Introduction
Development Consortium’s Sports for Life Skills program harnesses the power of sport to unlock potential in young people from underserved communities. In Faridabad district, Haryana, the initiative uses football as a dynamic tool to build life skills, foster teamwork, and instill leadership among students from government schools.
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Designed to support personal growth alongside physical well-being, the program creates a safe, inclusive space where young people can play, connect, and learn. Through the EduFootball model—an approach that blends structured sports sessions with life skills education—participants develop essential qualities such as communication, goal-setting, respect, and self-confidence.
Originally piloted through the Safe-Hub initiative, Sports for Life Skills continues to transform the playing field into a launchpad for resilience, purpose, and future opportunities.
Background
Safehub's Edufootball curriculum is designed to use age-appropriate, structured play, sports, and life skills activities to foster positive attitudes among youth. In its current intervention, the project engages 150 students from three government schools in Faridabad. These students, aged 11 to 16, participate in two 90-minute sessions per week. Each session includes check-in and context setting, a life skills session, and culminates with a football session and debrief. The curriculum, known as "Go For It," focuses on building resilience, team-building, and promoting emotional well-being.
Goals and Objectives
The primary goals of Safehub are to:
Develop life skills and positive attitudes among youth.
Provide a structured and safe environment for physical and emotional growth.
Promote resilience, teamwork, and emotional well-being.
Ensure high enrollment and participation rates in government schools.
The primary goals of Safehub are to:
Edufootball Curriculum: This flagship program uses football and life skills activities tailored to the needs of the community's students. The "Go For It" curriculum aims to help students understand and celebrate themselves, build resilience, and foster teamwork.
Hands-on Approach: The project relies on in-person engagement and mentoring, with coaches and aides assisting students during practices.
Structured Play: Sessions include orientation, mutual agreements, and rule establishment to ensure fair play and learning through sports.
Government Collaboration:
Safehub works with government stakeholders to gain approval and ensure the continuation of their programs in schools.
Future Direction
Safehub plans to expand its impact by:
Increasing student enrollment and participation in sports and life skills programs.
Promoting a shift in mindset among officials, schools, and teachers to recognize the value of sports in skill development.
Scaling the Edufootball program to reach more schools and communities.
Testimonial
A powerful testimonial from an 8th grader named Naman highlights the impact of Safehub: “I love playing football because I enjoy it. In the sessions, we do a lot of fun and learning activities and strength-building activities. There are a lot of learnings in these sessions; we learn about teamwork, how to work together, and we also learn new techniques to play football and better our game.”
Our sports for life skills initiative remains committed to using sports as a medium to develop essential life skills and promote positive attitudes among youth, ensuring they grow into healthy and empowered individuals.