BrainWaves Living Well 2026 speaker on: SPORT, WELLBEING AND YOUNG PEOPLE AND WELLBEING: BEYOND SIMPLE ASSUMPTIONS

Is competitive sport a good or bad thing for mental wellbeing? Most schools use sport for fitness and competition, but in this session, Professor Camilla Knight discusses the power of sport as a powerful mental health intervention. 

Key takeaways:

• How sport can be a platform for promoting belonging and agency (both strong predictors of mental wellbeing)
• How to shift the emphasis on sport away from performance and towards connection and relationships
• What the purpose of sport is and what the goals for sport in your school should be

About Camilla

Camilla Knight is the Director of Impact, Innovation, and Engagement at Greenhouse Sports, a youth development charity that aims to ensure all young people have a fair chance at life.

She is also an Emerita Professor at Swansea University and a Professor at the University of Agder in Norway.

She has spent the last 20 years conducting research exploring young people’s psychosocial experiences and development in and through sport, publishing over 100 journal articles, book chapters, and books on this topic.

As a HCPC registered practitioner psychologist and CASES accredited sport psychologist, she has also worked directly with numerous national and international sports organisations, parents, coaches, and athletes.