Positive Futures
Positive Futures is a national sport and leisure activities based social inclusion programme. The programme aims to use sport as a catalyst to encourage participants to make decisions for themselves, and to take self-determined steps towards a positive future. Steering young people towards educational and employment opportunities is at the heart of the programmes agenda.
The programme is aimed at young people from 10-19 years of age.
Haverhill
Within Suffolk the project operates in 3 localities - Ipswich, Waveney and Haverhill.
The programme in Haverhill is the smallest project out of the three but still managed to run weekly sports sessions as well as extensive holiday programmes and one-off visits and trips. Recent summer activities have included tag rugby, fishing, boxing, football and street dance. Young people from Haverhill have also been taken to Kent, Derby, Ipswich and Colchester to represent Haverhill and play in national 5-a-side football tournaments. Positive Futures also run the successful teenage kicks football project that operates every Friday evening at Haverhill sports centre (may-Sept) as well as this there are regular sports sessions at the Burton Centre on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. For further information on the project in Haverhill please contact Alan Ott on 07717 290572 or for information on the Positive Futures project in general please contact Paul Knight on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
History and Background
Positive Futures was launched by the Government in 2002. The Home Office provides just over £5 million per year for over 120 Positive Futures projects nationwide. A further 24 projects are funded directly by the Football Foundation to the tune of £3 million over a two year period.
The programme is also supported by Sport England, the Youth Justice Board, Respect, The Countryside Agency, the Department of Health, the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
In April 2006 the Home Office commissioned Crime Concern to take over the management of the programme. Programme data for the 12 months leading up to 30th September reveals that over 48, 000 people attended nationally.
There are currently over 120 Positive Futures projects across the country.
Crime Concern is an independent national crime prevention charity working to create safer communities across England and Wales.