Sport Matters has designed a new youth-focussed initiative in partnership with UNESCO and the Ministry of Youth and Sport in Fiji.
The new project is designed to help young leaders in Fiji use their voices to advocate for youth and sport and become change-makers in their communities.
The ‘Youth Champions for Change’ workshops, the first of which has been delivered this week in Suva, will use sport to foster a culture of peace and inclusion among local and regional youth, working with a combination of young leaders and strong mentors in Fiji.
A key element of the workshops will be to explore the concept of “inclusiveness” in a community context and the critical values which sport brings to community building with participants gaining skills through sport and physical activities at a community level.
Practical sessions will be an integral part of the workshops, enabling youth participants to undertake skills development in the design of physical activities for youth.
Advocacy and access to appropriate resources will also be part of the capacity building work with the group enabling them to develop an action plan for sport as an effective tool for community development.
Mentors will play a big part in the project and 12 experienced professionals, athletes and activists have been selected to work with the ‘Youth Champions for Change’ group in Suva. One of the key objectives will be for these youth representatives to build partnerships and develop an action plan with the support of their mentors.