Football Empowers the Leaders of Tomorrow
Despite high rates of economic growth, youth in Cambodia largely remain poor and vulnerable to destructive influences of gang violence, exploitation, and substance abuse. Committed to seeing youth enjoy a brighter future, World Vision partnered with Sport and Leadership Training (SALT) Academy and Phnom Penh Crown Football Club (PPCFC) to start a Football for Development Initiative as a platform for youth empowerment and leadership opportunities.
Youth representatives from two provinces where World Vision works, Takeo and Battambang, will join in this five-day training. The Football for Development initiative uses a mix of sport and life skills capacity building with the aim of empowering youth to aspire to be the next generation of leaders. The initiative facilitates an enabling environment where youth can find meaningful engagement, where their voices are heard and count, and where they can experience being equal partners in development.
William Carew, World Vision’s Youth Engagement Manager says that the organisation hopes to equip young people with the relevant skills to be creative and active citizens and meaningfully contribute to some of the development challenges confronting their nation, such as the fight against malnutrition, and keeping children from safe from abuse and exploitation, adding, “I am happy to be working with a variety of people who have the passion to ensure that young people’s issues and voices are heard and take center stage in their development.”
During this training youth will learn the fundamentals of managing and coordinating football activities in their communities, have the opportunity to understand the importance of nutrition for healthy living and child protection, and gain life skills such as building and sustaining a team spirit that will equip them to take the lead in confronting issues that face Cambodia.
Tom Legg, Phnom Penh Crown Football Club Academy Technical Director, commenting on the initiative said, “Through the delivery of the Level 1 Youth Coaching Course we will be able to support the development of grassroots coaching, whilst also empower the youth coaches with the tools to pass on important life skills to their youth teams," adding that he believes in the positive impact football can have on the lives of young people across the country.
Excited about the expansion of football for development across Cambodia, Sam Schweingruber, Director of SALT Academy said, “For many years we dreamed of expanding our reach and working with more youth in new provinces. We are excited to use our expertise in this partnership to kick-start the Football for Development initiative with the training of the youth coaches and then to expand the initiative across Cambodia.”
Once the program is effective, the organization also plans to engage the coaching course with more than 1200 youth clubs across 9 provinces that the World Vision is working in 2016.