In collaboration with our partners Sporting Chance, our Community Sports Development program aims to unite 250 boys and girls under the age of 15 from three disadvantaged communities to participate in street cricket, soccer, and netball tournaments (while employing 30 young men and women to manage these tournaments as community member facilitators from the 3 communities).
Short Term: Too often in these communities, children are left unsupervised after school, before their parents or carers come home after work. The added value of positive role models and mentors found in the coaches, older children and community member facilitators reinforces the positive influence sport can have in a child’s life.
Long Term: Introducing sports to children from an early age will help to develop long term healthy habits and enhance their social skills and abilities. Sport helps to educate children about teamwork, discipline and time management, all valuable for success in education and other aspects of life. Furthermore, sport positively influences the children in growing up to become competent and confident citizens.
- 2017: We held an Community Sports Development inter-school netball and soccer competition between the two township communities of Langa and Khayelitsha. We also held a 7-week long street sports tournament between three communities (Khayelitsha, Langa and Masiphumelele) that included soccer and cricket competitions.
- 2018: We hosted our third annual inter-streets competition where three different schools came together mid-year and competed for the winner spot in soccer and cricket. Additionally, in October- November, we successfully hosted our annual 7-week long Street Sports Tournament bringing together a total of 280 children from three communities. This year the tournament included soccer, cricket, and for the first time, netball, which increased the number of girls participating in our street sports programme. We were also able to raise funds to contribute to paying 36 local community sports development coaches, purchase 50 colourful T-shirts for the coaches and 280 T-shirts for the children participating in the sports tournament. These events aim to bring friendly competition and form a sense of togetherness between the usually much divided communities. It also creates the space for children involved to experience the skills associated with team sports and an income and experience for the coaches.
- 2019: The fundraising focus will be to expand the tournament with our partners to ensure the furthest reach possible.
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