It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Sports-based youth development (SBYD) programs are gradually gaining momentum globally. As per a Laureus report that analyzed data from more than 60 SBYD programs in the USA, students in SBYD programs are more likely to experience important physical youth development (PYD) practices linked to growth in social-emotional learning compared to those in non-sports programs. Sportz Village’s #SportForChange program aims to empower underprivileged kids and youth to embrace change through the power of play, with a focus on sport for non-sporting outcomes that range from health and improved educational outcomes to social-emotional well-being as well as livelihood.
Dive into the heart of our mission with the second edition of the #SportForChange newsletter, where we share the inspiring stories that define us. As we set our sights on bidding for the Olympics 2036, we’re thrilled to extend our commitment to igniting the passion for sports in children, unlocking their full potential along the way. Furthermore, we’re embarking on an ambitious journey to ensure that 100 million kids worldwide experience the transformative power of play. Join us as we pave the way for a brighter, more active future for generations to come.
Every year successfully adds thousands of children to our tally that aims to get 100M children to play. But 2023 was indeed a year with a difference as we saw our efforts also reaping into producing youth that is not just healthier, resilient, and empowered, but also skilled enough to vie for medals at national and international sports competitions. As India is set to bid for the 2036 Olympics, we are more than excited to continue getting children to feel the magic of sport and nurturing the best of sporting talent towards excellence.
Sportz Village proudly marked a significant milestone – 20 incredible years of spreading the magic of sport. We couldn’t have done it without the wonderful support of our team members, partners (schools, corporates and brands), well-wishers, investors, parents and most of all, the children! Join us on our journey to get 100 million kids to play! It is possible and it will be worth it.
Launched in 2017, our flagship #SportForChange program has been utilizing the potential of physical activity and sports to drive change in public schools. By successfully integrating sports and physical education into the core education process, the program has positively impacted the lives of about 150000+ children in 900+ schools across India, helping us achieve three key objectives- Health, Educational Outcomes & Socioemotional skills + Girl Child Empowerment. In this edition, we cover the latest updates from our two key sports interventions viz.
‘Play’ or ‘Sport’ as a development tool is getting more and more recognition across the globe. We, at Sportz Village Foundation, have been steadily working to make ‘play’ an integral part of the lives children from public schools from early years to be able to build valuable life skills; while also enabling a pathway for talented children to succeed in sports. And this makes us stride between our two theories of ‘Play to Learn’ and ‘Learn to Play’ through evidence-based and proven in – and afterschool programs for Physical Education and Sports Excellence which are currently impacting over 50,000 children across India. We are glad to have organizations support our programs across India, though a major highlight from the past quarter was increased corporate employee-volunteering initiatives integrated into existing programs.
It’s a new year and the same old big mission for us at Sportz Village Foundation, i.e. getting 100 million children to play for a holistic development that they deserve, irrespective of their present social or economic standing! 2022 concluded for us on a positive stride of adding about 50,000+ children as beneficiaries of our #SportForChange programs across India. While baseline sports education with a focus on educational and developmental outcomes in school children remains our key umbrella program, we also successfully enrolled 1000+ student athletes children into sports development centers (SDCs) and high-performance learning centers (HPLCs) as part of the sports excellence program, creating pathways for student-athletes to rise from grassroot to elite levels in various sports disciplines.
Newsletter – July, Aug, Sept 2022
Sport is so much more than just a game. It is a tool for transformation we strongly believe in! We, at Sportz Village Foundation, complete 5 years touching upon the lives of lakhs of children through sports. And it is still quite overwhelming to realize the positive change ‘play’ promotes in children from disadvantaged backgrounds – in terms of physical and mental health, sports excellence, education and academic performance, gender empowerment & inclusion, and youth leadership. There truly is a sense of achievement and pride as we see children playing in our partner schools, Sport Development Centres (SDC) or High-performance Learning (HPL) Centres and as we inch a little closer towards Sportz Village’s mission of getting 100 million children to play.
We would like to celebrate this milestone by acknowledging the unwavering support from our partners in #SportForChange, for incredible authenticity and willingness in creating tremendous opportunities for children from Government schools in various parts of India. Investing in Sports for children sets them to be crusaders in the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the child’s Right to Play as per UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (OHCHR).
Newsletter – Apr, May, Jun 2022
There is hope, now. While initial few months of 2022 still has the uncertainty around new Covid-19 wave, later ones have paved a way to reopening of many aspects of our lives. The biggest change we will see after two years is of schools reopening nationwide.
Prolonged school closures have had severe impact on physical and psychosocial well-being of children; most affected being the children from vulnerable sections of the society. Our focus now is to re-introduce structured ‘sports’ and ‘physical education’ programmes in schools as both are directly linked to improved developmental outcomes in children – at physical, social-emotional and cognitive levels. Global research and our Sportz Village Impact assessment surveys have time and again proved the positive impact ‘playing’ has on children in terms of better health, gender equity and education standards.
With our ecosystem of corporate donors, schools, trainers, parents and children – we look forward to transforming lives through our ‘Sport for Change’ programs across the country. Here’s presenting some positives notes from the past quarter:
Newsletter – Jan 2022
2021 was a roller-coaster. We all have experienced the impact of pandemic-in terms of physical and emotional well-being, economic injustices, gender disparities and more. Individuals, family units, businesses and Governments are prompted to be ever agile and resilient; and to shoulder the responsibility of birthing a new normal that is sustainable.
Sport has enormous power to contribute to sustainable development, social cohesion and even to challenge mindsets and prejudice. With this very belief, we continue to use our ‘sport for change’ platform in partnership with businesses, civil society and the state. Through this newsletter, we aim to inform you about the impact made by sport from our programs as well as around the globe, and enlist your support to further scale this transformation.