Generation Amazing youth advocates, inspired by their role as leaders for the football for development programme, have been helping at-risk people in their communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, sc.qa reports.
Over several weeks, youth advocates in Qatar, India, Nepal and Pakistan have utilised the skills they have learned during football for development activities organised by Generation Amazing.
Many of the youth were involved in the inaugural Generation Amazing Festival, which took place in Doha last December and brought together 140 young people from 22 countries to participate in football for development workshops.
Twenty-six-year-old Govind Rathod, a co-ordinator during the festival, has been distributing food to members of his community in Mumbai, who have been finding it hard to feed their families during the lockdown.
In Nepal, Smriti Ojha, 21, has utilised her significant social media following to raise awareness of how to keep safe during the pandemic.
Another Nepalese youth advocate, Rakshya Pandit, 21, has been posting videos on Facebook which advise people to stay at home and illustrate the importance of good hygiene. Zaheer Khattak, 26, from Pakistan, who recently launched a football academy for poor and disabled children in his hometown of Thatta, has organised volunteers to give out food to the needy. In Qatar, Mohamed al-Muhannadi, 22, hosted an Instagram Live chat with Mohamed Saadon al-Kuwari via the @GA4Good channels to explain how people can remain fit and healthy in the prevailing circumstances.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Shaima Abdullah, goalkeeper for the Qatar women’s team, and fellow youth advocate Shouq al-Sulaiti, 22, hosted an Instagram Live session about gender equality and women in sport. Generation Amazing Programmes director Nasser al-Khori praised the youth advocates. “We’re extremely proud to see our youth advocates lead the crisis management in their communities and begin to take forward the values taught at Generation Amazing, through football for development, to become changemakers in their societies,” he said.
Moza al-Mohannadi, Generation Amazing’s Communications & Marketing director, said: “It’s wonderful to see our youth take an innovative approach to raising awareness about health, safety and well-being during the pandemic. They are taking the lead during this tough period and using their online platforms to spread positive messages.”
On social media, Generation Amazing continues to offer live sessions on its Instagram and Facebook channels. The sessions include tips on health and fitness, along with interviews with sport for development personalities, such as the first captain of the Palestine women’s team, Honey Thaljieh.
Special guests over the past two weeks have included Spanish FIFA World Cup winner Xavi Hernandez and AS Roma star Justin Kluivert. These are in addition to a joint discussion on gender equality between representatives from Generation Amazing and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as book readings and information about healthy exercises to do at home.
For the latest news from Generation Amazing, including details of its daily live sessions, one can follow @GA4Good on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.