Sport conference to create forum

The Sport for Social Change Conference that took place in Windhoek last week has reaffirmed the role of sport-based organisations as effective agents of social change in the country.

The conference agreed that on the strength of scientific evidence and testimonies made at the gathering, there was an increased need for social change organisations in sport to continue playing a critical role in changing the lives of young people through sport.

In recognition of the role played by the various organisations, the conference has resolved to establish a forum of organisations using sport to effect social impact in society.

The forum would be the collective voice of the organisations and would be used as a platform to facilitate and support networks for promotion and empowerment in sport and youth initiatives for social change. A follow-up meeting will be convened in due course to discuss the formalisation of such a forum.

The conference also recommended that the envisaged forum should aggressively campaign for and engage local and regional authorities to provide space for young people to participate in sports of their choice.

The forum, once established, will be the conduit for information sharing with regard to social challenges such as unemployment, drugs and alcohol abuse, HIV/Aids, violence against women and children, economic security and leadership.

According to the delegates, social change through sport can only be effected if there are as many as possible opportunities for young people to play sport.

Acknowledging the call of Deputy Minister of Sport Pohamba Shifeta on sport for social change organisations to play a more effective role in creating social impact, the conference agreed that such change can only be felt if more sport facilities are created everywhere in the country.

The conference was organised by Youth Development through Football (YDF) with the support of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Institutions that participated in the one-day conference were the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC), Namibia Schools Sport Union (NSSU), Tertiary Institutions Sport Association of Namibia (TISAN), UNESCO, Polytechnic of Namibia, Physically Active Youth (PAY), Namibia Red Cross Society, YDF Namibia, Sport for Social Change Network-SA, NFA Women’s Desk, Special Olympic Namibia, Football for Hope Centre, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, as well as the Ministry of Health and Social Services.