The COVID-19 pandemic has had an undeniably detrimental effect on people\u2019s lives, livelihoods, mental and physical wellbeing.\u00a0So, it should come as no surprise that it has had a negative effect on young people too.<\/p>\n
The Harlequins Foundation has witnessed this first-hand with some of their participants, including 14 year old\u00a0Jovana Madarevic.<\/p>\n
Jovana was first introduced to rugby\u00a0through the\u00a0Project Rugby programme delivered by The Harlequins Foundation. Quickly\u00a0developing a\u00a0natural\u00a0aptitude for\u00a0the game, her passion\u00a0grew, and she went on to join a satellite club at Grasshoppers RFC where she played regularly until the pandemic put a stop to all grassroots sport.<\/p>\n
Premiership Rugby\u2019s Project Rugby is one of the game\u2019s big successes, in partnership with Gallagher and the RFU, and recently reached a major milestone as the 50,000th young person was engaged in the programme.<\/p>\n
Project Rugby is designed to increase participation in the game by traditionally underrepresented groups, such as people with disabilities or from ethnically diverse or low socio-economic backgrounds, The programme provides opportunities for them to try and play the game through sessions delivered by community staff at each of Premiership Rugby\u2019s 13 shareholder clubs at more than 200 locations across England.<\/p>\n
Jovana is a great example of how rugby can have a hugely positive effect on the lives of young people in many ways and she is one of the inspirational young people that we will be turning the spotlight on across Round 12 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby (5-7 March) when all matches will be dedicated to our award-winning community programmes that benefit around 250,000 people annually.<\/p>\n
Jovana said<\/strong>: \u201cIf The Harlequins Foundation never existed, I would probably never have tried rugby and it\u2019s a sport I have come to love!\u201d<\/p>\n She has however, like many people, struggled with the isolation of lockdown. The lack of social interaction with her peers and access to physical activity led to Jovana suffering with low moods and finding it hard to stay positive, feeling out of touch with friends.<\/p>\n Jovana said<\/strong>: \u201cI am a very sociable person and hanging out with friends gives me a lot of energy.<\/p>\n “Lockdown meant I felt extremely sad that I couldn\u2019t see my friends, I also felt disappointed because I had just started my rugby journey and was looking forward to seeing where that took me.\u201d<\/p>\n The Harlequins Foundation has helped support Jovana during this time with their virtual rugby HUBs.<\/p>\n James Collins-Clark, Foundation Development Officer,<\/strong> said<\/strong>: \u201cWhen we were able to start up our Rugby HUBs again (virtually) it was a great feeling.<\/p>\n “This meant we could re-engage with our participants and more importantly they could re-engage with each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/em>Jovana said<\/strong>: \u201cI felt very anxious about joining the virtual HUBs because I didn\u2019t know how it was going to be, as well as not knowing or speaking to people for such a long period of time.<\/p>\n \u201cBut when I saw that James was delivering rugby starter packs on Instagram, I was really excited along with my new friends from the HUB.<\/p>\n “We were texting each other throughout the day checking to see if James had been!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/em>The Harlequins Foundation is currently delivering a virtual HUB session each week for regular attendees to join so they can reconnect with the club and more importantly each other until face-to-face training can resume. The sessions offer a positive and safe learning environment that provides young people with structure and the opportunity to develop the essential skills through sport and physical activity.<\/p>\n Jovana said<\/strong>: \u201cSince starting up the virtual HUBs with James and Hollie, (The Harlequins Foundation\u2019s wellbeing coach) my self-confidence has gone up so much, I have never been a big fan of fitness, but Hollie made it so fun.\u00a0I look forward to the HUBs each week.”<\/p>\n <\/em>Wayne Morris, Community & Corporate Social Responsibility Director at\u00a0Premiership Rugby<\/strong>, said<\/strong>: \u201cIt is fantastic to hear Jovana\u2019s story and the way she looks forward to her sessions with The Harlequins Foundation.<\/p>\n \u201cShe shows exactly how important it was for Premiership Rugby to launch Project Rugby and we are thankful for the vital support we have received from Gallagher, the RFU and of course our clubs, like Harlequins, who bring it to life.<\/p>\n \u201cProject Rugby succeeds because it engages and develops new audiences through rugby and stimulate a lifelong interest in the game and Jovana is the perfect example of this.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve engaged thousands of participants per year through the delivery by community staff from Premiership Rugby\u2019s 13 shareholder clubs at over 200 locations across England, providing accessible opportunities for people to participate in the game at a time and place that can be easily accessed by target audiences. We look forward to introducing many more to the sport we all love.\u201d<\/p>\n Steve White, EMEA Head of Marketing at Gallagher added<\/strong>: \u201cProject Rugby continues to play an incredibly important role in bringing communities, teams and people generally into sport. Aside from the physical play of the game, this is about bringing people closer through teamwork and forming lasting friendships between individuals who may have otherwise been left watching from the side-lines.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many ways to get involved, including coaching, volunteering as well as participation on the field. Although the current situation prevents us from being together in person, the switch to virtual engagement is helping Jovana and the 50,000+ Project Rugby participants stay energised and connected. It\u2019s terrific to be part of something that builds communities across the UK.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The COVID-19 pandemic has had an undeniably detrimental effect on people\u2019s lives, livelihoods, mental and physical wellbeing.\u00a0So, it should come as no surprise that it has had a negative effect on young people too. The … <\/p>\n