SFA celebrates International Youth Day
International Youth Day, celebrated every August 12th, is an UN-recognized day that honors creative, youth-led initiatives that help achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of these goals includes ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages, which aligns with Saudi Spots For All’s main objectives for the Kingdom.
The SFA continues to work on several initiatives to help promote good health and well-being as part of the Vision 2030 objectives under the Quality of Life Program. As part of this drive, SFA designs programs and initiatives that cater to different segments of society across all ages, including the youth.
According to a 2020 study by GASTAT, 36.7 percent of the Kingdom’s population are youth. This means the SFA has been working closely with the public and private to increase the physical activity rates of youth in the Kingdom, given that they make up a bulk portion of the Saudi society and are an investment in the nation’s future.
Over the last several months, SFA has launched several initiatives to help activate kids in fun and exciting environments. In January of this year, the SFA inaugurated its Neighborhood Clubs program in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. The Neighborhood Clubs aim to provide a variety of sports and recreational events and activities that suit people of all ages and abilities. The initial phase has seen 13 centers in 10 cities activated. Namely: Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Hail, Qassim, Taif, Khamis Mushait, Tabuk, and Jizan. Everyone can register as a member at the Neighborhood Clubs via the website (https://www.nc-sfa.com/).
As part of the Neighborhood Clubs, the SFA has been hosting summer camps since July 2022, offering fun fitness-focused activities for youth up to 18 years of age. The 5-week program incorporates athletics, entertainment, education, and the growth of life skills to encourage boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 17 to be active over the summer.
The second edition of the Active program consists of a variety of tournaments & sports activities that target youth under 18 years of age and their families to boost sports engagement among the community, enhance social cohesion, and improve health and physical fitness. The program kicked off on August 11th at Baljurashi National Park in Al Baha and will move to various cities across the Kingdom, five of which are in public spaces and three on beaches, over eight months.
Moreover, SFA works closely with universities to activate and support sports clubs across the Kingdom to encourage student-led athletic clubs to create accessible, sustainable, and inclusive activities throughout the Kingdom.
To encourage sports and physical activity among students, SFA is working with schools to design physical activity tests for students and online toolkits for teachers to fill school days with movement. The SFA does this by offering online toolkits that will enable the instructors to perform a variety of activities, providing the resources they need to deliver successful and engaging programs for kids in schools.
The SFA is committed to promoting an inclusive, youth-oriented society and recognizes the vital role and value they bring to any community. In addition to all its previous projects, SFA will continue to empower the Kingdom’s youth further by designing programs and creating more spaces they can utilize and learn from when it comes to sports. The federation aims to provide them with tools to be integral parts of a vibrant and dynamic society.
