What happens next?
One of the biggest declines in participation in physical activity for disabled people, occurs around the time they are leaving education, between the ages of 16 and 25. Panathlon events run from primary age to post 16, but how do young people with physical and learning difficulties stay active beyond education?
We’ve put together a Facebook group aimed specifically at Panathletes leaving school, in order to provide an alumni programme and create platform for advice and support. As well as this, we hope to create an environment to share tips and point people in the right direction when it comes to finding accessible sporting opportunities. We want to offer somewhere that ex Panathletes can access information on:
– Coaching Courses
– Volunteering opportunities
– Funding for specialised equipment
– Live Q&A’s from International Athletes
– Accessibility issues facing young disabled people, (such as access to transport, finding work, going to university and finding sporting opportunities)
As with everybody else, sport for many young disabled people is about having fun, meeting people and experiencing a sense of community, we want to ensure a comfortable environment for ex panathletes to ask questions, stay in touch and make new friends whilst accessing opportunities within disability sport.
For any suggestions or queries on how to get involved, please contact Freya@panathlon.com, or head over to our Facebook page ‘Panathlon Alumni’ to get in touch!
