A PROGRAMME to develop the coaching and leadership skills of North Ayrshire’s young people has been hailed a success.

The ‘Leaders Week’ course, organised by North Ayrshire Council’s Active Schools team, was attended by almost 70 high school pupils during the summer holidays.

They were put through their paces by Active Schools Co-ordinators with the aim of creating a legacy of confident young people who can, in turn, pass on their knowledge to other young people in North Ayrshire.

Pupils took part in sports and activities such as netball, football, dodgeball and four square at Ardrossan Academy, and also enjoyed a Positive Coaching Scotland tutorial workshop, highlighting the importance of a positive mind-set and providing the right environment for young people to thrive.

By the end of the course, the young people gained a Top Play Top Sport qualification which allows them to work in primary and secondary schools.

It is hoped the pupils - from Ardrossan Academy, St Matthew’s Academy, Arran High School, Auchenharvie Academy, Greenwood Academy, Garnock Community Campus, Irvine Royal Academy, Kilwinning Academy, and Largs Academy – will use their newly-developed skills to coach younger children from their cluster area.

Following on from the Leaders Week course, an additional four places will be offered to each academy for pupils to enrol in the first year of the North Ayrshire Sports Academy. This will give pupils the opportunity to gain further awards and qualifications throughout the year, including a residential course which aims to enhance the leadership skills of young people.

Bruce McMaster, Active Schools Co-ordinator, said: “It was a terrific few days and I must pay tribute to all the pupils who took part in the Leaders Week programme. They worked really hard, took in a lot of information and showed an enormous amount of potential.

“We are committed to developing the leadership skills of young people in order to create and sustain better sports opportunities locally. We want to ensure that young people have the chance to influence and shape sport in their community”.

“A big thanks must go to Leeanne McPhail of the Auchenharvie Cluster who led the organisation and planning of a fantastic week.”

Council Leader Joe Cullinane visited Auchenharvie to speak to young people and find out more about the programme.

He said: “We’ve got an increasing number of young people who are involved in clubs and sports in North Ayrshire and I’m sure that the work being done through Active Schools has played a part in that.

“I’ve been really encouraged by what I’ve seen today – it’s had a real impact with the pupils taking part. Hopefully, they will now be inspired to share the knowledge they have picked up with other young people.”