Soccer + Life Skills for Hundreds of Youth

A lot has been happening since the last update for our project here at CameroonFDP!

Most recently we held the Kumba Youth League Championship on Saturday, May 28th. The epic event, which celebrated gender equity, brought together stakeholders from across the community. The championship put U-14 boys from two teams, Legend FC and Wumjeck FC, to the test to see who could not only win the game, but more importantly, demonstrate all they had learned over the last season about respecting girls and treating them as equals. These were just some of the highlights related to the curriculum about gender equity that was inerwoven into the soccer competitions throughout the season. The lessons the boys learned before the final championship game were shared with the spectators crowded around the sidelines to watch, through the motivational statements read aloud by coaches and players alike. Legend FC came out victorious in the end with the final score being 1-0. We look forward to the next tournament!

Coach Kingsley, of Legend FC, expressed his sheer joy and elation when reflecting on the final win of the season, noting that it was the icing on the cake, but he is most impressed with the improved behavior and attitudes of his players both on and off the field.

This month we are busy preparing for the arrival of trainers from Coaches Across Continents who will run a week long clinic for about 50 coaches in Kumba. Our management team is recruiting young leaders to join in our efforts to impact lives through soccer!

We thank you for your continued support as we work to empower and educate youth in Cameroon life skills, leadership, health, and gender equity and provide quality soccer programs to improve the quality of life in communities where we work. For the last 6 years, we have tested different approaches in sport for development and peace and engaged more than 100 coaches. As a result of this, we have become local experts in the SDP field and developed a uniqu and innovative model that can reach youth all across Cameroon and beyond. Stay connected with us as we strive toward the next level!

Links:

• CameroonFDP Website

After several weeks of preparation, CameroonFDP youth soccer leagues kicked off last month with great excitement in Kumba and Mamfe. Two members of our staff, Wallace and Caroline, recently completed an online training course from partners, Coaches Across Continents, and were eager to share their knowledge with coaches from the two communities. Clinics in both sites in January and February allowed our team to provide our local coach-mentors with fun soccer games and educational discussion topics on the theme for the 2016 spring season: gender equity.

Along with kick off of the league comes the youth leadership initiative, which provides the opportunity for Kumba youth to participate in leadership training and take an active role in developing their neighborhood. One team already got the season off to a great start with a community service project at Ma Azi orphanage. Players from Legend FC, under the leadership of their brilliant coach Kingsley, joined youth in the orphanage for a clean up of the compound. After encouraging their peers to become leaders, despite their current conditions, they shared a meal together to signify their unity and common goal to grow and develop as the future of Cameroon.

Thanks to your support, we are able to continue to provide coaches clinics and trainings as part of our unique model that creates youth soccer leagues for community development. Since we started this approach 2 years ago, the local response has been overwhelmingly positive! We look forward to continuing to grow this model, engaging more players, coaches, and teams this year. Please stay connected to see what we can achieve together!

Links:

• UN Int'l Day of Sport for Development and Peace is Apr 6th!
• Check out week 3 of the action from Mamfe!
• Sheer joy in all youth as Kumba league kicks off!