More than 100 delegates from throughout Africa will take part in the first-ever African Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, on May 23-26. This event is focused on uniting the African continent under the Game On! Youth Sports banner and providing leaders in their respective countries with a valuable tool to combat HIV/AIDS, as well as drug abuse and crime that are destroying countless young lives every day.

 

Game On! is designed to show the people of Africa the power of sports in dealing with the negative influences young people face in their growing years.

 

“Children need, more than ever, a program to build their self confidence and give them hope, as well as be truly effective in fighting crime, violence, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS throughout Africa and the world,” said Fred Engh, founder and president of the National Alliance For Youth Sports, which is conducting the Summit.

 

Game On! is designed to give all children the necessary initiation into the skills and knowledge of selected sports. Using the success of Game On! in Dominica, a country in the Caribbean, attendees will be given the basic information and programming that will allow them to initiate the Game On! concepts and programs in their respective African countries.

 

Experts from the National Alliance For Youth Sports will explain how Game On! fits into the school and community sports programs in many African countries. There will also be several sessions that allow delegates the opportunity to share their insight and opinions on particular topics of interest with others in attendance.

 

All delegates will have the opportunity to visit one of the schools that have benefited from the Game On! program. The school is called Munali and has a project run in partnership with Sport In Action. Delegates will also take part in African traditional fun games integrated with HIV/AIDS and civic education. Teachers and children of the project will demonstrate various Game On! conventional and traditional games.

 

Several other sessions are also on tap, which will cover the state of youth sports throughout Africa, how to start children out right in sports, overcoming road blocks to developing elite athletes, as well as individual reports from attending countries and discussions on sports in fighting HIV/AIDS, crime, violence, drug abuse, etc.

 

“The environment faced by today’s African child presents a spectrum of AIDS, loss of parents, obesity, hunger, war, boredom, illiteracy and many other stressful aspects,” said Clement Chileshe, the African representative for Game On! Youth Sports. “There is a cry that is increasingly piercing my ears and heart every day I wake up; it is the cry of the child, the cry that calls for help. Regardless of the child’s background and experience I have seen sport provide a safe, fun, educative, interactive and developmental platform. It puts a smile on that child and turns the cry to laughter.”

 

Leisure time is the most important element affecting the youth of Africa. Without the positive influences that sports can provide for children, the threat of crime, violence, drugs, HIV and other negative behaviors stand to destroy the civility of respective countries. Equally important is the health of children. Statistics clearly point to the strong benefits sports play in helping children maintain a healthy lifestyle.

 

The goal of Game On! Youth Sports is to allow all children the opportunity to be introduced to sports by teaching them the skills and knowledge of individual sports through the school system. In addition, to allow them the opportunity to participate in sports under a supervised program in their leisure time.