The Active Minds project has been a great success and so far, we've supported over 200 young men and women with their mental health and wellbeing. The  project uses the power of football to bring together young people from diverse backgrounds—including refugee, asylum-seeking, and immigrant communities—to connect through a shared love of sport. The sessions are co-facilitated by colleagues at FURD, aiming to support participants to become more active, build meaningful connections, develop social skills, and improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Each session provides tailored mental health advice, signposting, and the opportunity to talk through issues in both group and one-to-one settings. We've adapted our approach to meet the unique needs of the group, placing a strong emphasis on peer support as a vital tool for fostering resilience and mutual understanding.

In addition to football, we've been thrilled to partner with GB Boxing, who've been delivering monthly boxing training sessions, as part of Active Minds. These sessions promote self-esteem, discipline, and teamwork, further strengthening the bonds between participants and helping them support each other.

The project is a huge success, and we are immensely grateful to MotoFoundation for providing funding for the project in 2024/25 through its partnership with Mind ,without their support this initiative would not have been possible. 

Active Minds continues its great work and we are now actively looking for funding to support this. Watch the film below to see the project in action: