GOLD COAST (Australia) - The FIBA Foundation's Mini Basketball Virtual Seminars launched in Oceania and South East Asia last month are in full swing, and the participants have praised the forums after three sessions.

The bi-monthly virtual sessions focus on teaching participants how to plan, monitor, and develop a Mini Basketball Program that includes Basketball as a tool for social change. They are also guided on how to unify stakeholders to amplify the Mini Basketball activities and strengthening the social impact.

Arii Meuel, Tahiti's National Basketball Development Officer and national men's team captain has praised the forums and commended the presentation in the first three forums.

"I enjoy the sessions especially when we have breakout rooms where we share our different experiences around the world. Being from Tahiti, a small island in the Pacific, it was cool for us to interact with colleagues from Indonesia, Australia, and everybody in the forums," Meuel shared."You can tell that there are some differences but basketball is what unites us."

Meanwhile, Paul Ng from the Basketball Association of Singapore mentioned that they are already thinking of incorporating some of the activities presented in the third module.

"The sessions have been informative for us, we are hoping to incorporate some of the activities that will help our programs to be more enjoyable to the kids while also refining our Basketball For Good ideals in the clinics," he shared.

"Based on what we've learned so far, we are targeting a 2-3 day bi-annual basketball clinic, where kids can come in and learn the sport, make new friends, and enjoy the game," he added.

The 3-month program has invited 48 delegates from 20 different National Federations to learn the tools to grow the Mini Basketball movement.

Meuel praised the moderators for their presentations and the pace of forums scheduled for 1 hour and 30 minutes each session.

"The moderators have been great, their presentations are smooth. The 1 hour and a half go by fast, it feels like only 15 minutes have gone by at the end of the session," Meuel shared.

About Mini Basketball:

The FIBA Foundation’s Mini Basketball program is a global Basketball For Good initiative to improve health and well-being of 5-12 year old children and to fight physical inactivity and childhood obesity. It is an inclusive grassroots basketball movement addressed to girls and boys and their parents and uses fun & game based learning. Please contact us if you want to know more about our programs or if you are interested to work with us.