Sports for the Tribal Children

Dr.John Joseph Foundation runs two sports development projects.

• Partnership with Onside Soccer UK- This project is carried out at Emma Foulger School which is a government-aided school in Chennai for less fortunate children. Here, we train about 75 children in football free of cost. Few of the children who have been trained by us have already started playing in tournaments.
• Soccer training in Sembedu- Thiruvallur, Chennai- Moreover, we promote soccer training for the children in the tribal village at Sembedu-Thiruvallur district, Chennai. This project was started last year with some help from Sir Stanley Mathew Foundation UK. Due to financial constraints, they were not able to fund the entire project. Limited funding is making it difficult for us to continue this project, disappointing many tribal children who are attending the football sessions regularly. The area we have chosen accommodates most of the Tribal/ SC/ST communities. Amongst the children in these communities, around 30-40% still don't attend school. This free soccer training has gained the interest in the kids who were not going to school. Soccer has taught them the importance of education, increasing their attendance in the school.

To achieve this aim our funding requirements for about 75 children for the year are as follow-

• Maintenance of the ground cost
• Soccer equipment and playing accessories
• The coaching staff and fees
• Travel & conveyance
• Nutritional requirements
• Tournament expenses every quarter

Our vision is to give these tribal children a hope for the future and a sense of stability in their lives. We would like to encourage these tribal children and children from the surrounding areas to take part in our football coaching sessions. We would also like to provide nutritious and healthy snacks during these coaching sessions.

Young people should not be excluded from participating in sport due to their financial circumstances or sporting ability. Not every youngster will reach the top level of their chosen sport, but everyone can be benefited from the fitness, sportsmanship, perseverance, and other skills that are fostered when they take part in sports.

The project will require certain sports equipment as mentioned below-

• Boots, jerseys & Training kits for soccer
• Equipment's: Traffic Cones, Flat cones, Medium cones, 30 footballs, 4 detachable goalposts
• Transportation of the kids from the village to the field

Currently, we have planned that 70 children will attend our training program. After a year, we will be selecting 40 committed players who will be moved to the next level of training, while the remaining players will continue with their existing training sessions. In the second year, 20 students amongst the 40 will be selected to participate in various tournaments across the country. In the third year, the next batch of students will be admitted to be the part of the ongoing project which will be followed by a similar selection procedure.

As per UNICEF 'Sports for Development Campaign' it states - play in all its forms is the right of every child. Through play, children explore, invent and create. By play, they gain confidence in their own abilities.

We are committed to bringing a change in the participation of these children in sports. We wish to bring a change in the following ways-

•  Provide sustainable recreational, cultural and wellness opportunities through soccer training.
• ·Encourage networking, partnerships, and friendships
• ·Provide training & a template that includes wellness
• ·Investing in youth, building a solid foundation by maximizing their potential and opportunities
•  Offer development and recognition of talent and establish exchange programs
•  The kids are trained and equipped as a professional footballer
• ·Sponsorship would help identify outstanding players. Proper attention and professional training would be paid to elevate such players by the foundation
• ·Trainees can realize that sports can help them build their future and it would also guide them to stay away from malpractices.
• ·The foundation expects to build lasting ties with various stakeholders with whom the future of our kids may be made brighter.
• A sense of responsibility would be instilled, which shall then have an overall effect on their day to day activities. By the end of the training activities, the trainees would emerge as people who respect the notion of “Common Good” which is a prerequisite for future nation builders.
• Through football, we are trying to inculcate in young children the benefits of fitness, perseverance, sportsmanship and team spirit