Two volunteers from Essex Young Peoples' Drug and Alcohol Service (EYPDAS) have set up a pioneering scheme to help 13 to 18-year-olds from disadvantage backgrounds with support from Essex Drug and Alcohol Action Team (EDAAT) and Essex Community Foundation.
The scheme is now being highlighted during the Home Office's 'Not In My Neighbourhood Week' (13-19 October 2008), which celebrates all the work being done by local agencies to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.
The people taking part in the scheme, at Highwoods Sport Centre in Colchester, have been referred to them by local Youth Offending Team and social care groups.
Supporters of EYPDAS gym group hope it will teach young people discipline and self-belief by offering a personal workout programme and wider guidance and support is offered through the sessions
Nikki Sienkewitz / Rob Downes from the EYPDAS team said:
"The scheme started from observations that a number of young people who, whilst regularly engage in sporting activities while in detention, upon release had nowhere to go to continue accessing such health and leisure facilities.
"This was either because the young people did not have the means nor funding to do so, or lacked the motivation, guidance or confidence to make it happen.
"When released from custody, some young people swiftly lapsed out of the routines they had built up in custody.
"The gym group encourages members to be healthy, try new things and encourages the independence and positivity of those to move forward with their lives with a decrease in levels of the young peoples' anti-social behaviour within the community.
Most importantly the group acts as a diversionary intervention that helps the young people reduce their level of substance misuse as exercise is an excellent way to release natural endorphins that give a natural high rather than the use of substances"
From the success of this gym group in the north of the county, a similar project has been set up in the west of the county, based in Harlow.
