This weekend saw Athletics Youth Advisory Group members, old and new, come together once again. The first meeting of the year, and for some, the first of many to come.
During Saturday evening the group looked at the England Athletics Strategy moving forwards into the next cycle. The aim of this was to better align our own youth specific strategy to that of the NGB. With that in mind, the following day was set up to revamp our goals for the next few years.
On Sunday discussions centred around the key areas thought of as most important for young people in the sport right now. This sparked the re-formation of the Working Groups into just three:
Retention and Re-engagement
Focusing on maintaining young people involved in athletics as well and revitalising involvement of those that have since diverged into other aspects of their life
Marketing and Promotion
Raising awareness of the sport for young people and the benefits it offers
Increasing the knowledge of and interaction with the YAG from those involved in and around the world of athletics
Officiating Perspectives
Targeting increasing the number of young officials in the sport
Changing the perception of what it takes to be an official and making the process easier to understand and progress
Over the next week, the Working Groups will liaise with one another to finalise their actions going forward and the associated time scales. the YAG plan to document these so that the sport can better understand what they are trying to accomplish as a group, for athletics.
The YAG welcome any thoughts or suggestions; they would love to hear from those within all levels of the sport and gain input to more accurately represent the youth of the sport. Contact them on [email protected]
