Children and Young People

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 exploitation and crime through early intervention; 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.

Many statutory organisations are now writing sport and physical activity into their plans and agenda, noting Active Essex Foundation as a key partner in this delivery. In addition to further funding from Cllr Louise McKinlay, the impact of this programme is really resonating across the system.

Suzanne Page, Sport and Youth Crime Prevention Project Lead

Working in partnership with Essex Police, Youth Justice Service, Probation Services, 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.

133

young people started BoxSmart programme

125

referrals into sport and life skills programmes

young people engaged in Girls Inspired initiative

Fulfilling lifelong aspirations through the Sport and Youth Crime Prevention programme.

Perhaps the biggest impact to come out of this project this year, has been the publication of the cost avoidance it is having on the youth criminal justice system in Greater Essex. It is estimated that £18,000,000 cost avoidance can be equated to the impact of this project and the work it is doing in preventing and re-offending.

Bob Mclintock, Active Essex Foundation Chair

Development this year focused on creating a dedicated programme for girls whose risks around criminal and sexual exploitation often go unnoticed, or ‘Under the Radar’. Working in partnership with Essex Police, Basildon Council and Thurrock Local Authority, the initiative was launched to support young women whose involvement in exploitation, gangs and county lines is frequently overlooked due to well‑documented gender bias in recognising warning signs.

Both local and national media have shown strong interest in tracking the project over the coming year, particularly in understanding how sport and physical activity can be used effectively to reach and support this under‑identified group of young women.

Sport and Youth Mental Health

Empowering organisations to use physical activity and sport to engage young people experiencing low levels of emotional wellbeing, the Sport and Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing programme team are utilising training opportunities to increase the knowledge, skills, confidence and support 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.

928

young people supported through the mental health initiative so far

local organisations are delivering as part of this programme

64%

of young people engaged report an increase in emotional wellbeing

The momentum of this work is really starting to build, including how we work with partners across different sectors, acting a real catalyst and enabler for positive system change. Our network is growing, and I look forward to building on this success next year.

Luke Tandy, Sport and Youth Mental Health Project Lead

As we head into 2026/27, 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.

286

participants are receiving support through this programme

94%

of organisations report increased knowledge to deliver mental health support

73%

of participants report an increase in mental wellbeing

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.

Our goal is that by working with a network of locally trusted organisations, public services, businesses and residents, we can co-own projects that help generate system change and provide support and guidance alongside this.

workshops delivered to date

435

workshop attendees since 2019

The pace of the training was perfect and it was good to have group discussions so we could share ideas and learnings about what methods work in our communities.

ABCD delegate

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 had with other Active Partnerships and we are continuing to highlight the impact of using this approach through quarterly network meetings and highlighting local stories of change.