Saving Lives of African Children Through Sport!

Written by H4H/S4H Intern, Daan Schoenmakers

At the beginning of April the YDF team presented their new Violence Prevention Manual at a 5-day pilot training in Cape Town. The manual was developed in collaboration with the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR). It will soon be launched as an additional life skills component to the existing YDF coach’s toolkit.

The manual consists of several chapters, aimed at empowering MVPs to deal with different violence related themes. It supports MVPs in creating suitable football activities to address violence and conflict in schools and communities. The main objective of the training was firstly to introduce the new module to experts in the field of youth development through sport and violence prevention, and secondly, to collect feedback to build and strengthen the manual.

During the five days the participants explored different themes related to violence prevention and sport through participative discussion and role play. The interactive experience empowered them with strong practical tools to deal with violence related challenges on the sports pitch and in their communities. The participants were also able to give valuable feedback into the further development of the manual.

Soccer 4 Hope was represented by Cebisa Noludwe. Cebisa is an All Star Community Coordinator. She lives and works in the community of Crossroads. As an All Star she leads and mentors 10 MVP volunteer coaches. Cebisa and the MVPs deal with the real violence related challenges that face South African youth on a daily basis.

The YDF Manual for Violence Prevention will shortly be launched as a tool for ‘coach development’ in the Western Cape. 80 MVPs will have the opportunity to attend this training later in the year.