LAUTOKA (Fiji) - Matai Taito’s Youth Leadership Project was held at the Lautoka Basketball Association in October, targeting the family members of players to empower the community's youths.
Aligning with FIBA's strategic priority of Youth Development, the core focus of the Youth Leadership program is to facilitate and empower the next generation of leaders on and off the court to create and run their own Basketball For Good initiatives within their communities.
The ‘Parents, Guardians, and Siblings Get into Basketball’ program, run by Matai, was designed to help family members support the association’s young and developing players.
“The main idea was that by helping parents, guardians and siblings understand the fundamentals of basketball, we would empower proactive engagement and training in their own homes,” he said. “Because Lautoka has only one public multipurpose court, we wanted to create a program that would teach the basics that could also be learned and practised at home, emphasising the point that everything starts at home.”
Getting parents, guardians and siblings involved in basketball has helped them understand the importance of their support. Through these initiatives, Lautoka Basketball has increased the number of players actively participating in basketball.
“The Lautoka Basketball Association community has become closer through efforts to make basketball a family-oriented sport,” Matai said. “Many families have taken the initiative to form club teams with their relatives and close friends, which has increased the number of participating teams.”
By creating and running this program, Matai has gained insight into the importance of collaboration and teamwork within the Lautoka Basketball Association.
“This program has helped me understand the true value of unity; that although we are all different people, we share the same goal of growing and playing the sport we love,” he said.
This Youth Leadership program has enabled Matai to combine his passion for basketball and community to create a program that will benefit Lautoka families for generations.
“I’ve learned that there are many ways a coach can grow and develop, and that growth, for players and coaches, is not only measured by what is seen on the court,” Matai said.
About FIBA Foundation
The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports and particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.
The FIBA Foundation believes that basketball has the power to empower, educate and inspire youth and facilitates this by implementing Basketball For Good projects around the world.
FIBA
About MFAT
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trading (MFAT) is New Zealand's link to the world, shaping foreign policy, trade, and providing development support, especially in the Pacific. They champion youth development and international cooperation for a better global future. With a commitment to youth development and regional partnerships, MFAT’s strategic objectives aligns with the FIBA Foundation Youth Leaders program goals of fostering leadership and creating positive social impact across the Pacific.