Story Contributed by Yik, Resource Mobilisation
In December last year, a small group of children gathered at Delta Sports Centre for a football session. There were six of them, between four and nine years old. One of the youngest arrived with his mother, staying close as the day unfolded.
The session wasn’t run by adults or coaches brought in from outside. It was planned and led entirely by Learning Coaches – youths from the community who already spend their weeks supporting younger children with learning. Over time, these youths have become familiar faces to families, people children listen to and parents trust. The programme is about that – youths growing into roles where they support, guide, and take responsibility for the community they are part of.
For Aiman* and Faris*, aged 18 and 19, the idea came from noticing what was already there. The children they work with are drawn to football – always kicking a ball around, always eager to play. They wondered what it would look like to slow things down just a little, to teach the basics, to help the children understand the game beyond instinct and energy.
So they decided to try.
They handled everything themselves from shaping the idea and writing the proposal, to messaging parents and running the session on the day. Because the families already knew them, there was little hesitation. This wasn’t something being done to the community. It was something coming from within it.
The day didn’t go perfectly but that didn’t deter the youths. When rain threatened, plans shifted. When there were fewer cones than expected, they adjusted. When a disagreement flared between two children, Faris stepped in calmly, listening to everyone involved and settling it fairly.
An external volunteer watching the session later shared how steady the youths were throughout. They stayed light, adaptable, unflustered. Aiman kept repeating, almost casually, that everything would work out. And it did.
What stood out was how much care went into the details. Both coaches were juggling part-time work during the year-end peak period yet they still carved out time for this. The planning had been done thoughtfully enough that, on the day itself, there was little need for anyone else to step in. They had already taken ownership.
This small football clinic is one moment among many, but it points to something larger. The Learning Coaches are growing into their roles – not just as helpers, but as people who initiate, lead, and carry responsibility with confidence. Another group of youths will be running their own activity later this week, and this time, it comes with a sense of trust built from moments like these.
As the year begins, this is the kind of momentum we hope to carry forward – young people noticing what their community needs, stepping up, and discovering that they are more ready than they think.