The Next Generation: A strategy for investing in the future of children and young people’s physical activity levels

UK Active's strategy paper outlines the commitment to fostering a healthier, more active future for children and young people across the UK through the promotion and integration of physical activity into their daily lives.

The importance of physical activity for young people cannot be overstated. It is a cornerstone for supporting mental health, social connection, academic attainment and improving overall health and fitness. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and provides a vital boost to the mental wellbeing of young people. We also know that active children tend to perform better academically, with improved concentration, memory, and behaviour. 

Beyond mental and academic benefits, physical activity is essential for developing strong and healthy bodies which is vital during developmental years. Being physically active builds and maintains healthy bones, muscles, and joints, and it significantly reduces the risk of children developing chronic diseases later in life. That is why we must work together to tackle the current disparity of children and young people’s activity levels in more deprived areas right across the UK. 
Through this strategy, ukactive aims to create positive environments that encourage and facilitate children and young people to take part in physical activity, irrespective of their background, age or ability. By working collaboratively with our members, stakeholders, communities, and policymakers, ukactive strives to make physical activity an integral part of children and young people’s daily routine, ensuring that everyone can lead a healthy and active life. This shared ambition has a major role to play in reducing the UK’s health inequalities in future. 
To promote the health and wellbeing of the next generation, this paper complements ukactive’s Vision 2030 strategy, which set out a clear commitment for the sector to be ‘fully supportive of children, young people and families to make being physically active a life habit’. To support this, we want to get one million more children and young people active by 2030
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Summary document (1 page)