OK COOL’s Post

When we say ‘community’, what are we protecting? This is the question posed by Emma Warren's fascinating book Up The Youth Club, exploring the deep history of youth clubs in Britain and further afield. It offers a startling provocation that we live in a world that fetishises youth while often not actually liking young people very much. It prompts us to consider how we care for our youth and what we owe them. It’s a stark reminder of the value of providing and investing in spaces for young people during the transition between education and employment, between childhood, adolescence and adulthood. And it reminds us that the prominence and importance of the digital world doesn’t negate the need for physical space - it actually reinforces it. It struck me that so much of this can be applied to the broader concept of ‘community’, and provides some invaluable lessons for brands seeking to partner with communities. Up The Youth Club demonstrates that true community can flourish when: 1. There is a discernible entity to protect or an enemy to push against. The origin of the term ‘club’ was as much about protection and safeguarding as harmony and prosperity. 2. Provisions are made for the community to manage itself. From their inception, youth clubs thrived when club leaders encouraged young people to take control of club management. 3. Physical spaces are protected to allow communities to be themselves, express themselves and create their cultures. If you aspire to help and influence any field of ‘community’, I couldn’t recommend this book more.

⚠️ 45% of independent fitness studios close within the first two years due to membership drops and competition from big gyms and apps. 🤸♀️ To keep your studio thriving, you need a community-driven growth plan. Here’s how to build loyal memberships step-by-step 👇 Personalize member experiences → Use data to tailor classes and communications for different fitness levels and goals. Leverage local partnerships → Cross-promote with health cafes, physiotherapists, and wellness centers. Create referral incentives → Reward members who bring friends with discounts or exclusive content. Host monthly challenges and events → Keep motivation high and strengthen community bonds. Invest in quality online content → Offer live or recorded classes to expand your reach beyond the studio walls. Strong community is your competitive edge! 💬 How do you keep your members engaged? Comment or share your tips! 💪

Sport should NOT be a luxury — but for too many families, it’s becoming one. A new study by Ulster University surveyed 855 parents/guardians across Northern Ireland to understand how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting children’s access to sport. The results are stark: •    37% of children have missed out on sport or physical activity due to cost. •    30% of parents cannot afford the kit or clothing needed for participation. •    35% have reduced spending on children’s sport since 2021. •    24% of families have borrowed money or used credit just to keep their kids involved. And here’s the worrying part: while 85% of parents agree sport is vital for children’s wellbeing and stress management, financial pressures are forcing many to cut back. The gap between higher- and lower-income families is widening — leaving the most disadvantaged children missing out the most. This isn’t just about fitness. It’s about confidence, friendships, mental health, and future opportunities. When sport becomes a privilege, we risk deepening inequalities and losing a generation of talent. How EXsport Exchange is trying to help: At EXsport Exchange, we’re working to make sure no child is priced out of play: 1.♻️ Making sport more accessible and sustainable by encouraging the buying and selling of pre-owned sports gear. 2.🤝 Breaking down barriers by connecting families, clubs, and communities. 3.🌍 Championing inclusion so every child can take part — regardless of background. Because every child deserves the chance to play, grow, and thrive.

We know the value of team sports for the body and soul, but new research shows it is good for the bank balance too. A new Sky-commissioned report (https://lnkd.in/epXuJXvt) reveals girls aged 11-18 lose out on 280 million hours of sport every year compared to boys. That has some serious consequences, not just for fairness and happiness, but for the UK economy. Closing this gap could unlock £6.5 billion in health & economic gains by 2035. Some key findings from the research are: 🏀 Playing sports in childhood is as strong an indicator of women reaching senior roles as having a university degree. 🏀 Girls are being blocked by cost, lack of access, unequal facilities, and even hostile environments. (see our research from last year that revealed similar findings https://lnkd.in/e9XYbKmP) 🏀 Just getting one 18-year-old girl who is inactive into sport yields £30,000 in lifetime economic benefit. What needs to happen: ⚾ Ensure equal opportunity in sports across schools and publicly-funded institutions ⚾ Improve access: affordable, local, with welcoming facilities and equipment ⚾ Raise visibility: more coverage, more female role models, better media representation ⚾ Reform the PE curriculum, uniforms, and cultural expectations so girls actually feel sport is for them. Commercial success matters. But it can’t be the only metric. Happiness. Inclusion. Confidence. Leadership. Those are just as important. If we’re serious about “levelling up”, this is a place to start. It’s not just sport. It’s shaping who we become, as individuals and as a society.

💡 What is the legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics? Good question ... One of the goals was to have a societal impact by combating sedentary lifestyle and reduce inequality. For that reason, the think tank Think tank Sport et Citoyenneté - FR has in their latest edition of their magazine zoomed in on the role of sport as a motor for social cohesion. 📚 In the magazine you can read how Lilia Douihech-Slim argues that regional funds should support local projects focused on creating social impact at the club level. This approach, where existing initiatives are encouraged to increase their social impact, is indeed something I recommend. One of the most effective programs we've taken on in GAME over the past years, has done just that by supporting and capacity building local street sports initiatives across Denmark - something we are looking forward to re-start soon. 🇫🇷 Another article worth reading is Pierre Messerlin's on how inclusive facilities referred to as "third places" are seeing a significant growth across France. He also recommends blended operating models, where funding from minimal user fees are combined with public funding. Again, this is something we in GAME also see as good investment for the cities, as sports as a preventive measure can bring down costs to health care and allow the citizens to thrive. 🚧 🔨 I have also been given the opportunity to contribute with a piece on "Rethinking Access to Sport: How GAME Houses Break Down Barriers" (p. 38-39). For those new to GAME, it gives a good example of how and why youth should be engaged at an early stage, when designing "third places" as Pierre would put it. Especially if the goal is to increase the social cohesion and get more children and youth physically active. The magazine is in both French and English and can be found here: https://lnkd.in/dyG6Cg8e Jon Gerner Philippe Furrer Mads Young Christensen

🫶🏼 “Social capital as the glue for community” 🫶🏼 I was inspired to hear Michael Smerconish speak during this morning’s plenary session at NAHRO’s NatCon 2025. It was an engaging presentation on the lost art of mingling, and the negative impacts that we are seeing in society as a result of this reduced social capital. The key insights that resonated with me were: 💡 Fewer shared experiences are preventing us from connecting with our communities - we are missing the opportunities to connect with one another through traditional channels such as sports teams, local clubs, and the water cooler chat about ‘last nights’ episode of a popular TV show. 💡 Echo chambers (such as curated social media feeds / algorithms) lead to lost connection and the ability to tolerate (and perhaps even accept) other perspectives contrary to our own. 💡 Social relationships are the key to a good life - as demonstrated by decades of longitudinal research that shows that people with strong social networks live longer (into their 80s). Our community housing developments so often focus on financial capital - we need to equally value social capital, and how we can support our residents to establish this within our communities. 👥🫂👥🫂👥🫂👥🫂👥🫂👥🫂👥🫂👥🫂👥🫂👥🫂 🏡 National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) 🏡 Australasian Housing Institute

Sport is not just about fitness - it weaves into many facets of life; from work to relationships, education to shaping our futures 🌿 Recent research by Sky suggested that girls in the UK who play after-school sport are 50% more likely to get top jobs. And yet, a massive gap persists. As their research concludes -  girls aged 11-18 miss out on 280 million hours of sport annually compared to boys. This is not just a personal loss; it’s an economic one - representing an estimated £30,000 in lifetime economic benefit per individual, which equates to £6.5 billion in economic and health benefits by 2035! Beyond the economic benefits, girls' participation in sport is a mighty catalyst for building community and belonging, strengthening physical and mental health, developing leadership and teamwork, and fostering assertive self-belief ✊ So, what's stopping this? Women and girls face a range of barriers in sport from a lack of opportunities, low visibility and representation, inappropriate facilities, and existing social stigmas. At Fight for Peace, we’re committed to breaking down these barriers and ensuring every young woman has the space to be empowered and grow confidence. We do this through a variety of targeted means: from our women-only boxing and gym sessions to our women coaches who actively represent and inspire our community 👏 We are proud to support the latest This Girl Can campaign in this mission, so more women know they belong in the world of physical activity. After all, sport is an incredible tool for personal growth, professional development, and societal benefit. Let's close the gap and make sure this opportunity is equally available and truly representative of all. 👉 Learn more about Sport England's campaign at: www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/move

Great to see Jem Hai's piece in TheMJ today on place-based approaches to getting communities fit for the future. Last week we published two reports sharing lessons learnt through our work with London Borough of Hackney, Sport England and others on achieving healthier, happier, and more social lives through increased physical activity. Visit https://lnkd.in/eEdTMPGH to... >> read our short report, Bold moves, which shares key findings, learnings and recommendations >> read our more detailed report, Activating change, which supports partners, practitioners, and stakeholders interested in place-based approaches to increasing physical activity and tackling inequality

Our Secret to a Studio That Lasts? Community First. Anyone can open a studio and we want to help create and build a movement. At Reset Fitness, we believe the future of fitness isn’t built on flashy equipment or discounted memberships, it’s built on people who feel they belong to something more It comes from added-value experiences, shared connections, and a culture members want to show up for again and again. That’s the difference between a studio that survives and one that thrives. 👉 We’ve unpacked exactly how to build that kind of loyalty in our latest article: https://lnkd.in/dXMDkWNE

It's tough to challenge the sentiment that the spirited energy of a children's football match or the exhilarating momentum of a youth track event harnesses more than just physical activity – it embodies something profound, something deeply woven into the fabric of our society, community. Today, let's unpack the wonderful, yet often overlooked, ripple effect of youth sports on community. • 🚀 Fostering Unity: Walk past any local playing field on a Saturday, and you'll see a microcosm of the community - parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends watching, cheering, supporting. There's an undeniable bonding that ensues in these moments, as if youth sports is gluing the community together. Commitment to a team, triumph in victory, resilience in defeat – these dramas played out in our playing fields, YMCA gyms, and swimming pools are a deeply shared experience within a community. It's a solid thread, unfurling and connecting us all. • 💡 Skills Learned, Lessons Taught: As anyone who has ever participated in youth sports knows, it's more than just a physical activity. It's a classroom of life. Children learn persistence, discipline, teamwork, leadership, and many more crucial skills that extend far beyond the game. They also begin to understand their role within a community, learning respect for peers, elders, and authorities. Community leaders often emerge from these playing fields, nurtured by the challenges overcome, and armed with the values of collaboration, respect, and fair play. • 🌱 Health and Wellbeing: Engaging children in sports early on sets them on a path to healthy living. But it goes a step further. It helps to create a healthier community. Healthier, happier kids reduce the burden on local health services, lessen the crime rates, and can generally make communities safer and nicer places to live. • 🔗 Economic Boost: Not so apparent but very real is the economic benefit youth sports lend to communities. Sports events require infrastructure, local patronage, gear, food, services etc. meaning local businesses thrive and job opportunities grow. This helps build a stronger, more resilient local economy. The impact of youth sports on community is, in a real sense, a ripple effect. It starts small, but as it continues to unfold, the impact grows, reinforcing the fabric of the community it touches. Never underestimate the quiet power of a soccer ball or cricket bat in a child’s hand. The hardened cynic might dismiss the community impact as warm, fuzzy sentimentality, yet there's ample evidence the results are concrete, tangible and pertinent. Does your community utilize youth sports to its fullest capacity? How can we nurture a greater sense of community through youth sports? In a time when connection is increasingly digital and often impersonal, could the playing field be a potent reminder that the deepest shared experience is still, in the flesh, in our collective cheers, disappointments and triumphs?