Collaborating for the greater good

It's always good to see retired national players giving back to society. It is even better when current and former players from across different sporting disciplines collaborate for a greater good. The recent announcement by former Sunshine Girls captain Simone Forbes of her collaboration with other national players to give back to the community is commendable.

Project Gold is an initiative aimed at using sport as a social-development tool for youth in specific communities. Forbes is one of the patrons of the project, along with Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Christopher Gayle, double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and former Reggae Boy Ricardo 'Bibi' Gardner. The concept is good, and Forbes noted that Project Gold is an " ... initiative underpinned by sporting techniques for athletes to shoulder some responsibility to our youths, providing them with hope, inspiration, and, more importantly positive role models".

It caters to 30 children between 11 and 17 years old.

As a pilot, it started in August Town, Forbes' hometown, but will spread across manyother communities, such as Waterhouse and Trench Town. Of the seven objectives, my favourite is "to generate in young people a sense of responsibility and ownership for their actions and to develop their community involvement", simply because it's about accepting responsibility for one's actions.

Main components

Importantly, though, the main components of the projects, which covers various topics and practical sessions, are:

- Component One: I am aiming high: Setting life goals

- Component Two: Run your own race

- Component Three: Lick it fi six

- Component Four: Score it

- Component Five: The cheerleaders

What I like about the project so far is that it targets not only children, but also their parents, hosting workshops and seminars on personal development, parenting skills training, and entrepreneurship. The hope is that this will assist parentsin strengthening and/or developing viable economic enterprises whether in or outside the community. It also encourages them to support their child/ward and creates an impetus for them to keep encouraging children to not only attend the sessions, but to also incorporate some of the knowledge garnered.

Another good feature of the project is that presenters such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, singer/songwriter Alaine Laughton, Ricardo Gardner, Marva Bernard, and several past and current national athletes, entertainers and sport adimistrators speak to the children on a wide range of topics. This is intertwined with speakers on managing finances, conflict management and resolution, sexual health, teenage pregnancy, personal hygiene, and crime and violence-related topics. When coupled with the practical components of learning about the respective sports, the project teaches so much about discipline and teamwork.

This is a project that I think can continue to do wonders for our children. I know there are similar projects by many agencies across the island. Many use sport as key parts of their delivery, but we can never have too many.

After talking to some of the children, I sensed their joy as they relish learning about practical solutions to daily issues they face. Undoubtedly, this will have a positive impact on their lives. The truth is, though, that as Forbes and her team know that an eight-week project in a community may not be sufficient. This has to be an ongoing programme for it to have the lasting impact that the patrons want. They will have to continue getting the buy-in from not just the parents and guardians, but members of the community as these children are also influenced by their environment.

The positive impact of sport and how it helps to develop youth within our communities can never be overstated. So, with each project, the hope is that youngsters see the various spects of sport as an alternative to crime and violence and as a way of improving their lives, as well as those of their families. I am sure the pilot was successful in terms of the goals, objectives, and expected outcomes. There is enough negativity being spewed in our society. It is always refreshing to see our sporting icons using their talent and experience to give back in a big way. Let's hope this project continues to strike gold.

- Dalton Myers is a sports consultant and administrator. Email feedback to daltonsmyers@gmail.com.