Commit to recycle kit was created and organised by the North Lanarkshire Young People’s Sport Panel. They identified there was a requirement to help young people within the local authority and realised this would be a great way.
We caught up with Active Schools coordinator Vikki Atkinson on the project, where you can find out more about how it started, the biggest challenges and some feedback they have received from the project.
Can you tell us a little bit about “Commit to Recycle Kit” and how it started?
“Initially the group linked with local community groups who already distribute donated goods to those in need. We contacted one in the North, Central and South Area of the authority. The next stage was to created flyers and create a video to advertise the campaign. We invited every high school in the authority to take part and leave a box to collect equipment and trainers. We started to advertise a couple of weeks before the campaign was due to launch hoping for additional support from twitter and Instagram.”
It’s officially the start of our Commit to Recycle Kit Week!
— NL Young People’s Sport Panel (@NL_YPSP) December 6, 2021
We are looking for trainers and sports equipment that you are willing to donate, and we will then distribute it to those who need it the most. @NLActiveSchools @sportscotland @nlcpeople pic.twitter.com/b7Elq3O3jK
What do you enjoy most about “Commit to Recycle Kit”?
Vikki says that the most enjoyable part of the programme was knowing that they would be helping young people within the local area and potentially providing them with a Christmas present they may never have received otherwise.
“The panel enjoyed creating the video and working with their peers and Active Schools Coordinators to highlight the importance of the campaign. Additionally, linking with local charities and understanding how they help the community and importance of what they do was both exceptionally sad and humbling”.
Emma from the Young People’s Sport Panel says “I loved being a part of the “Commit to Recycle Kit” campaign and being able to work together with the rest of the panel on a new and exciting project. It was a great opportunity for the community to come together and help each other out. I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to spread awareness of the campaign throughout North Lanarkshire, but the support from the Active Schools Coordinators really helped on social media! I hope we can take this campaign further and help more people receive sports kit to enable them to take in sport.”We’re over half way into our Commit to Recycle Kit Week!
We are so excited to announce the launch of our new campaign, Commit to recycle kit!
— NL Young People’s Sport Panel (@NL_YPSP) November 17, 2021
Please watch the video below to learn more about it and speak to your active schools coordinator to find out if your school is taking part. @NLActiveSchools @sportscotland @nlcpeople pic.twitter.com/dyemBpjq27
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
“The biggest challenge was ensuring our message was not lost amongst Covid updates and other promotions running in schools. Emails were regularly sent to schools; a letter was created for HT’s and school staff to send to parents and tweets were regularly posted to ensure the message was prominent”.
Looking into the future, Vikki says that to overcome this issue, they intend to run the campaign again at a different time of the year to see if it makes a difference.
What feedback have you received from “Commit to Recycle Kit”?
“The feedback was positive from all of those involved, one of the local organisers have offered to take all the equipment collected and distribute it to those charities most in need to ensure it is going to the right people”.
Vikki tell us that the impact of the programme has shown that local schools and young people understood the importance and provided an opportunity to give back to the community.
“We received kit from a local club and a collection of trainers, football boots and clothing as donations which have been distributed to Diamonds in the Community in Airdrie and Getting Better Together in Shotts”.
Erin from the YPSP said, “I really enjoyed running the campaign, it felt great to see all of our hard work fall into place and help others”.
What advice would you give to others looking to start a similar initiative?
“The advice we would give others who are planning to run a similar initiative would be to speak to as many partners as you can to ensure the message is being spread far and wide. Have a timeline to work to and have all paperwork ready to be distributed”.