Thus we would hope that, like a social networking site, we may be able to use the information provided to inform people that there are others in their locality also interested in doing particular activities and link them up".


SDCSP has covered the cost of the promotional materials and the development of the programme so for the facilities there is only a possible opportunity cost of having to offer a lower rate to users who are unemployed. The onus on management for visitor usage falls on the facilities themselves.


"We see this as a very sustainable programme with limited costs that hopefully will grow and grow, even beyond our county boundaries" says Mr. Mc Dermott.

 

 

For more details on the Link2BActive programme please contact: