By Megan Armitage

Youth Sport Trust youth board member Gregory Stevens is putting young people at the centre of decision making in sport.  

The 20-year-old from Bromley saw his life change when he first kicked a football and fell in love with sport aged nine, quickly developing a taste for playing and volunteering at his local club Orpington FC.

But with a thirst to make change for young people in sport at all levels, Stevens recently applied for a role as a youth board member at the Youth Sport Trust.

Stevens is now giving young people a voice in the decision-making policies that affect them and hopes to see his changemaking bring a positive impact on future sporting generations.

"After my first year of university, I wanted to get more involved with sport and saw that the Youth Sports Trust were looking for youth board members," he said.

"I applied and got the role and as a group we all meet to discuss policies that the Youth Sport Trust have.

"If sport is also for the younger generation then the younger generation need to be involved in the decision making so our group bring that view to the Youth Sport Trust.

"I want to see positive change and inclusion. Sport should be inclusive for everyone, whether you are playing or volunteering, everyone should be able to experience the joy that sport has brought me.

"I want to make those changes and give people smiles on their faces when it comes to sport."

Through his role on the youth board, Stevens recently attended the launch of National School Sports Week at Swiss Cottage School in London.

National School Sports Week is a week long annual campaign run by the Youth Sport Trust which aims to champion the role of PE, physical activity, and school sport in allowing all pupils to reach their full potential.

This year, National School Sports Week, powered by Sports Direct’s Monster Kickabout is themed around ‘putting all into football,’ through 60 minutes a day of PE, sport, and play, with the intention of driving up awareness of the Chief Medical Officer’s’ recommendation that children should be active for a minimum of 60 minutes a day to stay happy and healthy.

Youth Sport Trust CEO Ali Oliver was there to kick off the week alongside Stevens and noted the importance of the campaign in getting young people active off the back of some harrowing statistics.

"We know that less than half of children nationally get their active minutes everyday and that really isn’t good enough," she said.

"Those active minutes are vital for a child’s growth and development and it’s a really worry for us.

"The Youth Sport Trust hope to support schools and education set ups in creating active learning environments to make children happier and healthier.

"Whether that’s active travel or active playgrounds, physical activity is no longer just for children with high level of ability, it’s for everybody."

National School Sports Week is an annual campaign, launched originally in 2008 and run by national children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust, to champion the role of PE, physical activity, and school sport in allowing all pupils to reach their full potential.