Once again, Everything is Possible and its fantastic young volunteers from all around Europe managed to salvaged enough equipment to support activities of around 35 local community organisations.

More than 30 young people passionate by recycling and music flocked to the Yorkshire to play their part in efforts to keep this year’s Tribfest and Leeds Festival environmentally friendly. They came from Italy, Spain, Estonia, Sweden, Germany and Poland, for a two week volunteering project organised by Everything is Possible and supported by the British Council and the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. As part of their project they promoted recycling at both festivals by collecting cans, plastic bottles and by encouraging festival goers to do the same. When the bands stopped playing at Leeds Festival and festival goers left Bramham Park, they started salvaging abandoned camping equipment left in a good or reusable condition. In return, volunteers received a free ticket to the festival and the chance to discover the British culture.

Clair Brown, co-founder of Everything is Possible, said:
‘’This is a fantastic opportunity to give to young people who couldn’t normally access this kind of event the chance to see their favourite bands while helping the local community and environment. A lot of local organisations working with young people and the homeless, for example, have really made use of this equipment in previous years.”

Around 265 tents, 220 sleeping bags, 300 mats, 200 camping chairs, 110 pairs of wellies and other equipment have been recovered in just one day, despite the rain – much of it in near brand new condition.

Every year thousands of pieces of camping equipment are left behind by festival goers and are collected by the organisation at Leeds Festival. This is becoming an event well known by local community organisations around Yorkshire, and they are now using the expression ‘’Happy Salvage Day’’.

Bob McDougall, volunteer mentor: ‘’We only collect camping equipment in perfect condition to be reused. Many people buy a tent just for the festival and then leave it all there’’

This equipment has been passed on to 36 local community organisations supporting minority groups, scouts, refugees. This year again we asked organisations interested in getting camping equipment to send us their ‘wish list’ of material that volunteers collected. On the Tuesday 1st September they came from all around Yorkshire and even Lancashire to pick up their material. We already received some positive feedback on social media.

Thank you @eispossible for all the fab camping gear! Now we can take 20 disabled young people away on an adventure! pic.twitter.com/pJc1A6RjN5

— ibk initiatives (@ibkinitiatives) September 2, 2015

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South Parade Baptist Church, Leeds – “I’d like to say a huge thank you for running the salvage operation at Leeds Fest. The camping equipment we received from you has already ben used on our church youth camp over. We had a fabulous time”
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Derbyshire Autism Services Group – “We’re absolutely delighted with the salvaged equipment that you and your volunteers were able to source for us.  We are a small charity working with children and adults with autism in Derbyshire, many of whom find it very difficult to go on ‘traditional’ holidays so they and their families don’t often get to experience ‘normal’ family fun times together.  Situated as we are, in Derbyshire, there’s endless opportunity for short camping breaks right on our doorstep so being able to offer our families the loan of this equipment, at short notice and for free, could mean the only chance they get for a holiday together, without spending a lot of money on a traditional week away that might end in disaster and in them having to come home unexpectedly when things don’t go as planned.”
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Mama Africa Rotherham – “I would like to say  a massive thank you to Everything is Possible for getting us the camping gear. The gear will go a long way to help in a project in Africa. Much much appreciated”

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The project was supported by the British Council, the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, Festival Republic, and Tribfest.

As the countdown to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is now a year to go, 3 international youth organisations came with the idea to build on the Olympic Legacy and convince institutions about the power of using sport as a methodology for non-formal education. As part of this project 30 young people from Europe and Brazil will flock to Rio to volunteer during the Olympics.

Three youth organisations, Gold de Letra (Brazil), Everything is Possible (United Kingdom) and Polgár Foundation (Hungary) will cooperate during a 2 year project with the objective to ride on the wings of the Olympic Games and work for the recognition of sport as a methodology for non-formal education. They come from different countries but have a similarity: they all support young people with fewer opportunities, using sport as an education methodology and would like to encourage national institutional fundings to support post Olympics projects and bring sports education to a wider target group, specifically targeting young people.

Clair Brown, co-founder of Everything is Possible, said:

“There is a little recognition of the significant impact on young people’s educational development. Many young people on the edges of mainstream society (having failed in school, experienced homelessness, drug and alcohol misuse or contact with the criminal justice system) can be easily engaged through the diverse mediums delivered through sports education.”

As part of ‘Olympic Legacy’, 30 young people will flock to Brazil to volunteer during the Rio 2016 Olympic/Paralympic Games. They will be in charge of promoting recycling and support disabled and older people accessing the Games.

The three organisations are all based in a country which has hosted or will host Olympic activities: London 2012, Rio 2016 and the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2017 in Hungary. This European funded project is therefore aiming at building capacity and developing good practice giving sport the visibility and legitimacy it deserves as an educational methodology. The ‘Olympic Legacy’ project will start in November in the United Kingdom where youth educators will have the opportunity to visit legacy projects in London in order to inspire the creation of local community sports education projects in Hungary and Brazil.

For more information or to arrange an interview with anyone at Everything is Possible, contact Raphael Harfaux, Visibility and Communications Co-Ordinator.

Notes to editors:

1. Olympic Legacy is a project funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission.