Coping Through Football (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

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Every two months the Forest Flava Press Gang, a group of 30 budding journalists picked from schools across the borough, write Youth Flash for the Waltham Forest Guardian. This month the subject is knife crime.

Coping Through Football

6:30pm Wednesday 2nd April 2008

By Matt »

FOR many young people, heading down to the park for a kick about is just another average day. But for some it isn't. Some aren't able to play the beautiful game because they are isolated and discriminated against simply because they suffer from a mental disability.

Coping Through Football is a locally run initiative by the Football Foundation and the London Playing Fields Foundation to get young people suffering from mental health problems physically healthier, and hopefully mentally.

It promotes self-esteem and team mentality, all things that will help mental health patients on their way to getting back into the community, and taking control of their own lives again.

The coaches at Leyton Orient Community Sport Programme currently run these sessions and they are supported by health care specialists.

Users of the initiative are already starting to see the positive effects sports can have on their health.

"Making these contacts helps you realise you're not alone. I've built up a lot of my lost confidence, and broken many of the shackles that were holding me in my self-imposed prison," says Jason Kelvin, a user of the initiative.

For more information ring Rory Carroll (Football Foundation) on 0845 345 4555 ext. 4280 / 07710 274 285 or rory.carroll@footballfoundation.org.uk