Citizenship in Action: African Volunteer Football Academy for the Less Privileged (AVFAL)

PROJECT SUMMARY
The African Volunteer Football Academy for the Less Privileged is an organisation of over 250 youths involved in football in the Limbe municipality. The Organisation main activities include;

To provide football training to the less privileged African children and also to provide equal opportunity for disabled youths.

AVFAL offers support and counselling to those youths so that they can work through their problems and find a way to be safe whilst trying to get their lives back on track.

AVFAL strengthen the right of children to play, enhanced their healthy physical and psychosocial development and builds stronger communities. AVFAL football and play programs help foster three key protective factors in the well-being of youths:Resilience by building confidence through skills acquisition.

A meaningful connection to adult through the coaching relationship and;
A sense of safety and security through regular activities.

AVFAL football and play programmes also serve as tools to teach important values and life skills including self-confidence, teamwork, communication, inclusion, discipline, respect and fair play.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES
AVFAL main objective is the promotion of youths in the involvement of community development and leadership. Young people face a whole range of problems, which can cause distress and even mental ill health with issues like exam pressures, bullying, family problems, bad relationships and drugs causing huge stress. It is estimated that one in five young people experience mental health problems. Living on the streets means people can find themselves vulnerable to a wide range of problems, including drugs and alcohol abuse, gang violence, prostitution and involvement in crime. Many young people have multiple and complex difficulties which require intensive support. AVFAL Limbe gives one-to-one support to young people, offering practical training, help and advices in solving their problems and helping to improve their lives. It’s all about the fun of football-and the good things about it; team spirit, global learning, and living without violence. Our project is all about football as a cultural mediator and a medium for social development.

GLOBAL OBJECTIVES
Provide youths with well structure football programmes that will enable them become future footballers.

Upgrade the skills of these youths by providing them with general training support towards the municipality’s program of involving youth’s in community planning, decision making and cross community dialogue and cooperation.

IMMEDIATE OJECTIVES
Offers two (2) levels of training i.e. Basic level and advanced level;

BASIC LEVEL...
The basic level will target youths amongst the age group of 8-14 called the under 14 team. They will be thought the basic skills they require to enable them become future footballers and help develop their community.

ADVANCE LEVEL...
The advanced level of training are for youths from 14-18 years of aged and its know as the under 18 team. They will be provided with a well structured football training program as well as general training towards the municipality’s program of involving youths in community planning, decision making and cross community dialogue and cooperation.