When it comes to disability, neurodiversity and other challenges that families and individuals might face, there’s often barriers to participating in programs or mainstream activities. This is sadly common, even today.

However everyone has strengths to contribute to a community, and by removing these barriers not only does it mean that more people can access it, it also means that everyone benefits from having more awesome people be a part of it.

While it might not seem like the first place you’d look, risk taking, in particular facilitated risk taking, is one of the best ways to achieve this. It’s universal and accessible, and at the same time celebrates individuality and teaches everyone to overcome adversity.

Of course there’s natural risk taking, which is important and healthy, but what’s even better is facilitated and guided risk taking. By facilitating risk, we can increase its constructive and positive impacts more quickly. We can help young people to understand their emotions and build strategies to turn them into success.

Risk taking is accessible because it prioritises problem solving and creativity. It doesn’t dictate methods of success, and it doesn’t focus on achieving the best outcome. It focuses on success and growth, which is individually defined.

Similarly, the success mechanics are very straightforward. Success feels strong and typically involves navigating an obstacle. Failure means you’ve probably fallen over/off something/bumped something! This is easy to understand, and doesn’t require specialised knowledge or experience, so learners can start learning right away!

Risky Kids was built from the ground up with this in mind. While we might use moves like Parkour and Ninja to explore this, beneath it is the core objective of helping each young person to find “Their Way”.

The reason that we chose movement styles like parkour, ninja and freerunning to explore risk taking is because they’re about overcoming obstacles, both inside and out, and about the learning process.

The point of parkour is to find out and understand how your body moves, to become stronger by overcome obstacles, not to become strong TO overcome obstacles. Ninja teaches persistence and determination, and to find different ways to succeed and do whatever it takes.

The reasons that traditional sports like basketball, soccer, karate or gymnastics will often have barriers to them is because their objectives are based in the sport. The point of soccer is to be good at soccer above all else, following its rules. Along the way a young person might learn about teamwork and perseverance, but they must do it whilst playing soccer. It also means that the instructors first tools are ball drills and team mechanics, not emotional regulation or cognitive tools.

More often than not, traditional sports manage diversity by creating isolating, “special” leagues which require comprehensive adjustment to achieve participation. This unfortunately doesn’t achieve inclusivity and can exacerbate differences and isolation.

Those who have disabilities or neurodiversity are also often regulated in a way which can be undignifying. Each of us should have the choice and the opportunity to take risks, to challenge ourselves and to learn from mistakes.

To prevent those who have disability or neurodiversity from taking risks is to prevent them from having the same opportunity as the rest of us. In many disability leagues, this is often a large complaint from players! That too many restrictions are put in place for “safety”. Whilst safety is critical, it should be reasonable and achieve a benefit/risk balance.

It’s important in society to ensure people with disability or neurodiversity have the same opportunities for risk taking as the rest of us.

To achieve real inclusivity, you need to create two-way integration. What this means is not that you provide a place for those with differences to participate, or require them to behave or think the same way a neurotypical or able-bodied person may. Instead it means that you celebrate all thinking, all ways of success.

This is one of the most powerful features of Risky Kids and risk taking programs. By celebrating and focusing on exploration and risk taking, you focus on individual success. This means when people achieve success, their way, you’re able to point to it as a community as an example of your values and what makes someone a Risky Kid!

When this happens, everyone becomes valued for achieving growth their way. This isn’t to say we celebrate participation alone though. Effort must be success oriented, however that can look different for everyone. Once this happens, then it creates two way integration, meaning everyone sees everyone as part of the community and looks to one another for strategies for success.

Our team are trained to help all young people to navigate challenge, from the physical parts to the emotional and cognitive components. They focus on celebrating effort and achievement, and ensuring everyone feels like they belong.

A key component of this is seeing each Risky Kid as a kid, before considering any symptoms they may have, whether it be anxiety, hypersensitivity or developmental delays. The fear, anxiety and frustration that can accompany facing challenges and navigating risks are universal, and by seeing this first and addressing it, it often means many of the challenges of disability or neurodiversity don’t emerge.

This creates a compounding effect, with young people feeling more resilient, more confident and like they belong. Something we all deserve.