This week, Total South Africa, in collaboration with Iconage Holdings and a number of corporate partners had for the second year in succession embark on a three day intensive sports development programme at the Arthur Ashe Sports complex in Soweto. The initiative which is known as the Get Ahead Sports Programme (GASP™) targets 280 talented learners in Soweto who have the aptitude to develop in professional sportsmen and women.
“This year 10 learners from Grade 5 from 28 schools Soweto who are part of the Move It Moving Matters programme® were selected based on their aptitude to develop skills for sports related activities including tennis, soccer and cricket, “ explains Total South Africa’s Sustainable Development manager Nyameka Makonya. These bright young learners – who were selected for their exceptional talent and potential for development in sports will undergo intensive training sessions in collaboration with partners such as Virgin Active, Cricket South Africa and Soccer South Africa to enhance the learners’ sporting and sport-leadership skills.
“At Total South Africa we recognise that sport is an important part of South African culture, with our national rugby, soccer and cricket teams internationally acclaimed as some of the best in Africa and even the world. It is therefore imperative that all learners in South Africa are given equal opportunities to progress in sports. Through the he GASP™ initiative we strive to assist gifted children with the opportunity to reach their full potential through capacity development programmes associated with sports development, “states Makonya.
The GASP™ programme is a natural extension of the Move It Moving Matters programme® that was launched in 2010.
“The Move It Moving Matters programme® together with the GASP™ programme were initiated as a capacity building initiative to address the lacks of physical education in many schools in impoverished communities around South Africa who are no longer being supplied with the equipment required for sports and do not have the additional resources to purchase the equipment on their own, ““says Dr Claire M Nicholson, Director and Expert Advisor of the Move-It, Moving Matters and its associated Get Ahead Sports Programme (GASP™).
The funding commitment from Total South Africa for the Move It Moving Matters programme® enables 5 000 intermediate phase learners, within 41 schools in district 14 in Soweto from (Grades 4 – 7) to participate in the programme for at least one hour, every week, throughout the school year within the formal curriculum.Teachers who volunteer to assist with running the Move-It, Moving Matters® programme receive professional training in facilitating the activities. The Move-It, Moving Matters® programme ensures that learners in the intermediate phase engage in age-appropriate and enjoyable physical activity each week. It is designed to facilitate the development of complex neuro-physical connections which underpin the development of one’s ability to adapt to complex and changing environments.Nicholson concludes, “My goal through this initiative is to develop a pipeline of professional sports players who without the guidance and support through the GASP™ programme would not have had the opportunity to excel in the South African sports.”
The GASP™ programme also provides an opportunity for unemployed youth in Soweto to undergo professional training programmes in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education and Iconage Holdings and become facilitators of the initiative. Currently 26?? of unemployed youth from Soweto are participating in capacity building programmes to become facilitators of GASP™.
