Spotlight: Saints Switching Play
This week is BBC Children In Need! Ahead of the big night, we take a deep dive to look at the Switching Play project and how it's using Children In Need's funding to change lives.
Saints Switching Play works with young people aged 11 to 17, using targeted interventions to prevent and challenge offending behaviours. It's all about keeping participants staying on the straight and narrow during the most pivotal time of their life.
We're very grateful to BBC Children In Need for helping us fund this project, and ahead of their big night, we thought we'd put the spotlight on some brilliant outcomes were seeing on Switching Play – letting the numbers speak for themselves in terms of the life-changing impact our work can have.
Of the young people that engaged with us between March and June, 73% did not reoffend in the 3 months post-engagement. 9 young people completed a qualification off the back of Saints Switching Play, and 2 further participants completed 30 hours of volunteering, giving back to their local community. 33% of all participants were spending more time in school.
In terms of exit routes from the programme, 16 of those who completed their Switching Play journey continue to engage with us through their school-based Community Champion; 5 are currently engaging with our employability programme, Saints Works; and 6 have gained employment with Southampton FC, in stewarding or hospitality roles, thanks to this. We're setting them up for sustainable, positive futures off the back of their time with us.
Alongside Children In Need's incredible funding, we work with Southampton City Council and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to funnel participants into Switching Play through the 'Chances' pathway. To share more about how Chances has helped our young people, 3 Switching Play participants paid a visit to DCMS' offices to talk to more than 200 staff about how the project has impacted them.
Our amazing 3 participants spoke amazingly about Saints Foundation and the potential for Switching Play, through Chances, to change people's lives. They were rewarded with a tour of the Houses of Parliament, which included visits to the Lords and the Commons as well as the historic Westminster Hall and Churchill Balcony.
Saints Switching Play is just one example of how we bring together many partners and funders to create opportunities for Southampton's young people. We'd like to say a huge thank you to DCMS, Southampton City Council and – of course – BBC Children In Need for helping us make a real difference with our young people.
