WHAT TO EXPECT AS A FOOTBALL COACH
Football is Ghana’s number one passion. Every child grows up playing football anywhere and everywhere they can. Because of this we use football as a tool to help improve the lives of disadvantaged children and create better opportunities in the community that we work with.
As a football volunteer you will have the opportunity to work with our enthusiastic coaches to help inspire the next generation, bring new drills to develop skills and technique, make football fun and provide a safe and supportive environment for the children.
The opportunities include
- An academy of elite players aged 13- 18 in Accra. This group trains in the mornings from 7am - 9am at a local park. They play in Ghana's second division and are aged between 15 and 20. The dream of most of these boys is to become a professional footballer. From this academy we have had 7 players travel to the United States of America on full high school scholarships and a number of players who have signed professional contracts and are now playing for European teams. As a volunteer you will help to keep the boys engaged, and keep developing their skills and knowledge of the game.
- Our “Street to School Soccer Project” from U8 – U17. This is our community sports project that runs daily after scchool. Everybody and anybody is welcome. You will work alongside our local coaches or take on your own age group to help more children love sports.
THE IMPACT OF STREET 2 SCHOOL
The “Street 2 School Sports Programme” is a community sports development initiative based in Labadi, Accra (Ghana). The programme aims to use the power of sport to encourage young people to invest in themselves, their education and the sport they love. Our goal is to continue allowing as many children as possible to gain proper access to education, sports, character development and create pathways for every individual (through sporting excellence, education or vocational training) to end the cycle of poverty and “Brighten the future of the next generation”.
Every week S2S focuses on education, sports, health and wellbeing and character development. Tuesday – Friday we run training sessions for 6 different age groups from u6 – u17, Monday evening the children attend a class run by volunteer teachers so we can keep track of their educational progress and promote learning with sports and at the weekend we organise matches in the community. S2S also provides boots or shoes to train in, kits to wear, health insurance, family support for those who need it, educational scholarships so we can ensure every child is going to school and support from our amazing team of coaches.
Through the “Street to School Sports Programme” we are using sport to tackle issues in our community including gender equality, period poverty, teenage pregnancies, school drop outs and substance abuse. By introducing Sexual and Reproductive health and Mental health education into our programme we can end prejudices and the stigma surrounding these areas and give young people the support they need to “Brighten their future”
“The Street to School Sports Programme” is providing an excellent opportunity for positive change in Labadi’s youth and is helping to alleviate the cycle of poverty by encouraging better opportunities for the next generation of children. We recognise the power sport can have on each child’s development and the opportunities continued education can give young people, especially those living in poverty.
OUR EXPECTATION
Our sports coaching project is one of our most popular volunteer projects. Not only do you get a hands on experience, you can see first hand the impact you can have on somebody's life in a relatively short period of time. The children who come to Street 2 School are always eager to play, their enthusiasm is infectious and they love to work with our volunteers. Most of our volunteers love to see how much the kids are progressing and become great friends with the local team of coaches too.
We do expect our volunteers to come to Ghana ready to immerse themselves in the culture and make the most of every opportunity that is presented to them. Whilst no qualifications are required we love volunteers who bring enthusiasm, are willing to be open minded and get involved in the projects from day 1. Ghana is one of the most friendly countries in the world and we make sure you get to make the most out of your time here. Volunteer placements run from Monday to Friday and we expect you to turn up to your project prepared and on time each day. We keep the weekends free for you to travel, chill out at the beach or pool or explore more of the city. Our amazing in country team will be there for you every step of the way and will support you both at your projects and the volunteer accommodation.
