SporTICs for young people in the Plateau region of Togo

Context

The practice of sport, whether competitive or recreational, whether professional or amateur, creates social interaction and conveys universal values (respect for others, team spirit, collective work, etc.). It thus contributes to building more sustainable and inclusive societies. Sport is recognised as a tool for achieving sustainable development goals. To promote education through sport and strengthen the bonds of fraternity from an early age, the Young Talent Built by Sport (YTBS) association has undertaken the implementation of sport and development projects in schools in Togo by working in close collaboration with local actors.

This two-year project supports 1500 girls and boys in three Togolese communes of Anié 1, Amou 1 and Agou 2. Volleyball is used as a means to gather, transmit messages and allow the creation of awareness content by and for young people on the evils (discrimination, harassment, incivility …) that undermine Togolese society.

Objectives

• Promote the values of olympism through the practice of volleyball in 3 schools in Togo.
• Educating youth in media and information for the promotion of peace and social cohesion.

Activities

• Promotion of the practice of volleyball in three schools in Togo
• Annual training in sport and development for physical education teachers and volunteers
• Establishment of mixed volleyball teams in schools: provision of sports equipment to schools
• Use the practice of volleyball to transmit the values of olympism
• Raising parents’ awareness of the benefits of women’s sports
• Detection and development of young talents (players, referees, reporters…)
• Organisation and training for the production of a show on a local radio station hosted by young people
• Organisation of awareness-raising workshops on citizenship and digital practices
• Facilitation of media analysis and decoding workshops: understanding the language, including visual language, used by the different information channels

Impacts

• Empowerment of young people encouraged by their involvement in the organisation of training, awareness workshops and training sessions on the use of ICTs
• Development of critical thinking and soft skills that they can use in their daily lives
• Regular participation in sport by students will improve school attendance and achievement
• Sport will be used here as a real tool for play, learning and awareness of citizenship and sustainable development issues.
• This project will enhance the sport education capacity of volunteer teachers and facilitators

Photo credit : Young Talent Build By Sport