The closest region to London and home of the Paralympic Games; the region has embraced the Inspire programme. The South East will host four Olympic sports (Cycle Time Trial and Road Cycling in Surrey, and the Canoe Spring and Rowing events at Eton Dorney) and two Paralympic sports (Rowing at Eton Dorney and Cycling at Brands Hatch.)
We’ve got over 260 projects across our six Inspire themes happening in the South East.
Inspire people
Asa Marshal, Create Compete Collaborate (Asa is deaf and communicated with an interpreter).
The Create Complete Collaborate Inspire project aims to celebrate international collaboration between disabled young people as they work together to build campaigns to raise awareness on issues that affect them. Their goal is to give every young person in the South East the opportunity to engage with young people from another country.
Can you describe the difference between your life before and after being involved in this project?
When I was younger I was really insecure about myself and my disability; I was bullied at school and was shy, and didn't want to be involved in activities with my peers. The journey to regain my confidence was a rollercoaster ride, conquering so much. Working on this project really boosted my confidence and made me feel that I could achieve things.
Tell us in your own words how you’ve been inspired by London 2012, in particular through your involvement in this project?
I think that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are helping to broaden opportunities for disabled people and showing that everyone can be brave and achieve great things even if they have a disability.
Tell us, in your own words, what it means to you to be part of an Inspire Project?
I am proud to be part of the inspiring movement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and feel that being part of campaign has meant that I have inspired people and challenged their perceptions of disability, as well as having been inspired myself to be involved in the project.
Inspire projects
Body Rocks
Project organiser: Creative Sport
Theme: Sport
The project uses the power and inspiration of the Olympic and Paralympic Values to engage with young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and gives them the chance to take part in a unique fitness programme. This programme teaches them skills around fitness training and teaching as well as helping with their self-confidence and behaviour challenges. Participants learn to run exciting, up-beat aerobics classes for their local communities. The project ultimately aims to change their lifestyles and give them the skills and self-belief to return to education, employment or training.
Many members of the Team GB Rowing squad attended the launch and acted as guinea pigs for the young people to train in their fitness routines. Lizzie Webb (former fitness instructor on TV-am) heads the project as teacher and course leader but the day to day teachers are other young people from Reading who Lizzie has worked with previously and who have turned their lives around. They provide great role models for the project participants.
CIAO! Ark
Project organiser: CIAO – The Children’s International Arts Organisation
Theme: Culture
The CIAO! Ark was a large-scale arts and environmental science public engagement project aiming to reframe public perceptions around issues of climate change and low carbon living. Ten Oxfordshire Primary schools worked with scientists and artists to create their visions of a low carbon future and the project celebrated the beauty and opportunity such a future can offer. The project culminated with a five-day event where the Ark was installed in central Oxford, displaying the children’s work and a range of supporting activities and workshops were held for the children, schools, their families and the general public.
The CIAO! Ark was a beautiful, truly inspiring and timely project that had at its core the development of young people, sustainability, pushing of boundaries and community engagement. Using The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a springboard to challenge and create positive change this project had a lasting effect on a huge number of young people who were given the opportunity to learn from eminent scientists in the field of sustainability and made a journey from being taught to teaching themselves (a climate change conference initiated the project and was followed up by a ‘reverse conference’ where the young people made presentations on sustainability to the scientists, local authorities, arts organisations and businesses, including the BBC and Oxford United Football team).
Contact the Inspire Programmer in the South East
