Barass Sports Centre is a sports-centre based in Magu Ditrict, Mwanza, Tanzania. The centre's purpose is to give equal opportunities, chances and support to all children in the Magu District - to empower them through sports and education. The approach to achieving this is a combination of sports (especially football) and English education. THE MISSION
Through sports and educational support, we wa
nt to actively contribute to the wellbeing of the community. This will empower children & youth to aim higher and achieve more. Further community development, and even individual development, will take them a step closer of eradicating poverty through sustainable, community-minded means. Sports is a form of education for children to improve their social and teamwork skills. Without such skills, even a good education will not be able to get them far in life. By truly understanding the importance of teamwork, practice, and hard work, children will have a deeper and more positive mindset towards all things in life. This is where we will differ to other sports centre's, clubs or leagues - our objective and manner of coaching won’t be focused on winning, but rather on the process of playing sports together. We have to learn how to deal with each other, our surroundings, and learn to face discord face-on and in a peaceful manner. We aim to make this part of our culture. Formal education is becoming more and more important as the world moves towards an internet-based communication system. Speaking English also plays a major role here. This is why we want to work towards helping children with their schoolwork as well as start teaching English from a young age. With this being so encompassing of education and sports, we also want the community, namely the parents, to be actively involved. We ask the parents to support their children by supplying school supplies for their own children, as well as give them space and permission to participate in activities that are planned. Children have to feel that they are supported at home, in the classroom, and on the football field to encourage healthy growth. THE VISION
By the end of 2016, we hope to be working with 75 children & youths from ages 8-17. They will be participating in football training from Monday - Friday and English classes from Saturday - Sunday. By 2025, the sports centre will have made a significant mark on the landscape of youth development in Tanzania. We hope to have expanded all over the district through collaboration with other groups and to influence positive change in the lives of hundreds of children. Our aim is not to expand ourselves through Tanzania, but really to set up a model others can also follow in order to support their own communities. Through interlinking the different villages and districts together across in the form of a League, we hope to bring children & youths a better understanding of our surroundings and awareness of our country. The reason for this is because we want to focus on quality rather than quantity. By supporting others’ through sharing our working model, we want to encourage more community-minded thinking within Tanzania. THE CORE VALUES
By identifying our core values we will be better able to stay on track towards realising our vision for the future. We will be championing these virtues as a centre, acting as role models for the participants. We also wish to bring these values across, both on the sports field and in the classroom. Fun Play:
The concept that children & youths play and learn by enjoying the process more than the winning outcome. Responsibility:
A belief of self-actions for own and community development. Inclusiveness:
Promoting participation of all genders and diverse backgrounds. Tolerance:
Respecting others’ opinions and promoting the acceptance of everyone. Professionalism:
Learning and following the required procedures and written and unwritten rules of sports. In addition, promoting a professional approach in order to teach the children how to actively participate in and benefit from the educational system and future career possibilities. THE FOUNDER
Barass Sports Centre was founded by Jamal Ally Mohamed Barras, a former football player in the Tanzania division league and Danish series league, and a former student at the International People´s College in Helsingor, Denmark. After taking a football training course at The Danish Football Union (DBU) in Denmark and obtaining the title DBU B1 COACH (A UEFA APPROVED COACHING COURSE FOR THE AGE OF 5 –14 YEARS OLD), he decided to establish a sports centre for both boys and girls in his home district of Magu, Tanzania. With the football emphasis Barras hopes that team efforts and sportsmanship will instil a strong sense of character in the children of Magu. SPORTS & EDUCATION
Developing kids of different age groups (U-12, U-14, and U-18 categories) through sports, especially football. As each age group has different levels of abilities, we will give them a chance to focus on their age group to have a more fair and equal playing level. Teaching English language to all age groups will help them communicate in their future careers and will be a good preparation for their secondary and higher education. We will aim to help them with daily homework from school to improve their performance.
