SCHOOLS & COMMUNITY PROGRAMME
Let Alyson Mckechin, our Community & Schools Activator, get you up to speed on our ambitious education and community programme;
Our Education and Community Programme has been running for just over eight weeks. The Education programme has seen massive success already with three schools across the North East of Glasgow receiving five weeks of curricular and extra-curricular golf sessions. We are now running various community projects within the local area, giving everyone an opportunity to try golf and talk about the amazing plans we have at Golf It!
What is Our Schools Programme?
The Schools Programme has been designed to inspire the next generation of golfers. Learning to play golf at school is the beginning of a golfing journey that can last a lifetime and that is exactly what we are aiming to do at Golf It! The first year will see the program will be rolled out in 14 primary schools across Glasgow, with our plan to bring together all schools for a festival in August 2023 when Golf It! is open. As part of the programme, each school receives two bags of Golfway equipment which is used during their sessions and teachers also receive a CPD course provided by myself and the Golf Foundation to ensure the continued progression of golf after the curricular period.
Schools Programme Overview
The programme has several key outcomes to ensure pupils get the most out of both the curricular and extra-curricular sessions. The main outcomes include introducing pupils to golf in a fun and meaningful way, teaching the fundamentals of golf so that pupils can learn to play at school and developing their key life skills and techniques that will help them both on and off the golf course. It has been fantastic to see the pupils over the past few weeks go from not knowing how to stand or hold the golf club to now fully understanding the key fundamentals and being competitive within the sessions. The amazing Golfway equipment that is used in schools allows us to take students from having no knowledge of the golf technique right up to playing a shortened version of a golf course. It is also very adaptable as we can set this up indoors as well as outdoors, which is key when we are working with Scottish weather!
Schools Programme Participation
At present the programme has been rolled out to over 1000 pupils across the first three schools participating in term one, it has been amazing to see so many young people enjoying the game for the first time. We also have an extra-curricular program that has been running with the assistance of the Active Schools Modern Apprenticeship Programme. We currently have three Modern Apprentices delivering sessions to around 40 pupils. The Apprentices have gone from having limited knowledge around golf to now confidently delivering after school clubs and assisting with the curricular timetable. I am delighted to announce that term two has been finalised with a further three schools going to receive the programme, this is due to start in early November and run through to mid-December. Across the 14 schools, we are aiming to deliver curricular time golf to 4,000 pupils.
Community Programme
At Golf It! our relationship with our local community is of paramount importance as we aim to create long-lasting impact and opportunities for everyone. Over 100 jobs will be created in the East End and we are delighted to have already partnered with some amazing groups within the local community. Such as St Paul’s Youth Forum, FARE Scotland, Glenburn Centre, Achieve More Scotland and the Pantry in Ruchazie. With their help, we aim to provide opportunities for young people and create unique experiences at Golf It! that everyone can enjoy.
The Future
The future is very exciting as we have an ambitious plan to deliver golf to 42,000 pupils across Glasgow over the next 5 years, throughout both primary and secondary Schools. Our plan is to give every young person an opportunity to try golf within their time at school and inspire both teachers and pupils to make golf part of the curriculum at their school. Working closely with the community will also provide future experiences for young people within the local area at Golf It! through various opportunities at the venue. We are very excited about bringing both the Schools & Community Programmes together when Golf It! opens next summer to enjoy all of the activities we will have going on at the Hub.
Without a doubt, the future is bright for golf in Glasgow.