The Sunday News
Bruce Chimani Sports Correspondent
WHILE sport can be manifestly associated with running around a field either with a ball or any other equipment, the Sports and Recreation Commission’s Youth Education Through Sport Games have proven otherwise.Incepted in 1999, the YES Games’ major mandate is to impart life skills to the youthful athletes using sport as a platform.
The YES programme is anchored on three components, namely sport, peer education and community service. The three components have an equal in weighting in the competitions for the ultimate result of the winning teams with points awarded on an equal basis.
The programme covers the country’s 10 provinces and in implementing the project the Sports and Recreation Commission has enlisted the services of technical and funding partners who include the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympics Committee and Confederation of Sport (NIF), Unicef Zimbabwe, National Aids Council, Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, Child Line Zimbabwe, Forestry Commission and Plan Zimbabwe.
Although the national finals will not be held as was scheduled in December due to the much awaited Under-20 Region 5 Youth Games, Bulawayo province held its provincial finals two weeks ago at Northlea High School – an event which the Bulawayo chapter of the SRC hailed as a resounding success.
A total of 24 teams participated in the games.
The programme saw Mgoqo dominating the girls’ football and netball bits while Eveline Wildcats continued their domination of the girls’ volleyball segment with Josiah Chinamano boys dominating the boys section of the sport.
The well attended event saw the five districts of Bulawayo competing in the three categories, sport, peer education and community projects. The schools presented their works in files.
SRC Bulawayo provincial co-ordinator Sam Dzvimbu said: “We have definitely seen a great improvement in all aspects of this year’s programme. Teams seemed very much more organised in their presentation and general organisation.
“One of the main mandates of this programme is to equip young people in every way — they do everything on their own – not just the playing of the sports but also the community projects and peer education.
“You will also notice that of four of the five teams that we took to Masvingo for the YES programme last year retained their poll positions except Magwegwe which did not make it to these provincial finals this year.”
Dzvimbu also highlighted the issue of capacity building which the provincial body will focus on in light of the Games’ objective of building up youngsters.
“What we endeavour to do from now is to have the various sports governing bodies at local level training the very same youngsters to officiate the Games themselves. For example, we would want to partner the local body of the Zimbabwe Football Association and have them train some of the youngsters in officiating matches such that in the next competitions it will be a matter of them doing it all by themselves as pupils and thereby we achieve the aims of this project.
“It is our belief that the national body might also consider this route,” said Dzvimbu.
Another important component of the YES Games is the tree-planting as the national finals are always on the first week of every December, which is also the weekend of the National Tree Planting Day.
“We also partner the Forestry Commission and they impart knowledge and foster teamwork and other relevant qualities to the pupils so that they understand the importance of planting trees,” explained Dzvimbu.
Some of the successes of the YES Games include the peer education component which has focused on various health and social topical issues such as HIV and Aids and other health related issues, marking a significant contribution to the attainment of Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals.
Also, sport participation as a component of the YES Programme has improved the manner of athletes thus demonstrating that sport is a tool that can be used to mould and modify behaviour.
Community projects have also enhanced the young people’s sense of responsibility at both personal and community levels. This is manifested by the number of community social responsibility programmes that the clubs are currently undertaking. Added to that, the education with entertainment (edutainment) component has now been adopted as part of the Zimbabwe National Youth Games and the Zimbabwe National Paralympics Games programmes because of its usefulness in sport.
YES Games have also become a festival that attracts more young athletes and officials than any other sport activity on the country’s sports calendar.
