Callington Community College pupils are joining more than 11,000 young people across the country by getting involved in Living For Sport – an initiative organised by the Youth Sport Trust in partnership with BSkyB to inspire and motivate young people aged 11 to 16 through sport. Callington Community College and Poltair School in St Austell are joining around 500 schools who have taken part in this successful initiative. Launched more than three years ago, Living For Sport encourages young people to achieve their full potential using the spirit of adventure created by sport. It aims to engage young people with all areas of school life and to reach personal goals. Schools which sign up receive a comprehensive package of support, including training for staff, resources for pupils, funding for activities and visits from a world-class athlete. Many of the participating schools are successfully combining Living For Sport with other initiatives in school, such as mentoring programmes. Recent research on Living For Sport, published in September 2006 and conducted by the Institute of Youth Sport at Loughborough University, has revealed that seven out of ten young people who take part show significantly improved behaviour and confidence, and over 85 per cent of teachers feel that the project benefited their students. The initiative is supported by the Department for Education and Skills and Dame Kelly Holmes, in her role as National School Sport Champion. Dame Kelly said: 'It is fantastic to see more schools getting involved in Living For Sport, which is proving to be a very successful initiative. 'We have monitored the results of the programme from the start and the evidence shows it is delivering a long term, sustainable benefit to those young people involved. 'It is vital that all youngsters have the opportunity to get involved in some kind of sport or activity they enjoy, and Living For Sport is helping many of them to do just that.' At the first national Living For Sport Awards ceremony last October, Dame Kelly presented awards to young people and school leaders who had made exceptional progress in the initiative. Sue Campbell, chair of the Youth Sport Trust, said: 'We are extremely pleased that Callington Community College and Poltair School have signed up to Living For Sport. 'We are now in our fourth year of helping young people gain self esteem and realise their potential through sport. 'We much look forward to seeing the achievements of Callington Community College and Poltair School.' Ben Stimson, director of corporate responsibility at BSkyB, added: 'We know that Living For Sport has a real impact on students and their attitude in many areas of school life. We wish Callington Community College every success in Living For Sport.'
