Freedom Leisure is inspiring young people to get moving – and the results are seriously impressive

BORN TO MOVE™ – the Les Mills program for young people that combines fitness with fun – is helping operators and local authorities encourage physical activity among children and adolescents.

In partnership with Freedom Leisure, one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit charitable leisure and cultural trusts, Born To Move has recently been implemented across local schools in North Northamptonshire, UK, with impressive results.

As Les Mills partners, Freedom Leisure qualifies for free Born To Move workouts, which they opted to share with the local school network to support fitness outcomes for young people. 15 schools in the Rushden area are now using the digital workouts, to enhance their physical education curriculum, assemblies, and after-school activities. Designed to instil a lifelong love for movement, the 30 or 45-minute classes focus on dance, martial arts and yoga fitness, with moves set to upbeat tracks designed to appeal to young people.

Teachers benefit from complimentary virtual coaching, which supports colleagues and pupils in facilitating the classes. Designated fitness leads take part in Virtual coach training, which they can then use to mentor and train pupils to lead classes in school. With classes often attracting up to 30 participants, encouraging pupils to instruct the sessions supports youth leadership programmes, providing peer-to-peer motivation, and boosting their sense of self-worth.

In addition to the in-school activities, pupils at all schools using the BORN TO MOVE™ Active platform are offered a low-cost membership plan at their local Freedom Leisure centre. The membership is categorized into two age groups:

• 8-10 years: Access to swimming facilities at Splash in Rushden and the Nene Centre in Thrapston.
• 11-17 years: Includes the above features, plus gym access at the Pemberton Centre and Nene Centre, with certain equipment restrictions.

“Since launching the BORN TO MOVE memberships, there’s been an increase in 8 to 17-year-olds using the facilities,” says Wesley Neville, Healthy Communities Manager at Freedom Leisure. “To date, 171 young individuals have enrolled in the membership, with an average age of 14 years and the program’s local success has inspired other Healthy Communities Managers within Freedom Leisure to consider similar initiatives.”

The scheme’s promotion has been widespread, involving partnerships with educational trusts and social media outreach. It has also been extended to children in care through the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust.

In addition to increased physical activity levels for the school pupils, stakeholders report that BORN TO MOVE has led to stronger partnerships with education trusts, as evidenced by increased participation in career days. The schools are also working closely with parents, organising open evenings to promote healthy activities and explain the importance of exercise for their children. The initiative has also received invitations to present its strategy for increasing young people’s movement levels at local networking events with other leisure centres.

Feedback from educators and participants has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the program’s impact on students’ fitness, mental health, and overall well-being.

Richard, Fitness Lead at one local primary school says: “BORN TO MOVE has been a real hit. My class sees it as an end-of-day treat. Our after-school club uses it when the weather stops them from going outside to play. For free resources, they are great and add something extra to our P.E and fitness curriculum.”

13-year-old BORN TO MOVE participant Jacob attests to the positive influence the program has had on him: “It’s helped me get fitter and feel better in myself. I’ve found it’s helped with my mental health, because I feel like I’m accomplishing something. My discipline has improved and it’s helping me go forward in life.”

The success of the BORN TO MOVE programs underscores the significance of integrating physical fitness into educational settings and community programs, reflecting a broader understanding that fitness is not only about physical health, but also fostering a sense of achievement and well-being.

Looking ahead, there are plans to further enhance the BORN TO MOVE experience by introducing in-school sessions led by trained Instructors and expanding group exercise classes for young people at Freedom Leisure centres. Watch this space!