Empowering Youth through Sports

Context

In 2017 UNESCO launched the programme on Youth and Sport Task Force to enable young inspiring leaders through sport, as well as encourage social transformations in the members’ respective countries through sport, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Sus-tainable Development Goals (SDGs). The programme places the youth at the forefront, de-termining agendas, priorities and directions as a collective. UNESCO supports the Task Force by providing opportunities for the members to promote and enhance their work by connect-ing with each other and with regional and global opportunities for growth and capacity building.

Action

Along with the Lee Seung-Yuop Baseball Foundation, UNESCO’s Youth and Sport Task Force has initiated the 2019 Funshop on Sport and the SDGs in Seoul, Republic of Korea from 5-8 September. The 2019 Funshop demonstrates what it means for sport to be “an important enabler of sustainable development.” Through structured exchanges that will draw on their own experiences, as well as capacity-building modules delivered by experienced facilitators, the youth will gain a deeper understanding of the role that sport can play in achieving spe-cific SDG targets.

Impact

Following the Funshop in Seoul, the Youth and Sport Task Force grew to 60 youth members representing 28 Asia-Pacific countries, and in 2020 the Task Force plans to become a global platform.

The programme has empowered many young individuals to promote their personal well-being as well as promote sport as a tool for positive social change in their communities. As the Youth