 Game On! Youth Sports, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve the lives of underprivileged children worldwide through sports, recently conducted a three-day training for 40 volunteers in Cartagena, Colombia.The training, hosted by Children International Cartagena, was led by a contingent of International Alliance for Youth Sports (IAYS) staff which featured Arturo Sanchez Alvarez, the IAYS representative for Latin America; Kate Cowan, the Director of International Development; and Kate Dilworth, the International Projects Coordinator.
Game On! Youth Sports is the signature program of the IAYS. The philosophy of Game On! Youth Sports is based on the notion that once children have developed basic sports skills they are equipped with the confidence and motivation necessary to participate in the many physical and social activities that life offers.
The Cartagena training focused on teaching new volunteers the basic principles of Game On! Youth Sports. It also covered how to adapt a variety of sports to achieve maximum participation and motor skill development, how to use sports to teach life skills and how to serve as a coach for a community sports team, among many other areas.
This specialized training empowers individuals, including youth, to assume leadership roles in the program. It also encourages them to play integral roles in the community development process.
The IAYS is working with Children International to develop high-quality, community-based sports league programs focused on life skills development within communities in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Zambia, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Guatemala and Ecuador. Children International is a U.S.-based humanitarian organization which helps more than 335,000 poor children worldwide.
Children International Cartagena has planned supplemental trainings for their Game On! Youth Sports coaches covering first aid, conflict resolution skills, communication skills and sport-specific instruction.
For more information visit www.iays.org. |
