Youth Leaders and U18 players from 9 Latin American countries will participate in a Leadership Workshop and a Mixed 3×3 U18 Tournament in El Salvador organized by the FIBA Foundation in collaboration with the National Sports Institute of El Salvador (INDES) and the Salvadoran Basketball Federation (FESABAL) from April 27 to May 1.
Since the summer of 2021, the FIBA Foundation has virtually brought together Youth Leaders (a woman and a man between 20 and 25 years old) from 9 Latin American countries (Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama) providing leadership and management training to help develop projects in their countries and address social problems in their communities, such as inactive lifestyles, violence, lack of access to education, and inequality.
“above all, we are interested in being able to promote change and social impact through basketball.”
The Youth Leaders who carried out different projects during the last year were asked to organize a U18 3×3 event in collaboration with their National Federation. They will now accompany the winning teams from their tournament to El Salvador. The players will all participate in a Youth Leadership Workshop and a 3×3 Tournament, while the Youth Leaders will receive advanced training on creating Basketball For Good programs in their respective country.
“This event is the culmination of the hard work the Youth Leaders have been doing since last Summer”, said FIBA Foundation President Horacio Muratore. “We are strengthening their leadership knowledge to ensure the legacy of the program. They will be growing the Basketball For Good movement within their respective National Federations”.
All participants will arrive in El Salvador on Wednesday. On Thursday, they will take part in ice breaker sessions and cultural activities. From Friday to Sunday, they will go through the Youth Leadership Workshop.
The Youth Leaders will present their Basketball For Good projects to the athletes and other guests, who will evaluate their presentations and vote for the project that resonates with them the most.
On Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the players will also take part in a 3×3 Tournament where teams from different countries will be mixed to promote intercultural exchange and inclusion and provide a platform for all young participants to build relationships.
The female Youth Leader of the host country, El Salvador, Elisa Domínguez, stated, “I hope that it will be an enriching experience for both leaders and athletes, allowing us to develop individual aspects such as leadership, but above all, we are interested in being able to promote change and social impact through basketball. With the experience I had last year, I wanted to continue learning and training on the subject. With the necessary instruments and the support we have received so far, our “Basketball For Good” projects are going to be very successful” she said.
Mexico’s male Youth Leader, Luis Monterrey, also shared his thoughts on the program, “I am very happy to participate in the “Basketball For Good” leadership program. In the leadership seminars we learned about the sustainable development goals and how to put them into practice through basketball. I am excited to continue learning and to be able to make new friends, now in person, and share projects. This experience will help us to grow our project with our National Federation”, he shared.
The Youth Leaders participating in the event are:
- Bolivia: Carlos Alvarez
- Costa Rica: Meilyn Herrera and Daniel Rodriguez
- Ecuador: Alexander Guerra and Camila Ilescas
- El Salvador: Elisa Dominguez and Victor Villalta
- Guatemala: Jose Martinez
- Honduras: Abner Bodden and Abigail Rovelo
- Mexico: Luis Carlos Jaime Alvarez and Martha Tapia
- Nicaragua: Junior Arias Dominguez and Elisha UllithPanama: Alex Vergara and Katie Caicedo
About Youth Leadership:
The FIBA Foundation’s Youth Leadership program is a global Basketball For Good initiative giving youths the skills and opportunities to create a brighter future for themselves and their communities. This program teaches leadership and life skills through 3×3 basketball. The Youth Leaders are supported to create their own community impact project, growing the Basketball For Good family worldwide. Please contact us if you want to know more about our programs or if you are interested to work with us.
Source: FIBA
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