One of the signature projects for the SEE for the 2012 Games Network is to look at ways of developing a skills, employment and education legacy inspired by the Paralympic Games. Paul Ramskill, Community Leisure Officer, City of York Council tells us more about how this has been working in practice...
Paul explains: “A paralympics-inspired working group was established in March 2009 to explore ways of achieving a skills legacy in Yorkshire and the Humber. The SEE for the 2012 Games regional ‘Core Group’ put forward its ideal membership for the working group and it was important that we had not only a range of organisations represented (such as local authorities), but also individuals who had significant operational knowledge of working with disabled people.”
That’s how Paul came to be involved in the SEE for the 2012 Games Network. His name was suggested by the Core Group, and the Secretariat invited Paul to join the working group not least because of the leaps forward made on his watch in York in the last few years in disabled sport provision. Certainly he has tried at every opportunity to promote the ability of disabled people, both in sport and in other areas, within Yorkshire and the Humber, and he believes that the Network has also worked hard towards this end. His work within the city presently is around developing and encouraging volunteer sports clubs to open up more to disabled people whether through inclusive sports, unified sessions or disabled-specific activities.
With City of York Council, Paul has worked in partnership with North Yorkshire Sport on the Playground to Podium project, which encourages young people of all abilities to take part in sport at a local level, whether at school or at a club, and facilitate opportunities for physical activity for those young people with, among other aims, the hope of seeing Yorkshire feet on the podiums of London in 2012. From this work, there was a logical progression for Paul to join the Paralympics Working Group within the SEE Network and since then he has been an active contributor to the development of this working group’s action plan for 2009 and 2010 and specific activities consequently being implemented by that group and other partners in the wider Network.
One such activity is a flagship event catalysed by this working entitled the 'Celebrating Ability Day', scheduled to take place in York on the 22nd of September this year. This event, inspired by the Paralympics values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality, will showcase the abilities of people, both disabled and non-disabled, in a variety of different spheres including sport, business and culture. It aims to demonstrate that everybody has an ability, and can offer and gain, something from all these facets of life. The latest figures show that York has an increasing number of disabled people taking part in physical activity, but also that York has the highest rate of unemployment among the disabled in the region. The Celebrating Ability event will demonstrate to businesses the enthusiasm, passion, and determination of young people and adults and will show how organisations can benefit from these qualities.
Looking back on the chain of events leading up to this initiative it is clear to see that the SEE for the 2012 Games Network is an important engine for stimulating positive partnership working in the region, bringing together talented individuals and organisations towards a common aim inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
For more information about this paralympics-inspired working group and signature project please see our signature projects page.