WHAT WE DO
Working to decrease the stigma around mental health in elite sport
Athlete Interactions is just beginning. We are really excited to see where it will go and what it will grow into. At the moment we are focusing on growing our Athlete Support Network as well as brainstorming other project ideas for the future.
If you think you would like to get involved in any way or have any ideas you would like to share, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us.
OUR PROJECTS
The Athlete Support Network is a confidential support service run for athletes, by athletes. It is designed to bridge a gap in athlete support whereby peer to peer support is offered. We respect not every issue an athlete faces is one they feel comfortable talking to someone in their direct support network about. It is supported by a mental health professional, but run by athletes.
Inside the Athlete is a collection of stories where we look at the human behind the athlete, talk about various topics that can impact performance and share ideas through the power of written word. The purpose is to cultivate connection to our readers through authenticity and vulnerability in our writing.
OUR ETHOS
We CARE:
COMMUNITY | ADVISORY | RESEARCH | ENGAGEMENT
COMMUNITY
Through our work, we aim to strengthen and build a community of women and girls in sport, supporting them through our projects. This is currently achieved through two projects.
The first is a Facebook Group for female athletes where they can connect with others to give support and share advice.
The second is the Athlete Support Network (ASN) which is a free and confidential support service run for athletes, by athletes. It is supported by a mental health practitioner who is there to offer advice if required under certain circumstances. The ASN is designed to bride a gap in athlete support. At Athlete Interactions, we recognise not everyone has access to mental health support (e.g. a sports psychologist or lifestyle advisor) and we also appreciate it does not always feel possible to talk to people in your immediate network about certain things, so athletes often just keep their struggles to themselves. Through the ASN we provide athletes with a peer to speak with whose role is to listen and support; someone who is outside their daily lives but directly relates to the athlete lifestyle.
ADVISORY
By providing advisory services, we believe we can create top-down systematic change. We respect the value of governing organisations and want to help them improve practices and policies to be excellent with regards to both physical and mental well-being of athletes. We hope this cultivates happier and better performing individuals both during an athlete’s sporting career and into their life beyond.
As an independent organisation, Athlete Interactions can canvas athletes and truly understand their experiences. We have already collected athlete experiences and formulated recommendations for UK Coaching. We believe improving coaching education can help the current and future generations of athletes.
RESEARCH
We aim to collate existing research and conduct novel research to then identify best practices and make recommendations to sporting organisations and governing bodies.
Through the ASN, we collect anonymised data that shows us the most prominent issues that athletes experience. We aspire to survey athletes beyond the context of the ASN by creating strategic partnerships to achieve this. Our diverse founders and volunteers are the key to reaching diverse audiences so that the feedback we are receiving is truly representative of individuals from all walks of life.
ENGAGEMENT
We aspire to reach out to women and girls in sport to engage with under-represented communities and inspire the next generation across wider communities. We support all women and girls in sport regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical value system, and national origin.
Work in this area is currently in the planning phase due to time and funding constraints. We value Engagement because it will provide women and girls in sport with the community and space to thrive. We plan to run speaking and workshop events with individual clubs, governing bodies and at larger events such as the London School Games and UK School Games.