Location

The Birmingham Community Campus stakeholder workshop was a significant step in the legacy engagement and consultation in the delivery of the sport and physical activity legacy pledge of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games ‘to improve the lives of children and young people, in particular from communities of historical deprivation and disadvantage’. 

The workshop was hosted by BCU and Sport Birmingham at the Alexander Stadium, which was the centre piece of the Games during that memorable summer of 2022.

Stakeholder participants discussed, debated and made recommendations as to how community-based organisations can collectively work together to meet the social, cultural, economic challenges that continued to be faced in their delivery to the young people and communities they are committed to empowering.

Since the closing ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Community Campus model, funded by Sport England’s Commonwealth Community Activation Fund has seen the Youth Charter deliver workshops, group and individual consultations, and presentations to conferences on the challenges and opportunities that can be delivered through the holistic and integrated approach that the Birmingham Community Campus can deliver in its ability to map, track and measure the collective efforts along with the effect and impact that sees a more efficient and effective use of facilities both material and human.

Two years on, the Birmingham Community Campus has received further funding for the continued development of the Youthwise Community Campuses that will provide an opportunity for our National Call2Action to see other cities and communities that have bid, hosted and now provided a legacy of hope and opportunity in the lives of young people and communities such as Manchester and London. Active partnerships throughout the Active Partnership network will also be working towards this unique approach in surrounding cities.

Our proposals will also be presented to the Glasgow 2026 Organising Committee and we are liaising with the Commonwealth Games Federation to discuss the commonwealth countries who have already expressed an interest in developing Community Campuses in their respective nations.

All of this work will deliver an ongoing youth and community benefit in the lead up to and including the benchmark of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Finally, we hope that this collaborative and collective approach that comes together to deliver major games can leave a youth and community engagement model and cultural framework that can represent the young people, communities and organisations who are committed to providing hope and opportunity for sport for development for life…