Location and general information
Environmental protection - 
Healthy lifestyle - 
Personal developmentContext
Zimbabwe’s young people have borne the brunt of years of economic and political instability. Rural communities, in particular, are marginalised and deprived of educational and extracurricular activities. This disadvantage is compounded by conflicts between human populations and the surrounding wildlife and a lack of appreciation for the value of the ecosystem.
These challenges make young people susceptible to unsustainable, environmentally detrimental behaviour such as poaching, deforestation and over-consumption of natural resources.
Project goals
Overall goal
Engage thousands of people each year in Environmental Youth Ball Games and Community Competition Days to bring whole communities together, from children to village elders, in celebration of the environment and to share critical wildlife messages
Specific objectives
- Engage an at-risk, young demographic in environmentalism and inspire a change of attitude towards wildlife and the conservation sector
- Provide a rare opportunity for children and young adults to access sport and the arts
- Share proven human-wildlife coexistence strategies with rural communities to support the management of conflict
- Share important messaging on the sustainable use of natural resources and build rural resilience to climate challenges
We expect to engage at least 5,000 rural Zimbabweans in 10 Environmental Youth Ball Games and 10 Community Competitions over the course of 10 months, including:
- 1,200 footballers
- 700 netball players
- 800 schoolchildren
- 240 teachers/headteachers
- >2,000 community spectators
Project content
- Ten netball and football tournaments (Environmental Youth Ball Games)
Each tournament lasts six to eight weeks. The four teams that make the finals (netball and football) compete in front of a large crowd on the morning of the local Community Competition Day. - Ten environmental challenges (Community Competitions)
Teams from local schools compete in drama, poetry, model-making and poster-making, presenting their messages to the community about locally relevant and urgent environmental, climate or wildlife needs
Partners
