Comedian kick-starts campaign to boost young people's confidence

A campaign is being launched this week to combat low self-esteem amongst young people.

YMCA England is deeply concerned at the growing number of young people suffering from a lack of confidence in their abilities because of today’s celebrity and image-obsessed culture.

They believe that as a result of this young people are being denied opportunities to take part in cultural and sporting activities.

Graham Oatridge, Physical Activity and Contracts Manager for the YMCA, said:

“We live in a culture dominated by celebrities, reality TV shows and social media.

I believe these factors have impaired the confidence of a generation of British youngsters and this is something the YMCA is deeply concerned about and is addressing through the ‘Great Laugh’ campaign.

We are encouraging young people to interact with their peers and take part in a series of confidence building workshops. We hope these workshops will help give them the confidence to engage in community projects or sporting activities.”

Tomorrow (Thursday) the YMCA is holding the flagship Great Laugh event aimed at boosting the confidence of thousands of young people across the country.

The event is part of a campaign that comes under the umbrella of the national Community Games – an Olympic legacy programme aimed at bringing families, friends and communities together through sporting and cultural activities.

The launch of Great Laugh is taking place on Thursday (January 31) at London’s Irish Centre in Camden, at 4pm.

Top comedian and winner of BBC2’s New Comedy of the Year award, Lucy Beaumont, is backing the campaign.

She is headlining the comedy-focused evening, which will also see participants take part in confidence building workshops.

The popular comedian said she is thrilled to take part in the Great Laugh campaign.

She said:

“Sadly a lot of young people have a severe lack of self-esteem and confidence.

I am really looking forward to meeting with the youngsters to help tackle this issue.”

The 28-year-old former teaching assistant will be performing a sketch on the evening along with a series of other performers.

Mr Oatridge added:

“We are really looking forward to the event and are delighted to have Lucy and all our other acts including Kidz4mation – the London-based confidence building school - on board supporting it.”

ENDS

KEY FACTS:

Community Games:

• The Community Games programme was launched in the West Midlands in 2009 and was originally funded for three years by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Since its launch more than 750 games have already taken place involving more than 500,000 people.
• Community Games is inspired by the Wenlock Olympian Games founded by Dr William Penny Brookes in 1850 and still held annually in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. The Wenlock Olympian Games were the inspiration behind the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games when Baron Pierre du Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement, visited the games in 1890. The Community Games programme pays homage to a community event that inspired a global event, and now uses that global event to inspire a new raft of community events.

 Legacy Trust UK:

• Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity set up to create a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from London 2012 in communities across the UK.
• The Trust is funded by a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (£29m), Department for Culture Media and Sport (£6m) and Arts Council England (£5m), and is a Principal Funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival. www.legacytrustuk.org

The YMCA:

• Founded 168 years ago, the YMCA in England is made up of 121 member YMCAs working to ensure that young people have opportunities to thrive and contribute positively to their communities.
• YMCA operates in over 530 different communities in England impacting upon the lives of over 500,000 people every year.
• Every night YMCAs provide over 9,000 beds for young people. The YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of safe, supported accommodation for single men and women aged between 16-30 years old.
• The YMCA enables nearly 24,000 people every year to engage in education, skills and training to enable them to improve their opportunities in the job market.
• The YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of health and wellbeing services promoting physical activity.
• For further information please visit http://www.ymca.org.uk

The County Sports Partnership Network (CSPN):

• The County Sports Partnership Network brings together 49 County Sports Partnerships from across England, and is responsible for supporting the delivery of national sports policy at a local level by shaping it to the needs of local communities.
• The CSPN contributes to the health of the nation by helping local people lead healthier, active livesThe CSPN brings together the knowledge and expertise of a range of local delivery partners – including local authorities, clubs and schools – which enables it to use resources in the most efficient way possible to deliver sport in local communities.
• The CSPN brings together the knowledge and expertise of a range of local delivery partners – including local authorities, clubs and schools – which enables it to use resources in the most efficient way possible to deliver sport in local communities.

Lucy Beaumont

• Lucy Beaumont was the 2012 winner of The BBC New Comedy Award.
• In August 2011 she was a finalist in the Gilded Balloon’s nationwide stand-up comedy competitions - So You Think You’re Funny?
• Lucy is currently filming the new series of Live at the Electric for BBC Three and is developing a show with BBC radio.
• In 2009 Lucy was elected to be mentored by Jeremy Dyson (League of Gentlemen) as part of ‘Northern Laughs’ a BBC initiative aimed at finding new comedy writing talent in the North of England.
• Lucy is currently performing on the London stand-up circuit and developing her first solo show to take to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. 

Donna Roddy, Citydesk Sport, on behalf of Community Games.

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