The #BeeWell report provides new insight into the behaviours of Secondary School pupils across Greater Manchester.
Movement, activity, and sport play an important role in young people’s social, emotional and physical development for young people. Yet a new survey shows that only 34% of young people in Greater Manchester meet the national recommendation of 1 hour activity per day. That’s according to the new #BeeWell survey that heard from nearly 40,000 Year 8 and Year 10 pupils in Greater Manchester on their wellbeing in Autumn 2021. The survey also demonstrates a clear inequality for girls and for pupils of some ethnic backgrounds, with only 28% of girls, 27% of Asian pupils and 17% of Chinese pupils achieving the recommended daily levels. In addition, only 26% of young people who identify as non-binary are meeting the national recommendation. Despite this 83% of young people report they feel they have good, very good or excellent physical health, which could highlight a disconnect in young people’s perception of health and the reality of our need for movement and activity.
In response to these findings GreaterSport have announced that they will be launching a youth-led campaign on physical activity and mental health. The campaign will be designed and led by young people and delivered by GM Moving partners across Greater Manchester.
The campaign will be designed to:
Francesca Speakman, Strategic Lead for Active Children & Young People at GreaterSport said: “GreaterSport commits to using the #BeeWell data and insight in all future planning for support and investment with children and young people alongside the national Active Lives CYP survey. This survey provides us a unique opportunity to respond as a system and support our young people to improve their mental and physical wellbeing. To support our young people to move more we need to listen to our young people about what matters to them and work together to remove the barriers to participation. We want to build on the great work taking place across Greater Manchester, and recognise we need to do more collectively. This new campaign seeks to connect the benefits that activity can have on your overall wellbeing and making guidelines more real to young people.”
The campaign will create resources with young people in Greater Manchester to encourage institutions and organisations to embed more opportunities for movement across the day, both in and out of schools. With 67% of young people doing sports, exercise or other physical activities at least once a week outside of school, this suggests there may be an appetite for engagement. The work taking place aims to provide positive experience for all young people to move more, particularly for girls and non-binary young people.
David Gregson, Chair of the #BeeWell Delivery Group Board, said: "With the immense support of secondary schools, the young people of Greater Manchester have given responses to the #BeeWell survey, and in enormous numbers. It's marvellous that GM Moving partners have reacted so quickly to those voices with plans to put in place a new campaign, informed and inspired by #BeeWell data. This campaign will be targeted at raising young people’s physical activity levels in general, and those groups whose physical activity levels are particularly low quite specifically. We are enormously grateful for such a focussed and effective response to #BeeWell, and are determined to support GM Moving partners in ensuring that their efforts make a real difference to the lives of young people across the city region."
Across the city-region, GM Moving partners are looking to build on existing work using the #BeeWell data and are committed to:
If you would like to see more about this work or how you can play your part in supporting our young people to be more active then please click here.
If you would like to know more about the #BeeWell data and the initial findings please click here.
Help Shape the Future of Trans and Non-Binary Inclusion in Sports and Physical Activity
GM Moving recently met colleagues from Active Partnerships, the NHS, local government, and other organizations in Greater Manchester to promote physical activity as a key component of the health and care system.
A refreshed MOU between Greater Manchester partners and Sport England was signed to renew their commitment to working together for the benefit of all GM residents.