Within weeks of being appointed Goducate’s Sports Director, David (Boycie) Zamar, implemented Goducate’s first basketball program in Barangay Pupuy, in Laguna Province, The Philippines (a barangay is the smallest administrative unit in The Philippines).
The 4-week program, which has just been completed, included 2 sessions of coaching to be table officials, and 2 sessions of coaching to be referees.
The program also included a basketball league, which 11 teams, each consisting of 12-15 players entered. The program was held at the barangay’s gymnasium, which the barangay council and its youth council allowed us to use. The players brought their friends and families along, such that some 300 people turned up on the weekday evenings (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday), and 500 on Sat evenings. The teams consisted mainly of underprivileged and out-of-school youth. The idea of the league was for us to identify players who might qualify for sports scholarships. Unlike some previous basketball matches in the area, which had to be discontinued because of unruly behavior among players and spectators, our league matches ran smoothly, possibly because of the emphasis we placed on discipline and sportsmanship in the address to both players and spectators before the matches.
Within a week of the start of the program, an out of school youth was offered a college sports scholarship on the strength of his basketball skills. He will receive free tuition, accommodation, as well as an allowance. By the end of the 4 week program, 7 other players were selected to be presented for sports scholarships. The players will continue their training at basketball camps. We are also planning a tie up with TESDA (the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), to channel some of these out-of-school youth towards its courses.
Several members of Goducate staff were among those who attended the training for table officials and for referees. Jonathan, a Goducate staff member has been selected to go Cebu City for the National Private Schools Athletic Association and National Referees Accreditation to be held in the 3rd week of April. If he passes the test he will be our first member of staff to receive a license to officiate nationwide at basketball events.
The training sessions were conducted by Coach Boycie and his two friends, George Magsino (an FIBA licensed referee) and Jojo Rivera (a licensed basketball coach). Jojo has invited the Goducate Sports Program to run the Basketball Clinic for Kids and Youth in April at BF Homes, Paranaque, a middle and upper class residential development south of Manila. Although the youth in this area are privileged kids who will not need Goducate help, our involvement there will enable those from the poor areas who qualify as table officials and referees to earn some income there.
For now, the Goducate Sports Program has started sessions in Barangay Tranca for underprivileged youth. We hope to run programs in many other barangays soon, and to get as many people as possible back to school on sports scholarships before the start of the school year in June.
There have been other outcomes of the Goducate Sports Program. One is that FESSAP (Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines) has appointed Goducate as its partner. FESSAP has also appointed our Sports Director, Boycie, to be its Chairman of the Coaches Commission, and me as Chairman for Youth Development at barangay/barrio level.
Its nice to have a program like that to our place and other places in the philippines..Because we all know that Filipino youth really enjoy and love the game basketball and the good thing to that program is they will not only playing but they can have the opportunity to make basketball as thier carreer.There is a lot of out of school youth in the philippines that can play good in basketball.That is a chance to use ability to keep the education to them by the help of Goducate and good people like coach david boycie and Leo Decinal who make the program come true..