Global Forum for Sports and Environment
Safari Junior Tennis Camps, Kenya
Supported by organizations such as GSA and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the program has been run successfully for the last six years and has made a significant contribution to improving the standard of the game and inspiring young athletes. This year's event invited 100 boys and girls aged between 4 and 16-years old. GSA staff member, Katsuya Otsu was one of the volunteer coaches that traveled to Nairobi to take part in the program and thanks to support from sources such as the Tennis Support Center in Japan, was able to donate sixty tennis rackets to the program. The summer camps aim to give a sporting chance to children that would otherwise be denied the opportunity to develop tennis and other sports skills, as well as giving basic environmental education. The program at the Sadili Oval welcomes young people from Langata as well as the Kibera slum area, and the facility has been the winner of the Spirit of the Land award at the Salt Lake City Olympics in USA 2002 and the 2003 G-ForSE Award in Japan. Programs for other popular sports were also run through August. The Langata Youth Soccer Camp took place over four days from 10-13 August with 600 kids taking part. Among the professional coaches that helped out with camps were members of the Kenyan national team. Participants from the different programs came together on 10 August to take part in an environmental clean up in the Kibera slum area. At a press conference on the previous day attended by Mr. Raila Odinga, Minister for Roads, Housing and Public Works and Mr. Kahaniri, the Deputy Minister for Tourism, the aims of the program were laid out to the attending media services. UNEP's Eric Falt and Theodore Oben were also in attendance and they outlined UNEP's role and the goals of GSA's Ecoflag Movement. For more on the Sadili Oval and their "Nature and Sports Camps, see: LINK : |
The "GSA Dream Camps ― Safari Junior Tennis Camps" took place on 2-13 August at the Sadili Oval, near Nairobi, Kenya, bringing young people a chance for professional sports coaching, developing leadership skills, cleaning up the surrounding environment and providing environmental education.