Using sports to unite and develop the coming generation.

Palestine Sports for Life (PS4L) bi-weekly holds safe spaces for children and youth to play sports. Within the sessions, PS4L professional life skills and sport trainers teach youth about human rights, health, and various sustainable development goals. On April 6th, PS4L Coach Yumon Masri directed a ‘Football and Child Right’ session for her students in Tulkarem (a city in Palestine). Within the session, Coach Yumon discussed the importance of attaining child rights in Palestine and highlighted the rights of all children as an informative session. The students discussed openly on what they define as child rights and formed a list of “Child Rights” which included safe upbringing, freedom of expression, and protection from violence. It was a needed session that connected sports to understanding all aspects of child rights. Throughout the session, Coach Yumon taught various life skills such as teamwork and interpersonal skills as a continued effort to develop their public speaking skills and confidence.

Among the students in the session were fellow ‘Sports for Life’ girl’s team players. Supported by The National Bank in Palestine, PS4L girl’s team will participate in the Street Child World Cup, which will be held in Qatar, Doha, in 2022. Sports for Life team will represent Palestine for the first time alongside 12 other international teams coming from India, Brazil, Bangladesh, Darfur, Bolivia, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Zimbabwe, and the United States. This tournament will highlight the importance of youth education, and provide a global platform for youths to discuss issues they face while also enjoying the game of football. This is the first time the State of Palestine has been selected to participate in such a notable and change-driven event.