EFL and British Red Cross ‘Club Together’ to tackle loneliness in young people
The EFL and its charity partner the British Red Cross are coming together during Loneliness Awareness Week to launch a Kindness Activity Pack called ‘Let’s Club Together’, a new initiative for schools designed to help children and young people positively combat loneliness by focusing on kindness and togetherness.
The pack, which is free for schools to access, and is available online as well as in print, contains a variety of activities to encourage children to think about:
- How to look after yourself to become a stronger member of your team
- Social interaction with others and the importance of friendship and support
- Promoting positive experiences through kindness
While the pack has launched today as part of Loneliness Awareness Week, it can be used all year round and contains five activities which encourage young people to think about how they can look after themselves and others.
Schools can sign up to receive the pack here.
At the end of the week children who have taken part will be encouraged to wear the kit of their favourite football team, or a colour that makes them happy, and donate £1 to the British Red Cross to enable them to continue their valuable work.
EFL Chief Executive, Trevor Birch, said:
“Football has a remarkable ability to bring people together and the EFL’s partnership with British Red Cross has been about harnessing that power to make a real difference in communities across the country.
“Loneliness can have an impact on people of all ages and from all walks of life and equipping young people with the skills to spot signs of loneliness, both in themselves and others is a vital skill that they will be able to use throughout their lives.”
The Kindness Activity Pack builds on the work delivered during the first year of the partnership which has also seen a new ticketing scheme piloted at EFL Clubs across the country. This new scheme brought people together with other local fans to enjoy a match; helping to reduce feelings of isolation and encourage new friendships and connections.
Mike Adamson, chief executive, British Red Cross, said:
“We know that feeling lonely can have a serious impact on your health and wellbeing and it can affect anyone. There’s often an assumption that loneliness mainly affects older people, but it can be a problem at any age and recent research has found that students and young people can be particularly susceptible.
“That’s why it’s really important to make young people aware of loneliness and how they can recognise its effects, support others who might be having a difficult time and find support for themselves when they need it. We know that when people are less lonely and better connected, communities are stronger and more resilient.
“Our partnership with the EFL gives us the chance to reach this vital audience, working together to reduce isolation in communities around the country.”
The EFL and the British Red Cross teamed up at the start of the 2022/23 season with the shared ambition of reducing isolation in communities around the country via the EFL and its 72 Clubs. With one in five people in the UK currently experiencing loneliness, the work of the partnership has never been more important.
The partnership has also raised significant funds to support the valuable work of the British Red Cross.
