2010 Program Kick Off in Kumba

Cameroon Football Development Program Leaders Pave the Way

Program Leaders stand before the gate at Government Technical High School - Kumba. Many of them have been around since Day 1, when we began to reach out to the Kumba community to determine if the need /want for a program like this existed (March 2010). Their dedication is evident through their actions. Together we are building the foundation for a sustainable program in Cameroon.

We All Teach. We All Learn.

Leaders engage in discussions during a morning training session in a Government Technical High School classroom. At this time we worked to develop a method to create an interactive learning atmosphere to present health and social topics to youth. No lectures! No adult/child relationship! With the right approach, leaders break down many barriers on the football pitch which allow for free-flow of ideas and exchange of knowledge.

'CFDP Dey Done Come-o'

Leaders practice football drills which they will later implement in the youth camps. It is important to incorporate football skills into the curriculum of the program to challenge the youth both physically and mentally. When they succeed in mastering the basics of football, they build self confidence which can carry over on the pitch and in other parts of their life.

During the training sessions, we began a chant/song that will hopefully carry on as long as the Cameroon Football Development Program lives...

"CFDP dey done come-o

Man wey de sleep,

Make he wake up!"

Translation (Pidgin to English): CFDP has arrived. Anyone who is sleeping should wake up to see!

Dedication: No Matter Rain or Shine

CFDP Cameroon Coordinator, Ngwane Peter (center) stretches out the team to finish up an afternoon training session on the pitch. It rained that afternoon - hard. August is considered the 'heart' of the Rainy Season, though we saw much sunshine during the two-week Kick Off.

Meeting of Minds

Program Leaders sit together one afternoon to discuss logistics for running youth camps. Checklist: food for all participants, warm-up drills, schedule for discussion topics, football drills, surveys for collecting data, clean water...Good to go!

Brian Leads Morning Football Drills

Youth learn the importance of ball control with a series of dribbling exercises. Leaders encourage them to practice with their 'weak' foot, something many of them are not used to doing. Over 100 youth attend camps over three days. They each receive a t-shirt donated by the Passback Program (University of Oregon World Cup 2009 and 2010). They will surely never forget this experience.

More Football Drills

Here, youth dribble in and out of cones while trying to maintain control of the ball.

Ashu Leads a Group Discussion

Each day youth were separated into groups based on age. This allowed leaders to adjust the presentation of their topic to facilitate appropriate discussion. For example, groups of older youth who were sexually active (We know, we asked!) were engaged in discussion on limiting number of partners, condom use everytime, and getting tested for HIV. Groups of younger youth were encouraged to abstain from sexual activity until they were more responsible and mature (physically and mentally).

Afternoon Friendly Match with Peers

Here, youth play small -sided games after lunch. Leaders acted as coaches and referees during this part of the camps. In addition to having fun, youth are encouraged to implement skills they learned earlier in the day during match play.

Safe Return to US

We done reach! After just two glorious weeks in Cameroon we have returned to the US...Back in the 'Burgh! The trip was a great success with all of the main objectives being realized. Training sessions for the 12 program leaders were completed in the first week in Kumba. During the second week, the group comprised of ten men and two women planned and implemented three day-long youth camps, building on their ability to run football drills and lead discussion on the health and social topics. On Saturday evening, we all gathered for a Farewell Gala. Over the next few months, we will partner with six local secondary schools to continue to refine and develop this interactive education/football model. Weekly educational football sessions will allow each of the board members to understand the most effective presentation model for future use. While we are working to improve our own skills, the youth will benefit the most!!

Three Days of Football Camps Build Foundation

Three days of football camps concluded on Wednesday. WOW. We had between 35 and 40 local youth attend each day. Different groups of youth represented the various quarters in Kumba and nearby villages. Monday and Tuesday's camps were held at St. Francis College. The last day we rounded up at G.T.H.S. The youth ranged in age from 12 to 24. All of the youth completed surveys before and after the camps. Needless to say, we learned a lot about how the program can grow from here. It is amazing to see how the Kumba community is receiving the program. It is very difficult to sum in words what has transpired in the past 3 days. Some examples of the feedback we are getting...

One teacher from Diligent Bilingual Secondary School commented he was very impressed that the youth from his class were so engaged in the discussions. He noticed a difference in the way they interacted the next few days at school. He is very interested in the program and wants to see it continue at his school on a regular basis.

One 24 year old who attended the camp said he learned so many things that he had never known about HIV.

One 16 year old said he took some advice he gained from the discussion with his peers about healthy relationships and communication with parents and approached his father about their strained relationship. He believes it will improve.

One proprietor of a school requested we run the program there. In addition to reaching out to the youth, she explained their need for a team set of football jerseys.

In interviews after the camps, many youth were able to quickly relay the information they learned and expressed their love for the combination of football and education.

We met with the former Provencial Delegate of Youth and Sports for the Southwest in Cameroon. He was impressed with our progress and looks forward to promoting education and football development to young Cameroonians with our program. He is well connected in the national football community.

For now...we head to Barombi village to see old friends and the water supply system built by the local community in 2008 and designed and funded by six University of Dayton ETHOS Students.

Saturday we will have a meeting with the program leaders to plan for the next few months. We will implement our program with weekly sessions in secondary schools. Before September we will move to one village outside of Kumba, Mambanda, and run one or two days of football camps similar to ones we ran this week. The purpose will not only be to disseminate information as we have done thus far, but to collect much needed data related to sexual activity, condom use, and awareness of STDs and HIV AIDS in rural communities.

A detailed report of the progress we are making in Cameroon now will follow later in August and the blog will continue to be updated once we return to the US.

The wheels are turning...

Youth Camp - Day 1

Youth camp participants and CFDP directors stand before a banner on the pitch at St. Francis College. All of the youth received t-shirts donated by the University of Oregon via the Passback Program (Thank you!).

CFDP program director, Richard (left), Lambda Warriors manager (middle) and owner (right). We played a friendly match against the Fiango-based club after the first youth camp.

CFDP identified top players at the camp and rewarded them with jerseys, shin guards, and a small ball for juggling.

Day 1 of the youth camps moved very well. After a late start (African Time), we got right into things as we had practiced the previous week. Two program leaders started the youth off with warm-ups which including jogging with local chants and songs, stretching, and some icebreakers to allow the youth to get to know one another. We split the 36 participants into two groups to encourage active participation in the discussion of the health and social topics. The program leaders paired up to present 6 topics throughout the day. Each topic was presented to each group, so the directors had the opportunity to lead discussions twice. The youth actively participated, asking and answering questions. At the end of the day, many of the program leaders commented on how important it was that the youth actively participated. The exchange of ideas allowed for a thorough exploration of the topics. Many of the youth commented how they learned a lot while still having fun.

The camp ran from 10am until 4pm, with a break for lunch: rice and fresh fish stew. After the camp, CFDP board members played a friendly match against a local club team, the Lambda Warriors. They are based in Fiango, which is the section of Kumba where St. Francis College is located. We lost to them 3-1, They played very well together, mounting a strong attacking force.

We presented them a small gift so they could have some refreshments after the game. Then all CFPD board members met to conduct an evaluation of the days activities. We focused on things we could do better the next day. We left the pitch tired but excited for the next day.

Weekend

The weekend was filled with great fun. So much to write about, combined with very little internet time due to a busy schedule and internet and power outages, requires brevity.

Saturday morning we moved to Ocean City Radio Station where we were interviewed about CFDP. The radio show hosts were very interested in the program, as one of them visited us during our training sessions, and we discussed the start up and future of the program.

Afterwards we moved to St. Francis College and secured the pitch for our youth football camps the following Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We expect about 100 youth over the three days of camps. While the pitch we were supposed to have was only cut halfway (the guy with the lawnmower disappered with his advance of 20.000 fcfa), the principal approved of our using the pitch at the front of the school.

A wedding in the afternoon followed with a great feast at the reception.

Sunday we met with the board of directors in preparation for the youth camps. We also attended a party at Dr. Julius Amin's house. He built something like a palace over the past 10 years. There were many high profile attendees, including the Government Delegate of Kumba, members of the urban council, and prominent doctors and leaders in the community. At his request, I had the opportunity to speak about CFDP and many people were excited to hear about the program. Kumba can never forget the University of Dayton!