| Member's News | No.43 January 2005 |
International Youth Sports Congress Greg Bach, USA |
Delegates from more than 20 countries, including India, France, Hungary, Nepal, Zambia, China, Kenya and Morocco, participated in the third annual International Youth Sports Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana, in mid-September. | Clement Chileshe of Zambia shared his insight on the state of youth sports in his country during the International Summit on Youth Sports that featured delegates from around the world and preceded the International Youth Sports Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana
Approximately 500 delegates from more than 20 countries worldwide participated in the third annual International Youth Sports Congress in mid-September in Indianapolis, Indiana. The delegates took part in more than 20 sessions encompassing a wide range of issues and topics pertaining to children and sports that were led by some of the top experts in their respective fields. Sessions covered empowering girls through sport, starting kids and parents out right in sports, conducting criminal background checks on adult volunteers, sports nutrition keys for optimum health and performance and utilizing sports as a platform for inclusion, among many others. Cal Ripken, Jr., one of baseball's all-time greatest players who is deeply concerned about children and the quality of their sports experiences, delivered the keynote address to kick off the Congress. The Congress attendees featured Certified Youth Sports Administrators, Police Athletic League administrators, park and recreation professionals, military youth sports directors, private league administrators, key officials of international sports organizations, representatives from the YMCA, YWCA and JCC, as well as a contingent of international delegates from countries across the globe. Prior to the Congress, high-ranking sports officials from India, France, Hungary, Nepal, Zambia, Kenya and Morocco, among many other countries, participated in the International Summit on Youth Sports. During the Summit the Hon. Loreen Bannis-Roberts, Ministry of Education, Sports & Youth Affairs in Dominica, discussed how they are working to make sports and cultural activities safe and positive for children through Game On! Youth Sports. Game On! Youth Sports is a worldwide initiative of the National Alliance For Youth Sports (www.nays.org), which hosted both the Summit and Congress. Game On! Youth Sports creates opportunities for children worldwide to participate in healthy physical activities that otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to do so. The initiative also includes the implementation of training programs for coaches, parents and administrators to help ensure that youth sports programs are properly designed and focus on the best interests of children at all times. The fourth annual International Youth Sports Congress will be held in Denver, Colorado, on September 15-18, 2005. Global Gear Drive targets putting sports equipment in the hands of underprivileged children worldwide Underprivileged children around the world will be receiving much-needed sports equipment, thanks to a new initiative spearheaded by the National Alliance For Youth Sports. The Global Gear Drive was created by the Alliance to collect new and used youth sports equipment that will be distributed to children in poverty-stricken regions of the world. "We are looking forward to working with agencies worldwide that are interested in lending a hand by donating both new and used sports equipment," said Fred Engh, founder and president of the Alliance. "By working together we can put soccer balls and basketballs and other sports equipment in the hands of youngsters and make a tremendous difference in their lives." Initially, the Global Gear Drive will focus on obtaining soccer, basketball and baseball equipment for children in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean, although useable equipment for any sports will be accepted and distributed. Sports-related products like stopwatches and flip scoreboards, for example, will also be accepted, as well as cash gifts that will be used to purchase new equipment and pay for shipping costs. For information on donating equipment to the Alliance for distribution around the world contact Keith Michlig, the Alliance's Director of Marketing & Community Affairs, at (800) 729-2057; or via email at kmichlig@nays.org. Greg Bach Communications Manager National Alliance for Youth Sport gbach@nays.org http://www.icsspe.org/portal/bulletin-january2005.htm International Youth Sports Congress Greg Bach, USA