RELAYS: Looking Towards The Future

Published in Nerve Magazine in December 2011

London 2012 doesn’t just bring the world’s biggest sporting spectacle to the UK. Along with it comes numerous legacy projects such as RELAYS (Regional Educational Legacy in Arts and Youth Sport), that aim to inspire young people around the country to engage in sport. Attached to the 2012 deal to host the Olympics in London came the responsibility of establishing lasting effects after the games, and realising the potential that next summer can bring.

Situated in the South West, RELAYS works together with 11 of the regions universities, including Bournemouth, to create and organise events and festival to highlight the liberating impact of sporting activity. As a government led scheme, RELAYS looks to get youths of all ages, background and sporting experience involved in various activities tied to 2012.

Virginia Bailey, the RELAYS Schools Events Coordinator at Bournemouth University claimed that her target for the scheme was to leave a lasting legacy not only for the participants, but also for the students who volunteer.

“I hope that for those involved when they leave BU and are looking for employment, their time with RELAYS has a positive impact in helping them get the job they want.”

Virginia, who’s role within RELAYS is to give students the opportunity to get involved with volunteering at sport festivals and events across the region, said it was imperative that the scheme doesn’t end after 2012.

“It’s massively important to ensure RELAYS isn’t just a government condition, but actually a huge opportunity to boost sporting involvement, both for students and kids.”

When it was announced in 2005 that London was to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, Virginia claimed it was “my mission to make sure I was going to be part of the greatest sporting event in the world, and RELAYS has facilitated that for me.”

Not only do I get to work on an exciting and rewarding project which is part of the South Wests 2012 legacy, I am also very fortunate to work with an amazing team of RELAYS staff and volunteers.”

One of those 4000 RELAYS volunteers is BU student Adam Doherty, who involves himself with the coaching of children locally as well as recruiting new members. As a main facet of the scheme is to organise sporting festivals and events for regional schools, Adam claimed this was the most empowering reason for his involvement.

“After coaching them for an hour, they begin to understand the game and want to do it again. That's what it's all about and the reason why I do it, and if it wasn't for Relays I would never have had the opportunity.”

Adam, who felt an obligation to volunteer due to the opportunities he had been given as a kid to get involved in sport, said that the values behind the Olympics are great promoter for getting kids involved. Values of respect (fair play, healthiness) excellence (competitiveness, participation) and friendship all contribute greatly to help build a sense of love towards sport.

With over 200 events held already and nearly 70,000 young people engaged, RELAYS continues to grow in the build up to next year. Yet the individual affects on local schools is the most rewarding according to Virginia.

“One particular school saw a huge improvement in the number of girls taking part in PE after running a street sports and arts festival called "Urbanise". The school where struggling to engage with the girls during PE but after trying out free running, street dance and street soccer, a number of clubs where set up which saw a much improved attendance from what they had before.”

Yet RELAYS isn’t purely about getting youths involved in sports; it’s about improving the confidence and involvement of kids in all manner of activities. As well as this, it has facilitated a number of opportunities for volunteers, as members of the crew are now undertaking placements abroad to improve their coaching and leadership skills.

If your interested in getting involved with RELAYS and leaving a lasting impact of the London 2012, then contact  Virginia Bailey at vbailey@bournemouth.ac.uk or visit http://www.universitiessouthwest.ac.uk/Relays.aspx for more information. 


Check out the magazine layout of this article, designed by me - http://issuu.com/tobygray/docs/relays