This month, YDance (Scottish Youth Dance) launches Momentum, a brand-new, year-long project aimed at increasing physical activity and improving the health and wellbeing of around 400 inactive young women and girls in two areas of North Lanarkshire.
Momentum will work with North Lanarkshire Council to offer after-school clubs and community group sessions to girls aged 9 to 16 in Motherwell and Kilsyth. Participants will get the chance to dance, socialise and be creative in free weekly dance sessions delivered by YDance – the national dance organisation for children and young people in Scotland. Momentum is funded through the Sporting Equality Fund which aims to get more women and girls participating in sport and physical activity. The fund is delivered by Spirit of 2012 on behalf of the Scottish Government.
In addition to the weekly sessions, there will also be opportunities for participants to learn more about dance and develop their leadership skills by taking an Award in Dance Leadership course.
Anna Kenrick, YDance Artistic Director said:
“We are delighted to be working with Spirit of 2012 to ensure inactive girls have the opportunity to access high quality dance sessions to improve their confidence and fitness. Dance is an excellent way of staying healthy whilst having fun and we look forward to working with the Active Schools teams in North Lanarkshire to deliver this project.”
Debbie Lye, Spirit of 2012 CEO, said:
“This brilliant project tackles not only the worryingly high numbers of girls who don’t take regular exercise, but also the issues around self-esteem that can lead to them opting out of activity. We’re really proud to fund a project that will improve both the physical and mental health of girls and young women across Lanarkshire.”
Ian Russell, Senior Sport Development Officer at North Lanarkshire Council said:
“The YDance project – Momentum – is a great initiative and one we in North Lanarkshire are delighted to support and help make a success through our Active Schools network. Ensuring girls become and stay active is a key priority for us and we see Momentum as a great opportunity to engage this priority group in the school environment, as well as providing a pathway into community sessions.”
Spirit of 2012 is a funding charity, established with a £47m endowment from the Big Lottery Fund. We fund partners across the UK that provide opportunities in sports, physical activity, arts and culture, volunteering and social action. Spirit was founded to continue and recreate the spirit of pride, positivity and social connectedness that people experienced during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They invest to create good outcomes for people and communities. For more information visit spiritof2012trust.org.uk
