Education Cameroon Project #12502

Soccer + Life Skills for Hundreds of Youth

by Open Field

Soccer + Life Skills for Hundreds of Youth

Project Report | Aug 13, 2018
PLAY4PURPOSE Leagues Taking off in 4 Neighborhoods

By Justin Forzano | Founder and CEO

Coach Divine inspiring youth in Metta Quarter

In November 2016, civil unrest began in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon, where we’ve worked for the past 8 years. The instability in our region has caused a lot of uncertainty and harm both directly and indirectly to our staff, youth, families, and other loved ones. Despite the chaos, CameroonFDP manages to deliver on our mission and provide high-quality sport-based programs to youth in Kumba. Here is a report on activities related to our project:

We hosted PLAY4PURPOSE league competitions in 4 neighborhoods in Kumba, as planned, and here’s what that looks like:

- 332 youth played through the season, participating in games/training sessions several times per week

- 43 youth were trained as peer leaders and served as team captains and referees, and lead community service projects in their neighborhoods

- 8 older teenagers joined our network as junior leaders, gaining experience in organizing activities and mentoring from our staff

- 12 youth councilors elected by their peers in 2017 finished out their terms by guiding community service projects in two neighborhoods

- More than 80% of our youth participate in ALL activities in their neighborhood EACH WEEK.

After playing in educational games focusing on the 7 core values of PLAY4PURPOSE, each neighborhood played host to their own championship, featuring a festive environment complete with canopy tents and chairs for special guests, a DJ and sound system bumping melodies across the quarter, locally-made iron goal posts (sponsored by friends in Wheeling and Pittsburgh), and serious soccer happening on patches of green grass and brown earth. What’s better than over 300 youth playing the game they love? The number of parents and spectators watching from the sidelines.

Over the course of 4 championship events in 2 weeks, 224 parents joined us on the sidelines of their neighborhood field to encourage their children while 385 community members joined to learn more about PLAY4PURPOSE.

Over the past 3 months, more than 500 adults joined over 300 youth, to witness first-hand the power of sport to change lives in Cameroon. THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THIS!!

Junior leaders educating their peers at the field.

Parents enjoying as their children learn and play

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Jul 7, 2017
CameroonFDP Participant, Bidias, takes on Leadership Role

By Justin Forzano | CameroonFDP Founder and CEO

Coach Bidias working with his youth

Greetings from all of us here in the field in Cameroon and our office in Pittsburgh! We hope your summer is off to a great start.

A few months ago we launched PLAY4PURPOSE, our evolved model for educational, empowering grassroots football in two communities where we work: Kumba and Bamenda. This carefully-developed approach to 'football for good' has an intentional focus on three key outcomes: health, education, and employability. All three of these outcomes are enriched by the leadership and life skills at the heart of PLAY4PURPOSE.

We were inspired by the transformations we saw in program participants like Bidias, a young man from the Kosala neighborhood in Kumba. Bidias joined our program when we first launched in Kumba back in 2010. As a secondary school student, he joined the CameroonFDP club at GBHS Kosala and was involved in after-school activities for several years. Fascinated by the concept of football for good and the potential for positive change by connecting youth empowerment with the most popular sport in the world, he made sure to participate alongside his peers in every activity we organized.

At the beginning of 2017, Bidias created a new role for himself within CameroonFDP. He joined his mentor and coach, Caroline (a member of our staff since day 1) as a youth coach in Kosala. This time, he was not participating in educational football sessions. He was leading them.

Flash forward to today and you can find Bidias in the Catholic School Field in Kosala every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons with more than 50 boys and girls from the neighborhood who follow his lead. He shares with them what he has learned from and how he has grown through CameroonFDP: how to make good decisions; how to set goals and word towards them, and how to be a leader.

As the first official community leader in PLAY4PURPOSE leagues in Cameroon, Bidias is blazing the trail for many young men and women to follow him. None of this would be possible without you! As we continue to develop PLAY4PURPOSE at Bidias' site in Kosala and grow the concept in other neighborhoods in the communities where we work, we are counting on your support. Please consider making a contribution today or contact us to learn how you can get involved!

Bidias is a coach, mentor, and educator.

When Bidias jumps high, his players follow!

Links:

Our website

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Feb 17, 2017
Super Cup to Empower Women Success in 2016!

By Justin Forzano | Founder

Two teams lined up before kick off

Thank you for your support of our project in 2016!! We finished the year in the best way we possibly could: with a regional girls soccer championship. GBHS KOSALA girls team from Kumba took the Cup after a hard-fought victory over Santos FC of Mamfe in a game that ended with a score 4-2. The Super Cup to Empower Women, our second edition of the event that is becoming an annual tradition, was a success!

The theme for the entire tournament (stretching back several weeks) was empowering women beyond traditional roles.The event was made possible with local support from the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education, as the Divisional Delegate was present to show his support.

Music was booming as a journalist gave the play-by-play over the loudspeaker and girls from other teams were around the sidelines cheering on their peers. The atmosphere was unlike any other I have ever experienced at a youth soccer match in Cameroon.

After the game, girls headed back to their hotel to clean up before lunch and then we packed 80+ folks (coaches, referees, and players) into 2 buses and headed to Limbe to watch the final match in the group stage of the Africa Womens Cup of Nation.

Our girls were so impressed with the stadium and the opportunity to watch Nigeria - the best female football team in Africa for the past decade - play in their home country. They were inspired by the 4 brilliant goals Nigeria scored to Kenya's 0 and will have stories to tell for many years to come.

All of the girls from both Kumba and Mamfe arrived safely home after a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Some of the official delegation under the canopy

Kumba girls raising the Super Cup!

Our girls watching the Africa Women Cup of Nations

Links:

Check out some videos from the experience!

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