The Active Essex Foundation
The Active Essex Charity Arm
As a registered charity, the Active Essex Foundation want to create the conditions to transform lives through sport and physical activity.
3 core strands of work make up the Active Essex Foundation – Sport and Youth Crime Prevention aims to reduce vulnerabilities to youth crime and prevention; Sport and Youth Mental Health supports young people’s mental and emotional wellbeing; Asset Based Community Development helps strengthen our communities.
At the heart of it all, is using the power of sport and physical activity to transform lives.
Sport and Youth Crime Prevention
In Essex, 89% of youth violence is attributable to just 10% of all police suspects, and the Sport and Youth Crime Prevention team are working hard to showcase the power of sport and physical activity in reducing anti-social behaviour.
Bringing together the criminal justice system and the community sport sector, the Sport and Youth Crime Prevention project has been providing both preventative and intervention-focused support for young people.
Working in partnership with Essex Police, Youth Justice Service, Probation, Health and Education, the team are engaging and supporting young people at risk of anti-social behaviour, exploitation, gang involvement and county lines activity through several projects.
BoxSmart on the Ropes, Girls Inspired and the Sport and Life Skills projects are engaging young people in sport, whilst also involving them in volunteering and employment opportunities.
Development took place this year, to build a programme for girls that go under the radar in needing support from exploitation. Alongside Essex Police, Basildon Council and Thurrock Local Authority, the initiative launched to target young women whose associations to criminal and sexual exploitation are often overlooked.
Local and national press have been interested to see how this project develops over the next year, and understanding the success in using sport and physical activity to reach and support this cohort of young women.
Sport and Youth Mental Health
Empowering organisations to use physical activity and sport to engage young people suffering with poor mental health, the Sport and Youth Mental Health project team are utilising training opportunities to increase the knowledge of support and services available, alongside building confidence in using movement to support young people’s mental health.
Across two projects, the Sport and Youth Mental Health project and Transition Age Mental Health project, the team have been building place-based partnerships over the year, to improve the mental health outcomes for children and young people.
With over a year into the project, and significant impact to show, we’re having multiple conversations with system partners and statutory agencies who are wanting to be more involved going forward. Our network is growing, and I look forward to building on this success next year.Luke Tandy, Sport and Youth Mental Health Project Lead
Beginning in the Summer 2025, the Transition Age Mental Health project has already seen almost 20 organisations funded to deliver sport and physical activity opportunities to support young people’s mental health. In partnership with these organisations, the AEF team are helping to support the emotional wellbeing of 17-25 year olds through physical activity and tailored assistance.
Linking closely with the NEET team at Essex County Council, the ambition is to explore future referral pathways and outcome reporting mechanisms as we head into 2026.
Asset based community development
Organisational support, in understanding how to work WITH communities rather than TO, has been a core aspect of the Active Essex Foundation work.
Adopting an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach is what we have been encouraging local organisations and sector leaders to be utilising. Our goal is that by working with a network of locally trusted organisations and businesses, we can co-design projects that help generate system change and provide support and guidance alongside this.
The Active Essex Foundation have built upon learnings from the Essex Local Delivery Pilot and are now delivering workshops nationally.
Following a successful ABCD workshop with Active Suffolk earlier in the year, the team were commissioned to deliver in a new area of the county to support the development of the Ipswich Sport England Place Partnership work. This highlights the recognition from external partners in the value of ABCD and the strengths-based approach to their work.
Building upon this, further discussions are now being had with other Active Partnerships in delivering workshops in their areas as well.
Read the charity case studies to learn more
Sport and Youth Crime Prevention project
Creating conditions to reduce vulnerabilities leading to youth crime and exploitation
Working with and alongside the community
Creating conditions to tackle inequalities to strengthen our communities
Sport and Youth Mental Health programme
Creating conditions to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing
