MIES (Switzerland) - The FIBA Foundation is growing the Basketball For Good Family by educating Youth Leaders globally and giving  them tools to create positive impact in their own communities through basketball.

Over the past 4 years the Foundation has pioneered 3x3 Youth Leader centric Basketball for Good projects impacting 20 male and 34 female youth leaders from the regions of the Americas, Africa, South East Asia and Pacific and hundreds of players.

The aim of the Youth Leadership project is to equip the youths with the tools to use basketball to create a positive impact within their communities. Many youths have demonstrated tremendous potential to be future leaders in their communities and within their National Federations.

In a second phase, we are bringing these Youth leaders together virtually in an online program to further support the activities commenced with the previous projects. This will allow them to stay connected and motivated.  

In order to make this program global, we gave European graduates of the IOC’s Young Leaders Learning Sprint the opportunity to take part in the program alongside the Youth Leaders from the rest of the world that have gone through one of the Foundation’s program.

30 Youth Leaders, 17 females and 13 males from 22 different countries were selected to take part in the program.

The program consists of monthly seminars facilitated by Game (https://game.ngo/) and will last one year. Within the training, each youth leader will develop a Basketball for Good program focusing on a social issue to engage youths in their communities. They will receive mentoring to develop their individual project and will be grouped according to chosen topic.

Jānis Skvarnavičs from Latvia said “I am grateful for the opportunity and I am confident that the knowledge obtained in this program will take me a step closer to realizing my own project and improving my community through the game of Basketball”.

This program will ultimately grow the Basketball For Good Family around the world, empowering youths to take active roles in their communities and within their National Federation. The programs built by these youths will address some of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to a better world through sport.

Here is the full list of participating Youth Leaders:

• Sileena Arjune from Guyana
• Danielle Phillip from Trinidad & Tobago
• Branuel Ventour from Trinidad & Tobago
• Pakel Gumbs from Saint Lucia
• Daphne Rakobe from Botswana
• Kiady Rabarijoelina from Madagascar
• Sharo Kaiche from Malawi
• Edson Chambal from Mozambique
• Mantius Amukoshi from Namibia
• Petrina Aron from Namibia
• Jana Malbrook from the Seychelles
• Maureen Manjoro from Zimbabwe
• Kondou Bissiemou from Gabon
• Ashley Khoo from Brunei
• Ruby Ang from Brunei
• Gilberto Pinto from Timor Leste
• Paul Ng from Singapore
• Chin Wan Qing from Singapore
• Tiyana Kainamoli from Fiji
• Lanieta Baleiono from Fiji
• Kathereena from Papua New Guinea
• Jordan from Papua New Guinea
• Linh Le from Vietnam
• Jacqui Dover from Australia
• Daniel Howard from Australia
• Paulina Fritz from Germany
• Janis Skvarnavics from Latvia
• Domenico Barbato from Italy
• Shereif Kholeif ok from the United Kingdom (Scotland)
• Paola Giuntini from Italy

About Youth Leadership:

The FIBA Foundation’s Youth Leadership program is a global Basketball For Good initiative giving youths the skills and opportunities to create a brighter future for themselves and their communities. This program teaches leadership and life skills through 3x3 basketball. The Youth Leaders are supported to create their own community impact project, growing the Basketball For Good family worldwide. Please contact us if you want to know more about our programs or if you are interested to work with us.