Sport against poverty - 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC

Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Sam.

We all know that sport is great for our

health - and if you're talented

it can make you rich.

Many great champions have found

a way out of poverty through

their sporting ability

- think of someone like

footballer Maradona.

But in today's programme we're not

looking at the superstars.

Instead we'll discuss how

sport can change the lives of young

people from some of the poorest,

toughest backgrounds

on earth.

And of course, we'll be learning some

vocabulary on the way.

Many projects around the world use

sports to change children's lives -

improving mental

health, challenging stereotypes and giving

hope. Among them is the

Ebony Club in Brixton

which uses sport to help young people

in London's most disadvantaged

communities - but which

sport? That's my quiz question. Is it:

a) golf, b) tennis, or c) horse riding?

Well, I can't imagine there's enough space

for golf and horse riding in the city, so

I'll say b) tennis.

OK, we'll find out the answer later.

Just now we were talking about

London but sporting

projects like the Ebony Club are

happening all over the world.

In Cape Town, South Africa, British surfer

Tim Conibear noticed how kids

from poor townships

hardly ever went to the beach.

So he started giving them

free surfing lessons.

Tim founded the 'Waves for Changes'

project and now hundreds

of kids go along each week

to get 'surfing therapy'. Not only is surfing

giving them a buzz, it's helping to improve

their life chances.

Here he is talking to the BBC World

Service programme

People Fixing the World:

Surfing also is quite difficult

so you're learning a very

challenging skill which takes

a lot of confidence. Very small successes

that children have when they go into the

water elicit a really big emotional

response. If you come from

a background of trauma quite

often you'll have a negative self-image

and being able to try

something new, achieve something

new, be recognised by a coach or

a mentor is very very good for

your confidence as well.

Most of the surfers have experienced

trauma - emotional pain

and shock caused by very

distressing experiences.

This has given them a negative

self-image - the way a person

feels about themselves,

their ability, personality and value.

Surfing helps kids improve their

self-image because it's

challenging - difficult in a

way that tests your ability

and determination.

So challenging, in fact, that the

children have a mentor - a trusted

advisor who gives

help and support to a younger

or less experienced person.

Tim believes that the concentration

needed to surf makes the

children's other problems

disappear - at least for a short time.

And the results so far have been

optimistic, with a significant reduction

in violent behaviour

reported among Cape Town's

young surfers.

Surfing is quite well-known in

South Africa. But what happens

when you take a completely

unknown sport into one of the least

developed countries on earth?

In 2007, Australian Oliver Percovich

was travelling in Afghanistan with

his skateboard. The children

there were fascinated so he started

showing them how to skate.

The idea grew and a few years later

he founded the organisation

'Skateistan' giving free

skateboard lessons to children aged

five to seventeen, with a focus

on those with disabilities,

from low-income backgrounds

and especially, girls.

Here's 'Skateistan' volunteer,

Jessica Faulkner, explaining how

skateboarding reinforces positive

educational messages which Afghan

kids don't always get at home.

There's a few things that skateboarding

does as a kind of function.

It is really quite

challenging - it's not an easy sport for

anyone whether you're young or old.

And that means

that it also teaches quite a lot of life

skills. You have to fall off

a skateboard quite a

lot of times before you get better and

it really helps children with

things like goal

setting and resilience and determination.

Also, and really importantly, we do believe

that children should have fun.

Like surfing, skateboarding is challenging

and difficult. It requires effort and Jessica

believes this teaches children important

life skills - the basic skills needed to solve

problems commonly encountered

in everyday life.

One important life skill is goal setting -

deciding what things you want

to achieve and how you

plan to achieve them.

Along with other skills like determination

and resilience, this helps

kids improve their

outlook on life.

And to experience one of the most

important things - having fun!

Which reminds me about the kids

at the Ebony Club and my quiz question.

Remember that I

asked you which sport the club uses

to support disadvantaged

children in London.

Yes, and I said, b) tennis

But in fact, it's c) horse riding - a sport

normally associated with the elite.

In this episode we've been discussing

how sport can help improve

the life chances of

young people from tough backgrounds,

many of whom have suffered trauma -

severe emotional

pain and distress.

Such pain damages a child's self-image -

how they see and value themselves

in the world.

This can be improved by taking part

in sports, like surfing, skating

and horse riding, which

are challenging - demanding

and testing of your abilities.

Often kids are supported by a mentor - a

trusted, more experienced friend

who can offer help

and advice.

And with this support they learn life skills

- basic skills everyone needs to cope with

everyday problems.

One important skill is goal setting -

deciding what you want

to accomplish and planning how

to do it.

And of course, sometimes the most

important goal is just to have fun!

That's all we have time for.

Join us again soon as we discuss

more topical issues.

Bye for now!

Bye!