The West Midlands-based charity Sport 4 Life has recorded its biggest ever year of supporting young people, with nearly 3,500 beneficiaries aged between 11 and 29 turning to it for personal development assistance.
The charity says the soaring demand for its services is being driven by a “dire situation” in the region, where the number of children living in poverty is 30% higher than the national average.
Shockingly, more than half of Birmingham’s children under 16 live in the city’s most deprived areas.
The figures are outlined in Sport 4 Life’s Impact Report 2024, which launched this week. A total of 3,453 young people relied on the charity for mentoring, qualifications, employability skills, sport, social action and National Citizen Service during the year to July 2024.
This represents a 53% increase compared to 2023, when the organisation helped 2,256 beneficiaries.
Tom Clarke-Forrest commented: “This year’s Impact Report highlights a step change in our growth and the demand for our services. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in terms of the number of people we’re now supporting.
“But it’s a bittersweet moment. Because while we’re delivering great results, we’re also conscious that the situation in the West Midlands is dire – far too many youngsters are living in poverty.”
Tom added: “Our response to that is to grow and expand our services through more partnerships with organisations and Job Centres that share our values. Alongside this, we’ll be reaching into new areas of the West Midlands and beyond.”
