Hello! We are FC Nono, a social football team in Bihar, India, dedicated to empowering underprivileged children through football activities.
Today’s article is introducing the "Kids’ Coaching Project"! We would like to share the overview and objectives of this project, the skills that the children are learning and acquiring, along with sharing photos of the actual activities!
What is FC Nono’s “Kids’ Coaching Project”?
FC Nono's “Kids Coaching Project” is where children on FC Nono travel to more remote and impoverished areas in the outskirts of Buddha Gaya, Bihar.
With the experiences they have from practicing football with FC Nono for the past two years (since the establishment of FC Nono), the children teach football to the children in the other regions as their coaches.
This project began in earnest with our team's first out-of-state trip in May of this year. About the trip, please check the link below:
Background on “Kids’ Coaching Project”
In order to support the FC Nono’s goals, which are "realization of a society where efforts are rewarded" and "realization of children's dreams", it is necessary to support the growth and independence of the children themselves in various ways.
The children on FC Nono are living in the rural state of Bihar in India, in particular, need to acquire the ability to confront many adversities, such as gender discrimination, caste discrimination, child marriage, and lack of educational opportunities, in order to realize their dreams and goals.
We believe that kids' coaching projects, like ours, are crucially important to help them acquire this strength, which became one of our major activities.
What Will Children Learn from the Project?
Through this Project, both "Kids Coaches from FC Nono" and "Children in the villages who will join football" will learn and acquire the following skills:
Leanings and Acquiring Skills for Kids Coaches
-Leadership
Strong leadership is required to take the lead in practice.
-Time Management
Time management is required to finish the practice menu decided by themselves within the limited time(1.5H/day). Also, the kids’ coaches have to gather at the designated time to go to the remote villages together by rickshaw (a three-wheeled cab - common means of transportation for most people in India).
-Tools Management
We teach the children to take care of their own equipment: count the equipment (balls, bibs, markers, etc.) to be used for practice, take them to the villages where the practice will be held, count them again after practice, and take them back to the equipment storage in our village.
-Positive Attitude
Many of the children from the rural area have never played football or participated in physical activities before. In order to convey the joy of soccer to these children, it is necessary to create a fun, loud, and cheerful practice environment for the kids' coaches themselves. Positivity is indispensable for kids coaches!
-Observation, Perception, and Cognitive Skills
Since several kids coaches will participate in each practice, they need to be able to plan different activities and take action while playing their respective roles. In order to manage the practice smoothly while observing the situation around them, we provide support for them to improve their own observation and perception skills.
-Reflection on the Coaches’ Own Practice
The kids coaches have the opportunity to review the important points during their own practices, as the practices they teach to the village children are based on the practices they have learned over the past two years (since the establishment of FC Nono). They cannot teach others what they have not learned and understood themselves!
-Recognition of Rights (Especially for Girls)
Here in Bihar, India, the biggest "Adversity" that hinders the development of children participating in our activities is gender discrimination. In rural areas where old cultural practices still remain, there is a perception that "Sports are for Boys".
Sharing the awareness of the rights to "play sports with their own bodies to the fullest" with girls in other regions will lead to a reaffirmation that kids' coaches themselves are boldly confronting the "adversity of being a girl.”
Learnings and acquiring skills for village children receiving the instruction
-Learn the Joys of Football and Physical Exercise
We create opportunities for children to experience the exhilaration and fun of moving their bodies to the fullest through their first exposure to soccer!
-Creating Another Place to Relax
Since most of their lives are spent at home, getting outside for football will help them create another place where they can relax.
-Increase Positivity
By watching the aggressiveness of the kids' coaches up close, they can learn to speak up, share their opinions, and be proactive!
-Recognition of Rights (Especially for Girls)
By watching the kids' coaches who belong to the same castes as themselves and are facing up to similar adversities, the participating girls learn about their rights!
-Making Networks (Friends) Outside of their Original Community
One of the joys for children is that they are able to make friends with other children outside their own community through soccer practice.
What we have been working on!
Now, let us introduce how our program works with photos!
Before practice, we count the number of equipment (balls, bibs, markers, etc.) to be used in practice!
Gather at 4:30 p.m. After a quick energy boost, we depart by rickshaw!
Arrived at the village where the football practice is located at!
We start by visiting homes of the children who will be participating in the activities to encourage them with kind words! In this region where it is not common for girls to play sports, this kind of call is very important.
Most of the girls are busy with household chores. The kids' coaches help chop wood together and make sure that everyone can participate in practice smoothly!
Finally, the warm-up begins! Kids coaches give instructions in a loud voice so that the whole group can hear them.
We plan and instruct a practice menu so that children participating for the first time can enjoy exercise in a game-like atmosphere!
Practice with a ball is a little bit difficult, so the kids' coaches assist them.
We try to provide careful guidance one by one.
Adult coaches support when the kids' coaches are not fully able to communicate well or manage a large number of participants!
Kids’ coaches need to manage equipment to the number of participants!
Accidents are not escapable from sports.
When it happens, we respond to the situation accordingly!
Sometimes mothers of participating children in the villages come to watch the practice!
A quick snap after practice!
Thank you for Your Interest in our Activities!
How did you like today’s article about our “KIds’ Coaching Project”?
We hope that we have given you its glimpse!
As of September 2023, the Kids Coaching Project is being implemented in one village every Tuesday evening, but over the next year until October 2024, we would like to expand the area of activity to 6 villages, so that as many children as possible can experience soccer and coaching opportunities, learn and grow, and achieve their dreams!
Kids coaches currently teaching!
Syncable Account Opened for Donations!
We are happy to announce that we recently opened an account on the platform “Syncable”, which is an online fundraising platform dedicated to non-profit and non-governmental organizations, run by STYZ Inc.
In the past, we have had several interests about direct donations to our organization and similar inquiries. All of us here at FC Nono are happy to finally have this Syncable platform set up to be able to accept donations from both Japan and overseas supporters.
For the details of direct donation to us, please check the link below:
We ask for your ongoing support toward our future activities through this new Syncable donation platform.
Please let us know of any inquiries that might arise regarding this method!
Thank you always,
Team FC Nono
ABOUT FC Nono
FC Nono is a football organization set up to tackle social problems and dedicated to social change in developing countries. As a charitable and social project, our mission is to improve inclusive living conditions of young girls/boys of BodhGaya city, Bihar State in India who are forced to live in poverty through our wide range of social activities focused on health, education and human resources development towards sustainable livelihoods. We reach out to the youths in impoverished families, prison, the disabled and street children.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/footballclubnono/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/teamfcnono
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@fcnono2021
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