The future of mankind lies in the children of this world, because they will take it forward. It is the bound duty of all concerned – most notably government, banking and the corporate sector – to help non-profit organizations bring in the desired changes through the power of sports.

Children are our assets and our future. Every parent nurtures their children in the best ways possible. It so happens that some parents give everything toward their child, but may have missed out on providing an extracurricular sports activity, which is as important as food for a child’s development. On the other hand, most people (and their children) are not lucky enough to give their children the desired and necessary environment of sports and recreational amenities due to budgetary restrictions. By instilling the spirit of sports in children we are actually keeping them away from drugs, alcoholism, criminal activity, HIV/AIDS and, to some extent – arms and ammunition. It is painful to see small children wielding real guns in some countries when they should be in school.     

Now, who takes care of children in their school life? It is the parents and their school teachers. But what about sports? That falls to the parents, coaches and administrators. But who is the motivator, facilitator and provider? The International Alliance for Youth Sports (IAYS) and its signature program Game On! Youth Sports, is a great motivator. But motivation needs to be backed by strong resources and this is where governments and corporations should come into the picture because they have a bound duty and social responsibility to give and contribute.  

What can be more fruitful than starting endeavors through educational institutions since this is one medium where children start their real life, especially when the programs are getting accredited through the International Physical Educational Standards.

Asia and the Asia Pacific region, is a densely populated regions and the rate of attracting social evils and delinquency is at its peak and its likelihood is more prevalent than maybe the other regions of the world. There are also nations in Asia and the Asia Pacific region that are facing insurgency and terrorism problems. The endeavor should be to enrich a way of life and cultivate quality of life through effective sports programs involving children. Furthermore, I believe Asians are some of the best sport persons and if they are engaged in positive sports and given proper physical education, there can be no stopping them. Regarding Asia Pacific and India, the North Eastern State of Assam is the gateway to South East Asia and is in such a strategic location wherein all of Asia Pacific can be reached and which needs to be tapped. South East Asia is where the largest population of children exists.

The best way of giving a positive way of life is to provide and give children the concept of sports in a fun and safe environment to develop positive life skills and make them good, mature human beings. Sports can transform children and lead to a higher quality of life. The best part is catching them young, which Game On! Youth Sports does.

Chiranjeeb Das

IAYS Asia Pacific Representative