The Urdd have successfully achieved the insport 3rd Sector Ribbon award, one of the first national organisations to achieve this standard.

Urdd Gobaith Cymru is a National Voluntary Youth Organisation with over 55,000 members between the ages of 8 – 25 yrs old. We provide opportunities through the medium of Welsh for children and young people in Wales to enable them to make positive contributions to their communities. The Sports Department offers a range of inclusive community sports clubs and national sports events to children and young people through the medium of Welsh.

The insport 3rd Sector programme is part of the broader insport project, which aims to support the physical activity, sport, and leisure sectors delivering inclusively of disabled people.  As with the other insport programmes, the programme consists of 4 incremental standards (Ribbon, Bronze, Silver and Gold), against which a series of aims have been identified.  At each standard, a group of representatives of the organisation will be invited in to present their journey so far to an independent panel.

The organisation demonstrate the support for each aim by uploading relevant documents and information to a bespoke portal, and the content of the presentation then serves to illustrate the extent to which philosophies of inclusion have been embedded throughout the organisation, the difference that working towards inclusion has made to them, and to let those involved with sport nationally know what great ideas and practices they have around inclusion.

In successfully achieving the insport 3rd Sector Ribbon award, the Urdd positively identified the commitment of the organisation to inclusion. Examples include, a network of inclusive community clubs and a growing calendar of inclusive national events. Through these, the Urdd has seen a huge growth in the opportunities for disabled children and young people to participate, volunteer, and compete.

As an established youth organisation in Wales, the Urdd have huge reach and potential to continue to grow within this area, with a commitment to continue on their insport journey. Working with Swim Wales and the Welsh Rugby Union, the Urdd are continuing to develop their inclusive event options with a growing offer within the URDD WRU 7’s, Beach Rugby, Primary Festival, as well as the National Swimming Gala.

Fiona Reid (Chief Executive, Disability Sport Wales)

’Disability Sport Wales are very committed to ensuring that sport is inclusive within Welsh and English language physical activity (including sports) environments so the enthusiasm, passion and willingness to do-things-differently that the Urdd have brought to their insport journey has made this partnership incredibly positive and vibrant.  The work they have done so far (which has resulted in them achieving insport 3rd Sector Ribbon standard) particularly within the swimming competitions has had a huge impact not only to the organisation in being able to identify further inclusive possibility, but also to young disabled people who are finding further opportunity within a Welsh language environment to compete.  Really looking forward to working with them as they look towards insport 3rd Sector Bronze standard.’

Gary Lewis (Sports Director, Urdd)

“The Urdd Sports Department is very excited to be working in partnership with Disability Sport Wales on our journey, with the aim of receiving the insport Gold award by November 2022. This work will give the Urdd the opportunity to continue to engage children and young people with disabilities and to grow the opportunities for them to take part in Sport and Leisure activities across Wales”

Tom Rogers (Senior insport Project Officer, Disability Sport Wales)

“Disability Sport Wales wish to congratulate the Urdd on their achievement of the insport 3rd Sector Ribbon standard.  It is a real testament to the calibre of work they are currently doing, and have committed to do in the future, and will ensure the ongoing development of inclusive planning and provision of opportunity to disabled communities in the (sport)”

For more information on inclusive sports opportunities with the Urdd: https://www.urdd.cymru/en/sports/