Valuing Young Voices at Valleys Gymnastics Academy
Article by Melissa Anderson
Valleys Gymnastics Academy (VGA) is a club that provides children with more than a gymnastics experience. We catch up with some coaches from VGA who tell us their secrets to success.
by Ian Slattery
Having won British Gymnastics' Club of the Year award in 2020, Valleys Gymnastics Academy (VGA) knows a thing or two about providing engaging sessions that see participants returning week after week. But they provide much more than a addictive gymnastics experience.
By creating an open environment full of listening, the voice that young people have in their sessions empowers them to influence and create activities that they want to take part in. That child-led atmosphere creates enormous trust between the children and the coaches, which in turn creates sessions that maximise fun and challenge, while enhancing safety, as children have the confidence to tell coaches when they aren't feeling 100%.
Melissa Anderson, Managing Director and volunteer coach at Valleys Gymnastics Academy , calls the environment,
…enjoyable and respectful, where both parties [coaches and children] learn to listen and communicate with each other.”
Melissa Anderson, Managing Director and volunteer coach at VGA
That highlights another gem for those who engage in child-first coaching: you, the adult, learn more too!
Yes, giving children a voice allows them to create a session that they get the most out of. But it also allows the coach to learn more about them: what they like, what motivates them, what they respond well to. The more a coach connects with the individuals in their group, the better they can support the journey each young person wants to go on.
Melissa is also clear about the way they build choice into a potentially dangerous activity like gymnastics: children can’t pick any piece of equipment to jump on at any time.
Coaches will set up the apparatus, or a new skill, explaining how to safely tackle it. But each child’s turn will be full of choices they make – what shape to take with their body, which type of roll to perform. That way they bring their personality, flair and creativity to the activity, while providing them with a sense of ownership to what they achieve, all of which helps them get a greater sense of enjoyment from a session, leaving them keen to come back for more.
VGA use the Rise Gymnastics Programme and Awards Scheme at their club. Sarah Parker who is Gymnastics Experience Manager at British Gymnastics said,
"We’re very proud of our new Rise Gymnastics Programme and Award Scheme*, which was developed with our community, for our community. It is a fun-packed programme that provides a progressive journey through recreational gymnastics, giving every gymnast the opportunity to shine. Valleys Gymnastics Academy are a fantastic customer-focussed club who are actively delivering our Rise Gymnastics Programme and Award Scheme and are noticing how a child-centred programme improves the engagement, enjoyment and retention of their members.
British Gymnastics have just launched the Rise Gymnastics competition framework which focusses on the holistic development of gymnasts by rewarding through a positive scoring system. This new way of delivering recreational competition will provide truly positive experiences for all and show our commitment to child-centred delivery."
If you’d like to speak to British Gymnastics about Rise Gymnastics Programme and Award Scheme, please contact [email protected].
*Rise Gymnastics Programme and Award Scheme is exclusive to British Gymnastics members and partners.
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