1st 4 Sport eLearning

 

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FROM SPORT ENGLAND:

A new online training course aims to help coaches and sport and physical activity providers increase their knowledge of mental health.

The course is the result of a collaboration between us, UK Coaching, 1st4sport and mental health charity Mind.

Mental Health Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity is designed to equip people with the skills to support and engage people experiencing mental health problems, as well as impressing the benefits physical activity can have on a person’s mental health.

Mind have provided the mental health expertise, with our National Lottery funding enabling 1st4sport to develop the course with coaching knowledge provided by UK Coaching.

And with one in four people in the UK experiencing a mental health problem each year, our head of coaching Stuart Armstrong has welcomed the programme.

“We know that those who take part in sport and physical activity have improved mental health and resilience across all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds,” he said.

“But too many people struggling with their mental health feel like they can’t take part and get active.

“Everyone should be able to access the huge benefits of an active lifestyle – especially those with mental health problems, as the impact regular activity can have on their lives can be that much more transformational.

“We are delighted to be working on such an innovative eLearning course and hope to see coaches and activity providers widen their skills to help build resilience, confidence and self-esteem, make their sessions more inclusive, support mental health recovery and tackle mental health stigma and discrimination.”

The course will focus on enabling coaches to welcome and support people living with mental health problems into the world of sport and physical activity, as well as increasing their knowledge of mental health problems, applying their learning into coaching practise and making their sessions more inclusive.

“We hope that convenient, accessible training for coaches will ultimately mean more people with mental health problems feel able to get active, as well as giving coaches more resources in their locker to look after their own mental health, as well as their peers,” said Hayley Jarvis, head of physical activity at Mind.

The online course, which costs £15+VAT, is available from UK Coaching’s website, as well as the 1st4sport website, where 1st4sport recognised centres and partners can access the course for groups of learners and enjoy volume discounts.