Sportlink has been running since May 2002, with the aim to promote social inclusion by facilitating participation in a wide range of sporting activities by members of the following target groups:

• Disaffected and disadvantaged young people between 11-19
• Young people with disabilities aged 11-25
• Girls and young women aged between 11-25

The intention of the project is to provide young people with the opportunity to participate in sport, consequently developing their self-motivation and social skills to assist with their integration into mainstream education or the world of work. The project focuses on young people who are disadvantaged or at risk in society.

These young people may exhibit low self-esteem or poor social skills, be at risk of exclusion, offending or substance misuse. The young people are usually referred to the project by external agencies such as Connexions, Youth Offending Team, YZUP, WILD young parents project and Lizard Pathways.

The Sportlink project works with the young person to remove the barriers they face to participating in sport. This can be all or any of the following:

• Someone to go with and take part with
• Someone to advocate with the clubs on behalf of the young person
• Transport
• The cost of taking part

The core work of Sportlink is done on a one-to-one basis and usually involves the following process:

• Initial Meeting with the young person to discuss their interests. The worker then liaises with the sport club
• Taster session in their chosen sport, usually the young person will be accompanied by a project worker or volunteer, this can be a one off or for a period of time decided between the worker and young person
• Young person continues to participate in their chosen sport and regular contact is maintained, young person completes reviews to monitor their progress
• Once the young person feels confident enough to participate without the assistance of the Sportlink project, an evaluation is done

In addition to the one-to-one work, Sportlink organises and facilitates a number of group activities, in particular a Summer Sports Initiative. This scheme works with a group of young people two days a week for five weeks during the summer holidays. The young people are given the opportunity to experience a wide variety of sports and outdoor activities and usually work towards achieving an accreditation such as 'The Cornwall Award'.