DIT Sports shortlisted for Coca Cola

Thank You Fund

DIT Foundation and DIT Sports are delighted to announce that the project Developing Young People through Sport and Physical Activity has been shortlisted by the Coca Cola Thank You Fund.

We would like to thank everyone who voted for us. The voting is now closed and the winners are due to be announced in November so fingers crossed!

The programme is a collaborative project between DIT, Dublin City Council (DCC), Dublin City Sports Network (DCSN) and Whitefriar Aungier Area Community Council (WAACC). It is working on a successful framework of the ‘Women in Sport’ programme supported in the past by the DIT Annual Fund.

In short the project aims to develop a range of sport & recreation participation opportunities providing a quality training and educational programme for young people in the inner city area with a particular focused on children from disadvantaged communities.

How it works… 120 young people will be recruited to participate in a 8-month, 4 module training & educational programme delivered by a team of highly qualified sporting personnel currently employed in DIT Sport Service.

A key aspect of the programme is the variety of new diverse, fun and exciting participation opportunities to motivate young people to become more active and experience new activities they previously wouldn’t have had the opportunity to enjoy such as canoe, water polo and fitness training.

A unique and innovative approach of the programme is to involve parents of the participants – where they will participate in a number of nutritional & first aid training modules workshops to educate them of the key concepts of good nutrition - an essential factor in the promotion of good health and the wider life skills.  Unhealthy eating and physical inactivity are major contributors to reduced quality of life. Education around the importance of healthy eating will impact positively on the quality of life of the local community and on the health & well-being of the future adult population.

Finally a distinctive feature of the project is the positive relationship that will be fostered between young people in the local community and the students of DIT.  Providing access to sporting facilities located on a third level educational campus environment can encourage and support a more positive and socially integrated environment for young people, and help to overcome barriers which young people from disadvantaged areas might associate with accessing higher education.  DIT through the delivery of this project can provide young people with opportunities for social and personal development increasing self-confidence and enabling young people to become positive role models within the local community.