Using our unique approach to improving confidence and self esteem we are able to offer services which address a wide range of current social issues such as:
· Obesity/Overweight
· Eating Disorders
· Alcohol/Substance Abuse
· Anti Social Behaviour/Criminal Activity
· At Risk of Exclusion/Anger Management
· Child and Adolescent Mental Health
The evidence of need for services to address these issues is clear:
Obesity and Overweight
Childhood obesity or being overweight is one of the UK’s biggest social issues. Government reports have predicted that levels of obesity among children and young people will continue to rise in the future. If action to tackle this trend is not taken, it is predicted that by 2025 14% of young people under the age of 20 will be obese. In Nottingham alone, 1 in 3 young people are already obese by the age of 11 and these figures are in line with the National average.
Children and young people in the lowest income group were more likely to be obese compared to those in the highest income group. Obesity was also found to be high in families were parents had low levels of education. In many cases these parents were also overweight or obese themselves.
Being overweight or obese is also linked to many other social issues such as low self esteem, bullying and exclusion.
Eating Disorders
At the other end of the scale are young people with eating disorders. It is hard to estimate the extent of the incidence of eating disorders, partly because any epidemiological investigation will be hampered by the reluctance of some of those affected to admit to the problem.
It is not only young women who suffer from eating disorders; young men , men and women of all ages are affected. Estimates of the numbers of men in the eating disordered population varies with the criteria adopted and is thought to vary between 1:6 and 1:201. The most commonly used proxy is 10% of all cases of eating disorders will be male.
Whilst seemingly the opposite issue to overweight/obesity, the underlying issues of low self esteem and confidence are common factors in both cases.
Evidence:
31% of children experienced bullying over their weight by their peers during childhood, a further 7% were discriminated against and 14% were made to feel different or 'like an outsider'. 43% experienced at least one of these things during childhood.
Cawson, P. et al. (2000) Child maltreatment in the United Kingdom: a study of the prevalence of child abuse and neglect. London: NSPCC. p.26.
Alcohol/Substance Abuse
There are growing concerns about the Binge Drinking culture in Britain in general, with particular concern being expressed about the number of young people who use alcohol at an early age. Concerns around substance abuse are similarly severe. Alcohol and tobacco though legal are both as harmful to young people as many illegal substances. Alcohol in particular leads many young people to come to the attention of the Police and the criminal justice systems, mainly as a result of the behaviours that are generated through intoxication.
Although alcohol and substance abuse are not restricted to families with lower incomes or levels of education, it is fair to say that many children affected by these issues will be from this demographic and as with obesity will have learned the behaviours from parents or other family members.
Right Tracks programme aims to demonstrate the harmful affects of alcohol and substances by engaging them in activities that they can enjoy and demonstrating how these substances will impair their ability to progress to the standard to which they aspire.
Anti Social Behaviour/Criminal Activity
Anti Social Behaviour and juvenile crime are well documented. There are many programmes which are put in place to create diversionary activities in order to counter the charges that young people do not have access to positive activities in many deprived areas. Right Track applauds these activities and will provide further activities through its programmes. However, we believe strongly that unless young people are educated in a manner which they can respond to, the legacy that is left by pure diversionary activity will be limited. Right Track aims to introduce these young people to organised activities such as sport which can provide a progression route where required, and also to demonstrate how enjoyable, active activities can be created and used without the need for formally available and often expensive facilities.
At Risk of Exclusion/Anger Management
Many young people who exhibit behaviours which lead to exclusion, including issues around anger management do so because they are feel unable to participate actively in the school system. The development of the alternative curriculum for 14-16 year olds evidences that this factor is now accepted by the educational system. A number will have processing difficulties which means that their learning needs to take place in a different form. There are however a large number of children and young people, particular those from workless households who will not see the purpose of school. Frustration can lead to anger and where young people have witnessed anger issues at home, they will not necessarily have the strategies to deal with this anger productively. Right Track social enterprise’s programmes will seek to address this by providing active learning, through outdoor sport and indoor learning activities that deal specifically with anger management and which also teach personal leadership and responsibility. Thus these young people will learn strategies that will help them cope more productively with the school environment.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
The NICE report promoting young people’s social and emotional well being in secondary education states that One in 10 students in secondary education say they are not happy and one in three reports feeling low each week (Morgan et al. 2006). Over a third (35%) of students in mainstream secondary schools fear being bullied and just under a quarter (23%) report having been bullied (MORI 2004).
The prevalence of mental illness among young people increased between 1974 and 1999 (Collishaw et al. 2004).
In 2004, 12% of young people aged 11–16 years had a clinically diagnosable mental illness (Office for National Statistics 2004): conduct disorders (almost 7%) and emotional disorders (5%) were the most common among this age group. Generally, mental illness affects boys more than girls. A third of children (33%) with conduct disorders have been excluded from school at some point and nearly a quarter (22%) have been excluded more than once (Office for National Statistics 2004).
Children and young people who are exposed to difficult situations such as bullying or racism, or who are coping with socially disadvantaged circumstances are at higher risk of experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. They may include:
• looked after children
• those who have experienced adverse life events (such as bereavement or parental separation)
• those who have been exposed to abuse or violence
• those with chronic health problems (such as diabetes and asthma) and disabilities.
The NICE report also suggests that by increasing a young persons feelings of happiness and control (emotional wellbeing) their ability to learn improves and they are less likely to become mentally ill.
