Sport can help develop the youth

BY SHIRLEY DUNN & WAYNE GOLDING

Sport can be a valuable tool for the development of young people.SHIRLEY DUNN & WAYNE GOLDING of Youth Unlimited have the experience and evidence for this.

Carmen McNiel, 17, is a participant in Youth Unlimited’s (YU) Rural Youth Club and a member of YU’s female football team.

“Sport is important for young people as it does not only keep one fit but also challenges one in one’s own life. I’ve learnt, experienced and achieved many new things that I never thought would be possible in my life. I’ve had a lot of fun while also learning more about myself, my talents and others,” she said.

Since Youth Unlimited began to implement its sports programmes in 2002, the organisation has noticed a number ways in which sport has benefited the participating youth in terms of life skills, social development and academic performance. Carmen has found that her involvement in YU’s sports activities has helped her to grow, learn about herself and challenge herself.

Research conducted in Cape Town in 2008 by a team from Stanford University in California confirmed this, with the study finding that “sports programmes have tremendous development potential for youth, psychologically and socially”.

Youth Unlimited is a partnership programme working with a number of youth organisations in the archdiocese of Cape Town to provide a range of services and supportive opportunities to youth at risk. In addition to supporting many of the existing activities of its partner organisations, YU has pioneered its own projects and programmes, with sport comprising a key component of many of these initiatives.

YU has always believed that sport can play a vital role in the development of youth, especially the youth-at-risk with whom they work.  Sport can teach children life skills, such as leadership, teamwork and discipline. It can provide them with a healthy, positive after-school activity and promote interaction between youth from different backgrounds.

Local research has confirmed that this is indeed the case, with youth themselves acknowledging that sport provides them with enjoyment, fitness and learning opportunities. Young people have also noted that involvement in sport enables them to avoid social ills, such as drugs, gangsterism and HIV/Aids.

Youth workers have observed that sport has the potential to guide youth and develop communities. They have also noted that sports teach children discipline, provide them with an outlet to deal with their emotions and keep them occupied after school.

School-based sports programmes provide youth with a reason to attend and stay in school and help learners to form important relationships with the teachers who coach sports, providing youth with positive role-models.

Academics have also found that sport can produce more balanced and successful students, and that participation in sports teams can help to prepare youth for success in the workplace.

Here are some examples from the field:

Environment

Last year, Youth Unlimited was asked by the City of Cape Town to help develop a Green Goal 2010 educational school project, as part of the World Cup activities. This involved a poster campaign, classroom activities, drama plays and a football tournament that used the game to explain important environmental information.

The lessons were not only fun, but also encouraged the youth to be more creative and resourceful in protecting the environment. The role and purpose of different football positions and other football elements helped convey environmental messages with the youngsters and encouraged participating schools to identify and implement their own environmental projects.

Empowering female youth

Sport is often identified as an activity for male youth. However, there is an increasing number of females interested in participating in various sporting activities, including football.

As a result, over the past two years, YU has become more involved in female football. YU provides regular training and games, while also ensuring learning opportunities in terms of life skills, leadership and empowerment. This is mainly done through camps, team discussions, and workshops.

The regular training and developmental activities have helped female youngsters to be able to express themselves and their thoughts with greater confidence.  As a team they have become very supportive of each other in their daily lives.

Life skills and volunteerism

One of YU’s most exciting developmental initiatives in sports is the Siyaphambili bonus point programme.

When YU helped to start a football club in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, in 2003, the youngsters were very keen and dedicated footballers, but they were not very interested in developing other aspects of their lives.

YU recognised that football and other sport codes offered a great opportunity to develop lives beyond the game.

Youth football and sport programmes exist in communities all over the world.

Their particular goals and activities might not be identical, but they all share the common link of channelling youth passion in sport towards further development.

Through its Siyaphambili programme, YU encourages and rewards youth to develop their lives through lifeskills, vocational training and community involvement. Teams are given bonus points when they participate in such activities, with the highest scoring teams qualifying for an annual tournament.

The programme has proven to be a great success in the community of Nyanga, among both coaches and players. Through football the youth and clubs have become much needed role-modes in their own community.

Now that the pilot phase is complete, the Siyaphambili programme will be expanded into other communities, schools and sport codes.

Broadening horizons

Participation in sports can also provide youth with opportunities to meet new people, experience different cultures and even to travel.

Many of the youth involved in YU’s sporting and recreational activities have had the opportunity to travel to other communities, towns and cities. This has helped the youth to meet people from different cultures, races and backgrounds.

Some youth have even had opportunities to travel and compete abroad. Through the support of donor partners, YU has sent 16 young people on a football tour through Germany in 2003, and in 2008 a total of 30 youngsters participated in a football tournament in the southern German state of Bavaria. All of these experiences have helped to broaden the youths’ perspective and understanding of life and the world in which we live.

YU’s experiences, the testimonies of youth participants and recent research demonstrate the important role that sport can play in the development and education of youth.

It is therefore a sad reality that the communities most in need of sporting activities lack the necessary facilities and resources.

Schools and youth development organisations cannot ignore the great potential that sport has to develop and educate our youth.