For 16-year-old Seb Carr, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy’s (SC’s) youngest Generation Amazing volunteer, the groundbreaking initiative has altered his outlook on life, and he says he has now witnessed first-hand how football can change the societies that we live in.
“If someone woke me in the middle of the night and asked me to tell them about Qatar, it is my experience with Generation Amazing which would first come to mind,” he said.
“It’s been a fascinating journey for me, a great learning experience and it gives me great satisfaction to see the results of our work.”
For Seb, working with the Inclusive Generation initiative – a strand of the programme which helps develop life, leadership and communications skills among Qatar’s construction workers – was a natural step, having moved around the world for most of his life.
Growing up he spent time in Sri Lanka, India, Syria and Qatar with his English Language teacher parents. The interaction with different cultures led to him taking an active interest in how different communities integrate into society.
“As a Generation Amazing community coach, my role is to improve the communication skills of workers who might not share a common language but are in love with football,” he said.
“I work with them to convey thoughts through body language and the language of football and also work with them on their confidence levels, skills which are transferable to their work place.”
It was his love of football that led to him reaching out to the programme to find out if they would accept him as a volunteer.
His father’s passion for the game, and his undying loyalty to Liverpool Football Club, was contagious and it was inevitable that he would eventually join a football team and dedicate his spare time to training.
“I have been training at Evolution Sports for the last five years from the time I moved to Qatar, and when my uncle heard about Generation Amazing, he told me that I should consider joining the programme, and that I would love it.
“I took his advice and joined last May at the inception of the Inclusive Generation programme for workers in Qatar, and I haven’t looked back. I am a member of a band, but if I had to choose between the two, I would choose Generation Amazing every time!”
When asked about his favourite Generation Amazing memory, Seb was quick to answer.
“The memory I will take away with me is watching the transformation that is apparent in each of the workers in the programme from when they step into the GA coaching venue to when they complete the course.
I recall that a couple of workers
were introverts and joined as players when we started the programme last May.
“But Generation Amazing’s football for development curriculum helped to develop aspects of their personalities and they worked meticulously to graduate from player to community coach within a few months.”
Seb now firmly believes in the power of football to bring about positive change in communities, as he has witnessed these developments first-hand in Qatar.
“Playing football brings a smile to the faces of people who take part in Generation Amazing after a long day of work,” he said.
“They excitedly run to the ball to start their kick-about. It’s the highlight of their day, and mine.” (sc.qa)
