Youngsters part of 2012 games plan

Callum Brodie • Published 15 Feb 2009 15:00 0 Comments

DISILLUSIONED youngsters in the Royal Borough will be offered the opportunity to play a part in the Olympics when the games come to the region in 2012.

Organisers are calling on around 70,000 volunteers to come forward and help deal with the sheer number of athletes and spectators who are expected to flood the borough when Dorney hosts the rowing and canoeing events in three years time.

With competition for volunteer places likely to be hotly contested the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has drawn up plans to present unemployed and underqualified young people with the chance to play a pivotal role in the historic event by getting back in to education.

Speaking at a plenary session for the Eton Dorney 2012 corridor on Wednesday, Paddy Herlihy, South East co-ordinator for the Games, explained: "There are already a huge number of volunteers working in the borough so finding the right number of people should not prove a problem.

What we will be doing however is targeting young people who are not in employment and may have left school without many qualifications.

"We will offer these young people the opportunity to take part in the games if they re-enter college education and achieve set goals and qualifications, if they can do this then they will be guaranteed an official interview and if successful will be taken on as volunteers during the games."

In order to secure an Olympic legacy for the borough Mr Herlihy is hopeful that the number of current volunteers will grow yet further and help benefit ongoing charities and societies already present in the surrounding area.

He added: "What we would like to see happen is an increase in the number of current volunteers who are focused on the games but will, in the meantime, concentrate on joining other worthwhile causes in the area.

"Then even if they are unavailable when the games come around they have already helped increase and advance our voluntary sector."

Next week's Observer will include a comprehensive look into what the 2012 Olympics will mean for residents and businesses in the Royal Borough.

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This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 13 Feb 09

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