WATCH: Sean Fitzpatrick visits Corinthians Africa to highlight sport’s impact on youth
Former All Blacks captain leads Laureus delegation to Johannesburg South project, where sport, education and practical skills are helping young people build confidence and opportunities.
Former All Blacks captain and Laureus World Sports Academy chairman Sean Fitzpatrick led a Laureus delegation to Corinthians Africa on September 3, to highlight how sport provides young people with education, life skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
Fitzpatrick was joined by former New Zealand professional rugby union player Dane Coles and Laureus ambassadors, including Dan Nicholl, as they visited the Johannesburg South project ahead of the United Nations International Day of Charity, commemorated on September 5.
@southern.courier Sean Fitzpatrick visits Corinthians Africa to highlight sport’s impact on youth Former All Blacks captain leads Laureus delegation to Johannesburg South project, where sport, education and practical skills are helping young people build confidence and opportunities. Full story on southerncourier.co.za
The visitors were welcomed by Mlungisi ‘Coach Jack’ Msibi, founder and CEO of Corinthians Africa, who took them on a tour of the facility and explained how the organisation uses sport and education to support young people.
Sport, education, and practical skills
Coach Jack showed the delegation the various programmes offered at the centre, including football, netball, and blind football.
The visitors also saw the STEAM/STEM centre, which provides digital and educational programming and, according to the project, has recorded measurable improvements in the academic performance of participants.
Another stop was the sustainable vegetable garden, where young people can learn practical skills around food production and sustainability.
@southern.courier Coach Jack showed the delegation the various programmes offered at the centre, including football, netball, and blind football. Full story story on southerncourier.co.za
Together, the programmes form part of Corinthians Africa’s work to address challenges such as fatherlessness, gender inequality, and social exclusion while creating accessible opportunities for young people of different abilities.
Coach Jack said the partnership with Laureus had helped Corinthians Africa strengthen its programmes and create more opportunities for young people.
“We are very grateful for the partnership with Laureus Sport for Good,” said Msibi. “Their support has helped us strengthen our programmes and create more opportunities for young people. For us, sport is a tool to bring people together, but it is also a way to teach life skills and build confidence.”
He said the organisation wanted young people to gain skills that could help them beyond the sports field, noting that through sport, education, life skills, and projects such as their vegetable garden, they can give young people practical skills for daily life.
Corinthians Africa is an Incubation Hub partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa. Through the programme, the organisation receives capacity-building support designed to strengthen its long-term sustainability.
A lesson in trust through blind football
One of the highlights of the visit was a blind football demonstration, where players showed their skill while using an audible ball to locate it.
Fitzpatrick and the Laureus ambassadors then put on blindfolds and joined the young players for drills. The experience placed a focus on trust, communication, and teamwork, while giving the visitors a better understanding of blind football and the importance of making sport accessible.
Fitzpatrick said the visit reminded him why Laureus continues to support grassroots projects.
“Visiting Corinthians Africa and seeing the impact of this project first-hand has been incredibly inspiring,” Fitzpatrick said. “Today has shown, without question, what sport for good is all about – using the power of sport to create opportunity, build confidence and make a lasting difference in people’s lives.”
He also reflected on the words of Nelson Mandela, the founding patron of Laureus South Africa.
“Nelson Mandela said that sport has the power to change the world,” Fitzpatrick said. “Sport speaks a language that young people understand. I think that is more relevant now than ever.”
He added that seeing the work at Corinthians Africa had taken him back to the early days of Laureus.
“This experience has taken me back to the very beginning of Laureus and reminded me why we started this journey,” he said.
“What Corinthians Africa is doing is truly impressive and everyone involved should be incredibly proud.”
Building stronger community organisations
Laureus Sport for Good South Africa funds, supports and promotes the use of sport as a tool for social change.
@southern.courier Laureus Sport for Good South Africa funds, supports and promotes the use of sport as a tool for social change. The foundation supports a network of sport for social change organisations in more than 100 communities. Full story on southerncourier.co.za
The foundation supports a network of sport for social change organisations in more than 100 communities.
These organisations use sport to address challenges affecting young people, including poverty, homelessness, gangsterism, violence, drug abuse, discrimination and HIV/Aids.
Since its inception, Laureus South Africa has raised more than R80m for projects that have helped improve the lives of more than 100 000 young people in the country.
Globally, Laureus Sport for Good supports more than 300 programmes in over 40 countries and territories.
The Incubation Hub forms part of this wider work by helping grassroots organisations develop their capacity across six key skills areas within the sport-for-development sector.
Marlene Coetzee-George, CEO of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa, said the partnership with Corinthians Africa had been an important part of that journey.
@southern.courier Fitzpatrick was joined by former New Zealand professional rugby union player Dane Coles and Laureus ambassadors, including Dan Nicholl, as they visited the Johannesburg South project ahead of the United Nations International Day of Charity, commemorated on September 5. Full story on southerncourier.co.za
“Laureus was privileged to connect with Corinthians Africa on an empowerment journey through our Incubation Hub programme over the last six months. Learning how the project uses blind soccer, among other offerings, to create hope in uncharted territories has been very inspiring,” she said.
“It was a privilege to visit the programme, celebrate the remarkable work being done and applaud the team for the impact they continue to make in their community.”
The visit highlighted the broader message behind the International Day of Charity, which is that lasting change requires more than once-off assistance.
At Corinthians Africa, sport is being combined with education, life skills and practical projects to create opportunities that can benefit young people in the long term.
For the Laureus delegation, the visit offered a first-hand look at that work and at how a football field, a classroom and even a vegetable garden can all play a role in helping young people build a better future.
