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K4L delegation selected for Festival 16 in Lyon

Four young people have been given the chance of a lifetime as part of Kick4Life's delegation for Festival 16, a groundbreaking event organised by streetfootballworld as part of the European Championships in France this summer.

The festival will be the largest ever gathering of 'football for good' projects with over 80 initiatives from around the world coming together to celebrate the power of the sport to change lives. Selected for their commitment to Kick4Life's programmes, the participants will have the chance to meet and interact with young people from other countries through a range of cultural activities as well as taking part in a football tournament where they will play alongside members of other delegations in the spirit of integration and friendship.

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The event will be hosted by streetfootballworld network member Sport dans la Ville at their impressive facility in Lyon. The Kick4Life delegation will have the chance to explore the city as well as attending a knock-out match during the tournament. Details of the delegation members including the young leader and delegation leader can be found below.

We are now seeking sponsorship of £5,000 to fund this life-changing adventure for the delegation. If you are interested in supporting the team please check our exciting sponsorship package

Manman

Hi, my name is Motlatsi Molomo. I currently reside in Lesotho, in the street shelters of Ha-Mafafa. Since I stay on the streets where living a healthy normal life is a major challenge, I like playing football because it clears off my mind especially when I come to think of my living situation. I get to share my life experiences with my peers and we together give advices to one another.

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As a growing football player, going to France is a great opportunity because I believe playing with people from other countries, there are some basics I will learn in the football world. Also I am curious to learn about the style of living from other parts of the world so taking part in the festival will give me a chance to know about all that.

Football has really played a significant role in my life because it has increased my friendship base. I was a shy person who could not even face people but I can proudly say, that is the thing of the past as I now communicate and socialize with others. At Kick4Life, we do attend counselling and life-skills programs, so joining football has really been helpful and brought hope to me that I can still turn my life around. Also I want to finish my studies so that I can help my other brothers and sisters who are living a similar life to mine.

Mating

I am Mating Monokoane, 17 years of age from Lesotho, Ha-‘Nelese. I joined Kick4Life because I want to say out of trouble and keep my body healthy. I am going to France to learn about it because it seems to be an interesting place to be. Also, since there will be different people from around the globe, I'm hoping I will get a chance to make friends with people residing on the other side of the world.

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I was a shy person who could not face or interact with people, but since I joined Kick4Life, all those have changed. My future plans are to see myself as a successful footballer, earning a good job and giving back to the community that has helped me in my entire life.

Paraffin

My name is Lebohang Tjoloba aged 14 and I live at Qoaling, Maseru. I like playing football because it keeps me busy and away from the troubles of being involved in theft activities, using drugs and being violent towards other children.

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Going to France is a great opportunity to me and I am looking forward to meeting new people and establishing friendships. I will get to know about their different life styles. More importantly, as a football player who is still growing, going out there, I believe will help me to interact with my colleagues in the football fraternity and share our experiences. This will help me to grow.

Before I joined the football fraternity, I would ill-treat my friends at home but that has changed because, it’s not only about football here at Kick4Life, but also the principles of living a healthy lifestyle to the community. I see myself making Kick4Life proud and giving back to the community that has always been supportive to me. 

Mats'ukulu

I am Mats’ukulu Motloheloa from Ha-Tsolo, Lesotho. I play football because it keeps me busy to even think of using drugs, disrespecting my elders and being involved in criminal activities. It also gives me a chance to meet new people in my life.

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I am looking forward to establishing new friendships at the streetfootballwrold festival when I reach France, being exposed to the lives of people from other countries and sharing our football experiences together with every participant. I am a shy person but football is really helping me cast away all that. The good thing is that I now play with my friends both at home and school thereby making my life a lot easier as I get to share my problems and happiness with my fellows.

I just want to have a bright future and become a qualified teacher so that I can help my upcoming brothers and sisters in their studies.

Young leader, Relebobile Mokemane, HTC Mentor & Counsellor at Kick4Life

I like being hands-on, on the football activities because I realised that it keeps the youth busy from being engaged in Risky Behaviour activities, and it is also the best tool to meeting, sharing ideas and creating friendships.

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As well as supporting our delegation, going to France is a great opportunity to me as I hope and believe that I will get a chance to meet with people from different countries, share skills, form friendships and learn about cross-cultural activities. With the football and other programs I will be attending at the festival, I will come back to my home land, Lesotho, empower other young leaders, and educate them about teamwork and fair play.

Joining the football zone has improved my leadership skills because I work with the youngsters whom I am entrusted to guide in the right path. At first I was a shy person but since I came into football, I am able to connect with other people. Also, it has helped me to travel to different places, for instance, France has always been a country on my visit list but it never looked possible until joining Kick4Life, because here I am today, looking forward to the trip.

Delegation Leader, Chris Bullock (Kick4Life's Director of Football)

Kick4Life is very excited to be invited to be part of the streetfootballworld festival at the 2016 football European Championships in France.

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It’s extremely exciting for us to be part of an event which will allow us to meet other inspiring people and organisations which do similar work to us, helping to have a positive social impact and change lives using the powerful tool of football.

As an innovative organisation we look forward to sharing and discussing ways which other organisations run their programmes as well as sharing challenges we face. It is also a great opportunity to learn about other cultures and watch the youth from different countries interact, learn social skills and enjoy themselves in such an environment.

It complements the programmes we run at Kick4Life, and with youth who have grown up facing challenges such as poverty, unemployment, living on the streets, health problems and crime, it is a chance for them to develop their skills and meet others who face similar challenges across the world.

As well as the social skills learnt by the youth, we have identified a leader at Kick4Life who we feel will benefit greatly from the festival. We are always looking to develop leaders at Kick4Life, who may go on to be senior leaders within the organisation as well as role models.

We are currently preparing the group for the festival with getting them passports as well as holding sessions for them to prepare them for the trip. This includes cultural and language sessions, social skills and travelling, all key things which will be new to the participants. We are also looking for partners who are interested in helping to fund the trip, partners who will see the value in giving the youth of the country the chance to participate in the event to the benefit of the country.

It is certainly going to be a fantastic opportunity for Kick4Life and the delegation. We are greatly looking forward to meeting other members of the streetfootballworld network and helping each other to develop personally and as an organisation.

 

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