Wicketz Festivals boosting participation and social change

Wicketz Festivals brings young people from across the country together to play cricket and provide empowering and educational workshops

This article features in our October 2023 magazine. To read the full version, get a copy of the magazine by clicking here.

Using cricket as a tool for social change. That's the simple yet ambitious mission statement of the Lord's Taverners Wicketz programme, established to support young people living in areas of deprivation. 

Through regular sessions and life skills workshops in areas of most need, it seeks to promote positive futures and healthier, more cohesive communities. Integration and inclusion are key focus areas (with representation from over 30 ethnic communities), bringing together participants from wide range of backgrounds and experiences. And participation from marginalised groups is encouraged, too, doing young carers, refugees, excluded pupils, young offenders and others who are potentially at risk of being caught up in discrimination, crime or violence. 

A key part of the programme is the charity's residential Wicketz Festival. They've been created to bring young people from across the country together to play cricket, giving the participants a unique opportunity to spend time away from home and gain access to excellent cricket facilities. Plus the benefit of empowering and educational workshops on topics such as importance of youth voice and dangers of vaping.

This August saw nearly 300 young people from disadvantaged communities attend across three Wicketz Festivals – the biggest number yet. The two boys festivals took place at Malvern College and Worcester University, incorporating participants from across all 17 Wicketz projects across the country. 

The festival at Malvern College is a prime example of what the residentials offer. 55 boys aged 15 and up converged from far and wide (Southampton in the south, Glasgow in the north) for three days of cricket competitions, skill sessions and life skills workshops. A special appearance from Olympic medal-winning boxer Anthony Ogogo was the weekend's highlight. Having experienced a challenging upbringing himself, he delivered a boxing workshop while talking about his story and the discrimination he's experienced. 

Repton School in Derbyshire played host to around 100 girls, with the Royal Navy invited to deliver a series of team building exercises. Leaders of the inspirational Take Her Lead organisation arranged a joint activity that focused on empowering young girls through the sport and encouraging them to use their voice. And Rugby World Cup winner Heather Fisher spoke to the girls about how she has overcome adversity, reaching the pinnacle of her sport while living with alopecia and body confidence issues.

Demonstrating just how impactful the Wicketz programme is, five of the coaches who worked across the 2023 residentials used to be participants themselves, earning employment on the very programme they benefitted from. The residual gain is obvious, with current participants having the chance to learn from those who may have been in a similar situation not that long ago.

In the current cricketing climate, the Wicketz Festivals and programme as a whole are a great example of the sport at its most inclusive and highlight how beneficial it is to make the game accessible to all.

To find out more about the Wicketz, visit Lord Taverner's Website.

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