Develop Life Skills Through Sport for 300 children

In early 2025, BOLA held a selection for the U 17 boys' team to take part in the Street Child World Cup to be held in Mexico in 2026, after sending 10 girls to the Street Child World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Around 60 boys aged 13-16 years old went through 2 stages of the football skills selection process: interviews and life skills observations.

Before receiving the selection invitation, the search for players had begun during the 2024 Futsal Jamboree. Of the 217 children observed by several external program coaches, 67 of them were selected to receive an invitation to take part in the selection process.

After going through two stages of selection, in March 2025, the top 17 were selected to take part in intensive program, consisting of life skills and football skills coaching. Since April 2025, the 17 children have taken part in the champion class, a capacity-building program that hones children's life skills related to digital literacy, financial literacy, and reproductive health.

In the champion class itself, there are 27 other children who are members, including 22 girls. The champion class will run until August 2025.

As an effort of BOLA to support equality and opportunities for girls and boys, on May 18, 2025, BOLA collaborated with the Embassy of The Netherlands in Indonesia, held a coaching clinic and fun football with the theme "Football for Everyone" by inviting 17 candidates for the 2026 Street Child World Cup team and 17 girls aged 12-17 years old, to play together.

In this activity, several participants gave testimonies that equality in football means providing equal playing opportunities for boys and girls, whether they were young or older. Everyone can feel the same joy and excitement when playing football. For some children, this opportunity was their first experience playing in a combined team of boys and girls.

Another interesting experience on that occasion, the present of the Indonesian national football team coach, Patrick Kluivert, who provided motivation and encouragement for the participants to dare to pursue their dreams and continue to practice football diligently.

This year, BOLA collaborated with five other social organizations in greater Jakarta, for the first time holding a girls' social futsal league. So far, 85 girls have participated in this activity. The girls' social futsal league has been running since May and will end in August 2025, with the hashtag that we echo, "Proud to Kick Like a Girl."

In the league, participants not only compete against each other, but they also participate in team-building activities with themes related to girls' issues. The purpose of this league is to provide more playing hours for girls amidst the lack of futsal competitions for girls. This is expected to encourage more involvement of girls in futsal and motivate them to stay physically active.

The girls' social futsal league also provides an opportunity for teenage BOLA participants to become committee members, team coaches, facilitators, and match officials in team-building games or matches. This encourages them to open their minds to other jobs in the field of sports besides athletes, which they may be involved in, such as referees, physiotherapists, coaches, or officials.

Also in 2025, one of BOLA's assisted areas successfully initiated a mini tournament where teenage participants became the committee and those who responsible for the activity. There were 48 boys (U 14) from 4 academies or communities who participated in this activity.

Through this activity, Ishla and Dwi, as representatives of the committee, expressed that through this activity they learned to work together, understand team members, communicate clearly, write proposals, and solve various problems that arise in the context of teamwork. This initiative can be a benchmark for groups of young people in BOLA's assisted communities to dare to take a role in the sustainability of the program.

In the 3rd and 4th quarters, BOLA will hold the 8th Children's Futsal Jamboree with the theme of digital intelligence, agile in the field. This theme was taken as BOLA's effort to promote balance in the digital world and everyday life.

We still need support from everyone to help underprivileged children have better life skills to avoid all forms of risky behavior and optimize their best potential through football and futsal.

Links:

• Piala Orange, Fun Football Embassy of The Netherland feat. KDM
• Girls' Futsal Social League 2025
• Street Child World Cup 2026 Team Selection

At the end of year 2024, Based on the participant attendance data, Program BOLA has reached 726 children (for the whole year) across 13 communities, ranging in age from 7 to 18 years old. The gender composition consists of 81% boys and 19% girls. Among the participants, 526 remained active until the end of 2024, while 200 became inactive due to aging out of the program, relocating, conflicting school or extracurricular schedules, or low commitment levels.

Among the 526 active participants, attendance commitment levels varied:

• 56% demonstrated high commitment (>70% attendance)
• 23% showed moderate commitment (40-69% attendance)
• 21% had low commitment (<40% attendance)

Since July to November 2024, we have implemented the futsal and life skills module to decrease the prevalence of risky behavior among the program participants. The module itself has 13 life skills to be taught related to preventing risky behavior efforts for adolescents. Those life skills are critical thinking, selfregulation, decision-making, healthy relationships, strengthening faith in God, having life principles, setting goals, using spare time wisely, coping with stress, refusing harmful offers, prob lem-solving, maintaining a good relationship, and contributing to the community. After 5 months of the module implementation, here are the cognitive, attitude, belief, and behavior changesthat participants experienced. 

As many as 13% of participants have improved in understanding the definition of risky behavior. The change also occurred on the attitude level which is more participants disagree with the normalization of risky behavior among children and adolescents. The disagreement increases between 12% and 20%. This attitude change affects the level of belief in themselves and behavior to avoid and refuse risky behavior.

The most significant life skills growth occurred (18%) in maintaining a good relationship with everyone around as one of the life skills that can prevent children and youth from engaging in risky behavior. One of the participants’ testimonials could strengthen this data: “Having a good relationship with everyone around us could alleviate our loneliness, give us positive support, and create a positive social environment. We can also remind each other and motivate each other. This situation could help us avoid risky behavior.”, said Resta (Male, 15 years old). Another participant said, “A good relationship will always teach and remind us to do good/positive things.” Elika (Female, 14 years old). 

The second increasing (15%) is occurred in how participants could cope or handle stress. The failure of coping stress is often an excuse to engage in risky behaviors as a form of escapism. Just like our baseline data (took in the 2024), 50% of the respondent said that to divert their stress, they will hang out with some friends till late night, meanwhile 24% of them are choose to date and smoke. The lack of this life skills could bring children and adolescent, easily trapped in the risky behavior. Here is one of the testimonials of the participants about coping stress, “When we can handle our stress by trying to calming down, we will tend to do the right things or positive activity.”, said Samuel (Male, 16 years old). Diva (Female, 13 years old) add, “I can use my free time by help my parents doing the household work or playing with my friends to release the stress. Meanwhile in a futsal game, I will try to play calm and relaxed to getting out from the opponent pressure.”

The following life skill that increased quite significantly (15%) is decisionmaking. In our baseline data
(2024), 30% of respondents said they need more practice making the right decisions because wrong
decisions can lead children and adolescents into risky behavior. “In futsal, we can learn about decision-making
by deciding the right movement to prevent the opponent from possessing the ball. We should decide whether
we pass or shoot the ball. In life, we also can choose the right decision to refuse the solicitation of friends to do risky behavior, like brawling.”, said Debora (Female, 11 years old).

Setting goals is also one of the life skills that increased (14%) in the participants’ daily lives. Just like Gabriel (Male, 12 years old) said, “When we have a plan and know what we want to be or to do, we will think twice about doing risky behavior.” Izul (Male, 16 years old) added the statement, “I want to have my automotive workshop. By having this goal, I will focus my life on this.” When young people know and set life goals, they tend to focus on pursuing those goals. They won’t give up their goals easily to the wrong decision or risky behavior.

The other important life skills that would be useful on risky behavior prevention is self-regulation, such as managing emotion, controlling thoughts and wants. The curiosity sometimes pushes the children and youth to do the risky behavior. As in our baseline data (2024), 67% of respondent who has already access adult contents said, that it is started by their curiosity. They cannot control their curiosity to know about the content and try to find out about it from any media (internet mostly). One of the participants’ testimonials about this life skills, as follows, “For me self-regulation means we can change our point of view, forgive each other and try to manage my anger. Just like in futsal games, we can't easily get irritable if there's friction with the opponent.”,
said Aisyah (Female, 15 years old).

The risky behavior easily started when the adolescent has a lot of free time and have nothing to do with that to develop their skills or capacity. As our baseline data show, that 57% of the respondents use their free time to hang out till late night and 24% of the respondents who were involved in brawls, said do this in their free time. The results of the module intervention also affected on this behavior, which is increase up to 11%. “I use my free time to do some sports or learn new skills. It keeps me stay focus and reducing stress and anxiety. It is also work for my emotional wellbeing. So, I can avoid risky behavior.”, said Resta (Male, 15 years old).

Peer pressure is become another reason why youth could be fall into the risky behavior. As many as 53% of the respondents who smokes in our baseline survey (2024), said that friend’s solicitation is one of the reasons of their smoking behavior. The courage to say no to this pressure is the life skill that youth should have. After the module there is increasing on this behavior up to 10%. “In futsal games, we need to secure our area by have a courage to press back the opponents and retrieve the ball. In my real life, I can refuse the negative solicitation from my friends by tell them my reason. I have my own life principal.”, said Tari (Female, 15 years old), as the testimony to strengthened the number.

Critical thinking is a behavior that should be built to children and adolescents, as a form of risky behavior prevention. Through thinking on the impact and consequences of risky behavior, they will be more careful in decisions making. In our baseline survey (2024), 33% of respondents said that they need to practice more on critical thinking. After the module intervention, there is a 10% increase in this behavior. “In the futsal games, we must identify and analyze the opponent’s play pattern before making our movement decision. In real life, we must filter the information to solve the problem. Before we get involved in risky behavior, critical thinking could help us find an alternative solution.” Hanjani (female, 15 years old) talks about how helpful critical thinking is in life. 

The last significant change is related to the behavior that contributes to the community. The 10% increase in behavior implementation occurred after the module intervention. Here is one of the participant’s testimonies about how contributing actively to the community can save her from risky behavior. “I always come on time in the training session to contribute to my futsal team. In the community, I am a member of the youth organization. I give my ideas as my contribution. I always believe that there is always a positive thing in
ourselves when we contribute.”, said Elika (Female, 14 years old). Another testimony comes from Matthew (Male, 12 years old), who says, “My real contribution is when I can help our friend who faces difficulties. I also remind my friends to avoid the risky behavior. Meanwhile, I can contribute to my team in futsal games by building team spirit and finding a good strategy.”

There is increasing in 4 other life skills, but the number is under 10% (the range is between 5% - 9%). Even though it is not as significant as the nine other skills, from the participant’s journal reflection, we still find some
evidence that shows the changes. About having life principles, Tari (Female, 15 years old) says, “In futsal game, my principal is to trust my teammates. In my life, my principle is to be faithful to God. That is like the guidance for me to distinguish right from wrong.” As Gabriel (male, 12 years old) said, “By having life principles, I will have the goal of integrity and be a trustworthy person.” Regarding problem-solving skills, we have the testimony from Resta (male, 15 years old), who stated, “Good problem-solving skills can decrease the tendency of stress and frustration, teach us about self-control, and build resilience. To solve the problem, we need to identify it, find solutions creatively, have positive thinking, and get help from others if we need it.” This testimony shows how the participants improved their understanding and attitude about good problem-solving skills.

The last two improvements in life skills are strengthening faith in God and having a healthy friendship. Tasya’s (Female, 16 years old) testimony shows that the strengthening faith in God is improved by “I strengthen my faith by learning to understand religion more deeply and doing many good deeds. A strong faith can be a motivation and source of goodness in my life.” Hanjani (Female, 15 years old) states, “By increasing my worship and self-reflection, I can have an awareness of my responsibility to avoid sin.”

Related to the importance of choosing/building a healthy friendship, the participants already have a high awareness, as seen by the number at the beginning of the intervention, which started at 83% of them. Nevertheless, it still increased by 5%. The increased number is also seen in the reflection of the participants, like Samuel (Male, 16 years old), who says, “In a healthy friendship, me and my friends are involved in a positive activity like doing sports together. By having a healthy friendship, I can get positive support. There shouldn’t be violence in the healthy friendship.” Samuel’s statement is reinforced by Tasya (Female, 16 years old), as follows, “A good friendship will increase my productivity and spare me from stress. I must be selective in choosing friends because sometimes their character can affect mine.”

From the post-module intervention survey, we found that the participants’ preference for reporting risky behavior cases they faced also increased for some persons. The most significant increase (42%) occurred in the preference to coach as a person to talk about risky behavior cases. A subsequent increase (22%) occurred in teachers and social assistance. Also, the increasing preference to report the case to the police (15%), family members (10%), parents (4%), best friends (3%), and religious leaders (1%). This data indicates that after the intervention, participants tend to increase their trust in people around them when they face or find risky behavior. Here is the graphic to give the description.

Overall, the participants considered the completion of the reflection journal a medium level of difficulty. The role of this journal for the participants is to facilitate the internalization of values and life skills delivered by the coaches. The following graphic describes the level of difficulty of the journal based on the survey results from the participants.

In 2024, Program BOLA ran a module using a reflection journal for the 3rd time. Although we were facing challenges in getting used to filling out the journal, we are trying to improve the presentation of the module and journal so that the reflections carried out by the participants after the futsal and life skills training remain meaningful and become their provision to apply and improve life skills better. Seeing the positive change in 2025, we will continue to run the futsal and life skills module with a new theme in the training session. Of
course, the changes will be made according to suggestions from the participants, coaches, and mentors.

Links:

• One of participants testimonial about program impact.