Generation Amazing has showcased its unique ‘football for development’ model in New York City, while attending the leading corporate social responsibility conference Beyond Sport United.
Launched in 2010 as part of Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup, Generation Amazing employs its model in communities across Qatar, the Middle East and Asia – and programme organisers took the opportunity to demonstrate its approach to a new audience in North America by conducting a successful football training session for local schoolchildren.
Generation Amazing also supported the Sport for Refugees Award during the Beyond Sport Global Awards 2018, with the award being presented by five-time FIFA World Cup coach, Bora Milutinovic.
The new award went to Reclaim Childhood, an organisation which brings refugee and Jordanian girls together on the playing field by training Syrian, Iraqi, Sudanese, Palestinian, Somali, Egyptian and local Jordanian coaches to lead their own sports teams and work together towards community resilience.
“We are proud to support the new Sport for Refugees Award this year, which recognises the outstanding work being done by organisations from different parts of the world to address one of the most pressing social issues of our time,” said Mushtaq al-Waeli, Senior Advisor to the Secretary General, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
“Through Generation Amazing we are using the power of sport to build a lasting social legacy for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, our region, and across the world. We will continue with our football for development work to make a tangible impact on the lives of a million young people by 2022.”
As part of the programme at the Beyond Sport United Conference, Generation Amazing took part in various panel sessions and discussions, including through CSR Senior Manager Isabel Gultresa, and former USA national team coach, Milutinovic.
“The vision of a country and an organisation is very important if you want to guide young generations to become leaders in their community,” Milutinovic said.
“Generation Amazing is so important in this regard, as it works until 2022 to involve one million children and young people, from Pakistan to Nepal, India to the Philippines and many other countries, and to teach them life skills and values through sport.”
He continued: “The decisive factor is to be aware of how we can improve the world. The best way to do so is to share knowledge, and people who have experience can share a lot of things with children who don´t have these opportunities. Sport can help young people to think differently.
“Thanks to sport you can learn discipline, motivation, team spirit, how to be respectful, all of the values that you need to be successful in life. With Generation Amazing, young people get a new world of opportunities, to advance in their lives. The World Cup in Qatar will be one of dreams, a compact tournament with the opportunity to see more than one game a day.”
Bora Milutinovic (centre) led the Generation Amazing team at the Beyond Sport United CSR conference in New York.
