have we inspired a generation: research highlights

London 2012:Have We Inspired A Generation?Research Highlights

#generation2012

London 2012: Have We Inspired A Generation?

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Young people were put at the centre of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They were one of the key pillars from which the bid was built, being offered a legacy that would benefit an entire generation of young people. But what do young people really think of the Games and what impact did it have on them? These are some of the questions that Legacy Trust UK wanted to answer whilst giving young people a voice in what they think should happen next. To do this, we commissioned specialist research agency Nielsen to undertake an independent piece of research. They helped us to speak both with young people who were directly involved in an aspect of the Games, such as a Cultural Olympiad project, and those that were not. They surveyed over 1,000 16–25 year olds, representing each nation and region of the UK.

Why did we do this? With our mission to support communities to celebrate London 2012 by uniting sports, culture and education at a grassroots level, young people were an important focus for our work. Every programme we funded involved young people in some way, and many were targeted specifically towards children and young people, (reaching over one million over the last four years). It would be easy to just congratulate ourselves on engaging so many young people and move on, but we wanted to see what they really thought about the last four years – were they inspired and what should happen next? In this briefing, we present some of key findings from the research and our reflections on them. A copy of the full report can be found at www.legacytrustuk.org. We encourage you to read this and tell us your views.

“Here on stage, Amber Charles, an emerging Basketball player. Amber delivered our Candidate File to Lausanne last year. And in the audience, 30 of her contemporaries, aged from 12 to 18. Why are so many here, taking the place of businessmen and politicians? It’s because we’re serious about inspiring young people.” Lord Coe, Singapore, 6 July 2005

How do you feel about London 2012?

Key Findings

PROUDPOSITIVE

EXCITED

INTERESTED INSPIRED

OPTIMISTICINVOLVED

I DON’T FEEL ANYTHING

LEFT OUT

BOREDUNCERTAIN

UNHAPPY

DISAPPOINTED

UNEASY

ANGRY

The impact of London 2012 went beyond sport to become a showcase for UK culture, and the cultural offer was seen an integral part of the Games. Many of the opportunities available aimed to support young people to develop their talents and skills. Reflecting this, 65% of young people surveyed said they were more likely to join a local arts/cultural group as a result.

Activities such as music, dance and fashion were areas that young people associated with the Games. Perhaps reflecting their interests as cultural producers and consumers, respondents saw the UK succeeding in showcasing its homegrown talent and rewarding excellence in a similar way to sports.

Key Challenge: This raises questions for public policy on how the UK can support the development of skills of talented individuals. What can culture learn from sports in investing for success?

Culture and Arts at the Heart of the Games

‘The Games… made me feel proud to be British, and I haven’t felt proud in years’ Male, 23, South East England

84% thought that London 2012 made a positive difference to the UK

61% agreed that London 2012 had transformed the lives of young people

70% were inspired by Paralympic athletes

73% have gone on to participate in another project as a result of their involvement

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Success and Inspiration

The majority of young people felt that London 2012 touched their lives in some way; from a shared televised experience to one that brought the magic into their community or place of education. 73% felt that the Games were about more than sport, reflecting wider activities and values.

London 2012 was a resounding success in the eyes of young people, in many cases exceeding their expectations, with 86% agreeing that they were in favour of hosting the Games. A defining characteristic in the research was pride. Young people felt proud that the UK had shown that it could host a world class event, compete and take centre stage.

However, there was a genuine fear that this sense of pride, unity and working together will evaporate and be incredibly difficult to recreate. Participants talked about “not going back to like it was before”, suggesting that the positive experience of the Games is viewed by many as a tipping point. Although not expecting another Olympic and Paralympic Games, there was a sense that something should be done to maintain the national sense of pride and the summer’s ‘festival feeling’; something truly national (or international) which could be accessed locally. What opportunities would continue to be available to them and younger generations?

Key challenge: With future commitments to major events, how can we find inspiring, unifying moments for the nation, and in particular young people?

‘I know that things are not impossible. If I want to do them, it’s not a silly dream, it’s plausible.’Focus Group Participant, Carmarthen

Views on Disability

One of the clearest findings from the research was the impact of the Paralympics. Young people’s attitudes to disability seem to have been influenced in a great way. 70% were inspired by Paralympians and identified with them as role models. The effect went beyond young people, with a similar number feeling that there had been a positive impact on attitudes across the board. Having garnered increased understanding and respect, some remarked that they were proud that the UK had championed disability like never before.

This reflected the ambitions of many Legacy Trust UK-funded projects, which aimed to open up access for disabled people to the creative industries; champion disabled artists and challenge perceptions and understanding of disability issues.

Key challenge: How do we maintain this positive shift in attitudes towards disability? How can we use this better understanding to improve access to events and facilities in our communities?

2. There has been a positive change in attitudes across the UK towards disabled people as a result of the Paralympics

1. I was inspired by the Paralympic athletes

Yes NeitherNo

3. I have more respect for people with disabilities as a result of the Paralympics

‘After attending the Paralympic Games it made me look at my life differently. It made me feel very lucky to be British and proud of the way our country held the games’ Female, 18, South West

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival© RELAYS

Tree of Light© Nick Serpell

Urban Games

© NE Generation



Key challenge: There is huge potential for young people to be involved in their community, and to gain new skills and experience through involvement in cultural or sporting activities. However this raises questions about how we inspire young people to take action without the umbrella of the Games and create innovative opportunities in the future?

Those that didn’t get involved…

There was an obvious perception that distance from London was a barrier to involvement, combined with a lack of awareness. The majority of young people were interested in what the Games had to offer but wanted ways to get involved that suited their busy lives.

More than 50% of respondents wished on reflection that they had got more involved in London 2012 as a volunteer or in a local sports or cultural programme. When presented with a sample of Legacy Trust UK projects, there was level of surprise regarding the amount and variety of activity that had taken place across the country. Having captured their imagination, there was hunger for more involvement and regret about not getting more involved.

Key challenge: Although there is an ongoing challenge of how we communicate opportunities more effectively, it is pertinent to reflect on the aspects of the Games that were attractive to young people. If being a Games Maker appealed, then how do we use the images of last summer’s volunteers to inspire more people to get involved?

The Challenge

The research presents a positive picture of the role that young people played or wanted to play in London 2012, and their wish to continue their involvement in the future. They presented themselves in the research as an inspired groundswell of people, wishing to do more. How do we create opportunities like those offered by the Games and communicate them more effectively? There is a clear legacy for the arts and culture, which comes from improved attitudes, more highly skilled individuals and an appreciation of the arts as a valid career path – but with cuts to funding, will this decline? If London 2012 reframed how young people see the UK, how can we harness its memory? We need to understand what ideas would inspire young people and how they could take the lead.

‘It inspired my generation but also the more important generation, the one after, the 12 and 13 year olds that haven’t found their path yet…’Focus Group Participant, 23, London

Young people across the UK want to volunteer, create sports and cultural clubs and play a greater role in their community. They want to sustain exciting opportunities that feel part of something much bigger. Could this be interpreted that young people’s enthusiasm and skills are not being recognised and supported in their community? If so, how do we achieve this?

With a change in attitudes to disability very evident in our research, how do we retain the Paralympic effect in the future and maintain this positive shift in attitudes towards disabilities? What role can young people take in leading this work themselves?

Those that got involved…

The experience of getting involved in an activity in a school, college, sports or culture programme or volunteering as a Games Maker was a good one. Impressively, 73% of young people would be interested in volunteering for a local organisation (sporting, cultural or other) as a result of their involvement in the Games. This was encouraging as we have seen many pathways for further creativity, training and leadership through our programmes. It raises aspirations and we have seen that once people get involved, they want to do more.

These findings indicate the potential for young people to be involved in their community, but raises questions about how we can inspire young people without the collective experience of hosting an international event.

Young people felt that their involvement was positive, and would benefit them in the future. Those that took part in Legacy Trust UK funded projects cited experiences offering a chance to grow and mature, increased self-respect and confidence.

The drivers for involvement were mixed – as well as the influence of peers, many cited being part of something, such as making a contribution to the Games, trying something new and contributing to their community as motivating factors. Schools or colleges were a popular way of getting involved, as was social media.

As a result of their involvement:

86% are more willing to try new things 78% have grown in confidence72% are more engaged in their community73% have participated in further projects

Involvement has had a huge impact on many young people. Our findings illustrate that a positive experience can be motivational and even inspirational.

Although we had a unique experience with London 2012 and the opportunities it presented, there is a chance to do more. Looking beyond the 70,000 Games Makers that took part last summer, we have a far larger army of young people that are inspired and willing to take part. So how do we find them and continue to inspire them?

Legacy Trust UK invested in communities and the young people within them. In our funded projects, we have seen that young people can do incredible things with relatively small resources, and that they are hungry to do more as a result of their involvement with London 2012. We are pleased to see echoes of this experience in our research findings. These findings offer us a great insight into the potential of young people and challenge us to think creatively about how we develop opportunities for young people which translate inspiration into action across our nation.

Night of Festivals

© Mandinga

Walking© Anne Zorgdrager

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To find out more information about the Legacy Trust UK you can contact us via the following:

t. 020 7033 2450 e. [email protected] w. www.legacytrustuk.org

Registered charity no. 1118809

April 2013

have we inspired a generation: research highlights

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