BrabantSport Fund and Youth Fund Sport & Culture Brabant join forces in the fight against (exercise) poverty | 18 January 2024
BrabantSport Fund and Youth Fund Sport & Culture Brabant join forces in the fight against (exercise) poverty
In the Netherlands, 1 in 11 children grows up in poverty, and approximately 13% of children between the ages of 4 and 17 are overweight, 3% of whom are severely overweight. These two problems are inextricably linked. Children from families with limited financial resources eat less healthily and often cannot afford to join a sports club or association. The BrabantSport Fund, together with the Brabant Youth Fund for Sports and Culture, aims to reverse both trends.
Long-term impact
In November, the BrabantSport Fund, together with its partners, organized "De Spelen," a sporting event for primary school children from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Over 300 children were introduced to Olympic sports such as sumo wrestling, football, judo, athletics, tennis, relay races, and much more. The BrabantSport Fund strives for large-scale and long-term impact. Director of Social Affairs Marieke Maas explains how the partnership with the Brabant Youth Fund for Sport & Culture will help achieve this: "We are currently running 40 social projects, and we want to know upfront that we are having a lasting impact. We want every child who is inspired to play sports by one of our projects to be able to join a club. Our partnership with the Brabant Youth Fund for Sport & Culture allows us to achieve this, because we can now offer these children membership."
Vitality and inclusivity
In Brabant, approximately 45,000 children grow up in poverty. Sports and exercise, being part of a club, and participating with peers—the BrabantSport Fund believes every child has the right to this. The partnership with the Brabant Youth Fund for Sports and Culture contributes to the vitality and inclusivity of Brabant's youth. Peter Overeem, coordinator of the Brabant Youth Fund for Sports and Culture, explains: "By allowing children and young people to participate in sports at a club, they are at the heart of society and can tell their classmates after the weekend that they also had a great experience."
The BrabantSport Fund offers us a warm network of relevant parties and a wealth of great events where our target group is active.
Greater reach through collaboration
However, it's not always easy to reach children from low-income families. Poverty is still a taboo topic. Peter Overeem agrees: "People need to know about us so we can help them. That's why we're constantly working on our profile and need the right intermediaries to reach our target audience. The BrabantSport Fund offers us a warm network of relevant parties and a wealth of community sporting events where our target audience is active. I hope we can run great projects together and get more children involved in sports clubs," says Peter.
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