NYSDP calls for more support towards youth
• By Staff Reporter T
HE National Youth Sports Development Platform (NYSDP) has called on the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service to be more practical in assisting youth who are implementing sports for development programs at grassroots level.
Speaking after the first ever general orientation of sports volunteers on 01 June to 06 June in Rietfontein in Otjozondjupa region, NYSDP founder Isa Saidi said that despite the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service trying its level best in helping the youth to become self-sustainable in various areas such as education, employment and sport, a lot is still to be done.
“Our government has called on youth to be proactive and engage in activities that create employment as well as take other youth away from the streets but our leaders have proven to be just talking and not supporting these initiatives by just lending an ear to these youth who at times do not need money but an ear,” Saidi said.
The first ever general orientation of sports volunteers was attended by close to 50 unemployed youth who received training in Kwata Cricket, First Aid, Get into Rugby, Volunteerism, Sports Administration, and other NYSDP Programs.
“We have written several communication to our line ministry soliciting for an audience with relevant officials to highlight our programs as well as to find synergies on how our volunteers can support the implementation of sports programs both in communities plus in school programs, but our efforts have been seen as a challenge to some sectors,” Saidi said.
Highlighting the challenges they faced during the execution of this orientation program, a furious Saidi said, “As young people passionate about the development of Sport we had to fundraise using donation forms from friends and family in order to find funding for transport and meals.
We engaged the Sports Commission and Directorate of Sports in search of vehicles that we could fuel and pay drivers to ferry these unemployed youth in sport but our efforts were shuttered at the doorsteps.
We several times expressed interests in meeting the Acting Director of Sports and the Minister of Sports to highlight our initiatives programs, again this ended in emails and no practical support.
“Now should NYSDP one day produce Olympic Athletes, will these sectors that slammed doors on our face be there to praise our job well done with National Colors,” said Saidi.
The Unemployed youth who were trained are expected to continue fundraising in order to develop their less privileged communities through Sport.