The full panel have had their first development day at University of Stirling.
Ione Dobson and Ailsa Gault speak about why they got involved in the panel and what they want to achieve in their two years.
Earlier this month, the full collective of the sportscotland Young People’s Sport Panel met in person for the first time at the start of their two-year journey together. The panel hosted a development day at the University of Stirling and throughout their first session together, they discussed ideas for shaping and influencing sport in Scotland and how they can work together to make the biggest impact with their time as a group.
The panel is made up of young people aged 15-23 and come from all over Scotland from Shetland to Dumfries. Each of them comes from a different sporting background and have had different experiences in how they got involved in sport and what motivated them to be part of the Young People’s Sport Panel.
Two members from Edinburgh, Ione Dobson (16) and Ailsa Gault (21), are part of this 20-strong group of young leaders and have had their own individual journey in sport and hope to utilise their own experiences throughout their time on the panel.
Ailsa and is currently in the process of studying for her Honours degree in Physical Education at the University of Edinburgh. Speaking about her love of sport, Ailsa said: “Athletics has been my main sport for nearly the past decade, and nothing beats the team spirit and sense of community in the athletics world. I think sport is a brilliant way to build self-esteem because of the high level of social interactions within sport, arguably having a positive impact on mental wellbeing. I also think sport can help people to discover a true sense of self and purpose, further encouraging lifelong engagement with an active lifestyle.’’
Ione is a keen hockey player, playing both for her school and local club for number of years and has recently moved into a new coaching role. She explained what motivated her to apply to the panel, and said: “I want to help to raise awareness about the link between mental health and sport. In my opinion, some of the biggest challenges facing young people in sport at the moment is maintaining a balance between a busy work schedule and training. The effect this can have on someone’s mental health is really serious and can impact someone’s training as well as their work.”
Chief Executive of sportscotland, Forbes Dunlop, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with the whole panel and getting to know them at their first development day in Stirling and I know that we have another group of inspiring individuals, from across the country and from different sporting backgrounds, who will champion sport in Scotland.”
“The commitment and passion for sport shown from our Young People’s Sport Panel over the past 10 years has been phenomenal and I have no doubt that this next panel will have a similar impact on sport and physical activity across the country.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
