Students Give Young People a Sporting Chance

A new initiative sees University student-athletes mentor young people in the community.

Based at The Crags Centre in Dumbiedykes, young people identified through Basketball Scotland's School of Basketball initiative will benefit from one-to-one sessions with their mentor.

The eight chosen young people, aged 11 to 16, will meet fortnightly with their mentor for six months, experiencing a range of opportunities together, including mindfulness and compassionate communication workshops, basketball and nature hikes.

It was wonderful seeing mentees meet their mentors, and begin to build this important, supportive relationship with their mentor. We're really excited to see how these relationships flourish over the coming months.

The programme is a partnership between the University of Edinburgh, The Crags Centre and The True Athlete Project (TAP). TAP is a non-profit formed of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, clinical and sport psychologists and mindfulness teachers, which recently received the World Olympians' Partnership Award for their holistic approach to sport for social change. 

The sporting University students study a range of subjects, from Sports Science to Astrophysics, and the sports they take part in are just as diverse, including Basketball, Cheerleading and triathlon.

This project has benefitted from support from the University of Edinburgh Student Experience Grant Team. Find out more about TAP on their website.