Childrens Charity, India
The Football Programme reaches out to children and youth between 6 to 22 years. Anyone from the targeted age group can attend the Football Programme on the condition they continue to attend school and complete their basic education. The programme offers sessions on life skills to help children achieve their goals and ambitions. Many of the core values inherent in football are principles necessary for social and community development, such as teamwork, respect, discipline and fair play. But most importantly, the football programme is a means to improve participants’ quality of education and is inextricably linked with OSCAR’s education programme. Attendance and progress are carefully monitored and extra tuition provided for those struggling at school plus support and mentoring for those at risk of dropping out.
The Football Programme has grown rapidly over the last 13 years, from the Ambedkar Nagar slum community in Mumbai to 31 locations across India.
THE FOOTBALL PROGRAMME CONSIST OF TWO PROJECTS:
THE COMMUNITY PROJECT: The main focus of the community project is to identify children and youth from the community who do not have access to education and help them in completing basic formal education. OSCAR’s Young Leaders directly work with the community to create a meaningful and lasting impact.
THE PARTNERSHIP PROJECT offers an opportunity to any non-profit, club, or corporate to tie up with OSCAR’s Football Programme. For example, we welcome organisations interested in providing nutrition support to the children or to take them out for educational excursion or workshops.
OSCAR’s flagship programme ‘Reach Your Max’ delivers life skills training through the medium of sport. Using a unique curriculum based around a series of football-oriented games, OSCAR’s Young Leaders teach children the ten WHO key life skills, linking them to pertinent social issues such as school dropout, gender equality, child marriage, hygiene and the environment.
Research in India has demonstrated that life skills teaching improves academic learning outcomes in high school students between the ages of 13 and 15 years. Furthermore, studies reveal that students equipped with 21st century skills (for example strong interpersonal skills for communication and collaboration, creativity and intellectual flexibility, self-sufficiency, and the ability to learn new things when necessary), transition from childhood to adulthood in a healthy manner and are empowered to meet the demands and stresses of a fast-changing environment.
OSCAR’s life skills and social issues training are designed to improve prospects for underprivileged young people and their families whilst also encouraging them to make positive contributions to their communities for the future. The life skills learned through football help empower individuals and enhance psychosocial well-being, such as increased resilience, self-esteem and motivation.
In Indian slums the school dropout rate for girls is particularly high. 67% of children who do not complete their education are girls and child marriage and teenage pregnancies are closely linked. Parents living in low income communities view child marriage as their daughter’s economic security. In reality the opposite happens, child marriage perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
An educated girl is less likely to marry early, will have fewer and healthier children, run a more efficient household, be better paid in the workplace and empowered to play a part in family and political decision making.
OSCAR places female empowerment and gender equality work under the banner #kicklikeagirl.
The kicklikeagirl campaign focusses on giving girls the confidence to attend school, play football and stand up for their basic human rights. As a result of this training, 15 girls were given a life-changing opportunity to travel to the UK as a part of the OSCAR International UK Schools Tour 2018. The tour has bought a remarkable change within the girls and their communities with regards to gender equality. Girls who are part of the kicklikeagirl project receive continuous support to enhance their knowledge and skills to become Senior Young Leaders. Since 2016, 125 girls have benefited from the kicklikeagirl project.
With the help of our partners, Common Goal, we have significantly and successfully strengthened the girl’s education and football programme.
OSCAR SSE is an Elite Level Football Project by OSCAR Foundation and Soccer Schools of Excellence, an established Mumbai based football academy. The OSCAR-SSE project aims to unearth and nurture talented footballers from low income communities and give them the opportunity to reach their full potential in the game. The selected boys and girls train together and compete in district, state and national level competitions. There are currently two OSCAR/SSE teams, U13 and U15.
In partnership with the Premier League, OSCAR has launched Mumbai’s first football project for children with disabilities.
This project aims to use the power of football to enable change and raise awareness of the issues facing people with disability in India. Young Leaders and coaches receive training in coaching children with disabilities. The initial training was facilitated by UK-based ‘Everton in the Community’, which is known for its amazing community work.
Through our disability project ‘Enabling Change’, OSCAR coaches are now working with Sol’s ARC and Bombay Institution For The Deaf and Mutes in Mumbai. Thanks to this project, we are getting an opportunity to bring the magic of sports in the lives of 45 boys and 14 girls!
