Soccer + Life Skills for Hundreds of Youth

Back in December, the team in Kumba completed another edition of the Super Cup for hundreds of youth in Cameroon thanks to support from FIFA Foundation and people like YOU! The activities began with a city-wide tournament in October and wrapped up early in December with a conference and championship, in traditional Open Field fashion. 

“To me is a moment of joy and that feelings of finishing the line first and going back to my community with a lot of positive energy not just to showcase the trophy  but also to use it to bring more youths to this great and transformative program” statement from the Under-15 Captain after their victory at the Super Cup Championship 2023. 

With a grant from the FIFA Foundation coming in the second half of 2023, the team in Cameroon went to work putting together all of the pieces to implement a community-wide initiative to promote mental health, peace, and social cohesion for hundreds of youth across the Kumba municipality. There was a coaches training and orientation followed bu practice sessions where players learned about these topics from their coaches and members of the Open Field team. 

Competitions followed suit, first in 10 neighborhoods across Kumba - for both boys an girls - and then the crown jewel: a conference at the Kumba City Council Hall in the center of the town. Local leaders joined that weekend to share their wisdom with more than 100 participants. From all reports, youth were surrounding the building, both players and their friends, because they love the program and want to participate. 

After all the success and impact in 2023, more youth participants are excited to join in 2024. Planning is underway for educational competitions to focus on resisting negative peer pressure and saying no to drugs. We look forward to sharing more about this with you next quarter!