Want to know more about paddling opportunities for young people? It might worth contacting your local Paddlesport Development Officer (PDO), these are professional staff (mostly part time) that work in the Regions and focus on local areas to achieve the aims of the Young People’s Programme.  Their role is to initiate and facilitate activities to promote and support the development of youth opportunities and progressions in Paddlesport. They work with clubs, centres and youth organisations and run a range of workshops and events for coaches and youth Contact your local PDO.  Further information on youth schemes and programmes can be found on our Youth Pages. To learn more about paddlesport in general see documents below. How can I get started? Canoeing offers a wide range of activities, some based on competition and others, less formalised, based on journeying and adventuring. Join with a local group or club - it's more fun, safer, and will help you to master the basic skills more quickly. The BCU publishes regional lists of affiliated clubs who welcome new faces, many running special sessions for newcomers. Activity holidays often include canoeing and this can be a pleasant introduction, or perhaps you'd prefer to attend one of the many BCU regional events, and chat to some of the paddlers themselves. To learn more please see the documents below. Welcome to Paddlesport Click here to download PDF (PDF doc 280k in size) Getting Started Click here to download PDF (PDF doc 274k in size) To dowload Adobe Reader click on the icon below.