Football charity launches programme to support girls mental health during the pandemic
By Rachael Griffiths
A charity is launching a programme to support girls amidst a report which found almost a third of them experienced probable mental health issues during the pandemic.
Football Beyond Borders (FBB) want to improve the social and emotional health of girls up and down the country.
Designed by education and gender mentor Ceylon Andi Hickman, the programme in Croydon and wider areas will now happen in secondary schools.
It gives intense, long-term support for tots aged 11 and up. Girls are rewarded with stunning trips, work experience and 1-1 therapeutic support.
It has worked even during Covid-19: up to 93 per cent of youngsters considered most at risk got in on the action during lockdown and an amazing 98 per cent of kids on the programme who were deemed at risk completed their school year in 2019-2020.
The project comes after the Lancet last month and the Centre for Youth Impact found that girls were less of a priority compared to boys in youth provision (58 per cent vs 41 per cent).
Michael del Rio, headteacher at Archbishop Lanfranc Academy in Croydon said: “FBB has made a tremendous difference in the lives of a number of our most vulnerable students.
“Students who were at threat of becoming persistent absentees have turned around completely and are now keen to be here every day and engage with their learning. I cannot recommend them highly enough”.
A 15 year old participant also said: “FBB […] made me understand my worth and have led me down the right path. I didn’t know who I was when I started FBB and now I feel like I’m nearly complete”.
Proven to sharpen girls’ wellbeing and up their grades, the award winning charity is backed by Sport England and even the F.A.
Celebrities such as footballer Alex Scott and DJ Maya Jama have shown their faces to the charity. Other big names include Nike, Gillette and even PayPal which sponsor the charity.
FBB believe their work is super important to improve the physical and mental health of young girls.
Professor Robin Barnajee, an academic at the University of Sussex backs this up and says there are statistics that show major improvements in the girls that take part in the programme.