UNITING YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH FOOTBALL

An exciting and innovative youth project, which uses football to bring youngpeople together from different racial backgrounds, is currently being piloted inPeterborough.

The Unity Football Club is organised by the Peterborough City Council'sCentral Youth Team and it involves young people from different areas of thecity, such as Dogsthorpe, Eastgate, Eastfield, Gladstone and Welland.

Unity Football Club has two football teams, which will participate at theregional finals of a national football competition at Kettering on Saturday, 23March 2002, following recent football trials during the recent half term whenaround 60 young people took part.

The football tournament is organised by the National Association of Clubs ofYoung People and last year over 1,000 teams were involved, as well as theinvolvement by Alan Shearer (Newcastle and ex England captain) in previous yearstournaments.

Unity Football Club's Aims are to promote;

• Greater Mutual Understanding & Respect
• Cross Community Youth Interaction
• Multi-racial and Multi-area football teams
• Team work
• Positive messages to other young people and adults
• A successful and fun experience for young people

Peterborough City Council's Central Youth Team, which is part of theCommunity Education Service, aims to raise achievement and reduce socialexclusion by taking an holistic approach to supporting a Young Person thatinvolves schools, parents and the wider community.

Nigel Blanchford, the city council's Community Education Youth ServiceOfficer, said, "The Unity Football Club has certainly captured theimagination of the young people and they are very excited about representingPeterborough at the football tournament in Kettering this coming Saturday. TheClub is an excellent piece of youth work, which has brought young people fromdifferent area and racial backgrounds together, for many for the first time. TheYoungsters have worked very closely together over a number of weeks to improvetheir team work and football skills."

He added, "I hope that this successful pilot project leads to othersocial cohesion youth projects being developed to begin to unite young peopleacross the city of Peterborough in a positive and constructive manner."

Cambridgeshire Constabulary have endorsed and welcomed this exciting projectto bring communities together and Peterborough Racial Equality Council alsosupport a project that brings young people together from different area andracial backgrounds.

Detective Superintendent, David Hankins, said, "Peterborough Policewelcome any initiative which supports and enhances the work involving thediverse community of the city. This is a great idea in

which young people from all backgrounds can come together, learn, have funand build friendships. Projects like these are important in promoting the needfor unity among future generations and essential in building a city to encompasseveryone's needs in coming years."

Harmesh Lakhanpaul, Peterborough Racial Equality Council, said,"Peterborough Racial Equality Council supports the aims and activities ofthe Unity Football Club. The methods used by the Central Youth Team, of workingthrough football with young people will help to create ownership andresponsibility in promoting greater understanding and respect betweencommunities in Peterborough. Unity Football Club's role in developingconfident, active communities and social cohesion through work with young peopleis crucial and should be supported across all communities of Peterborough."

If you would like further information about this project please contactPeterborough City Council's Central Youth Team on (01733) 703740 or e-mail centralyouthteam@peterborough.gov.uk.

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Media contact: Karen Cornish, Assistant Communications Officer on (01733) 452550.