Why is sport a successful tool to achieve development aims? What have young people across the world achieved in this field?

Can an alliance of young people who use sport for development work together to create networks that can benefit all? What can projects learn from each other?

These are amongst the topics  that were discussed at the Youth Conference, which preceded the Next Step Conference in Namibia. In attendance were 100 young leaders from over 20 countries.

A number of them had been receiving iLearn online training in sport for development issues and media skills for NGOs in advance of the youth conference, and some were involved in a participatory video workshop faciliated by Insight.

Other outcomes include:

•    A Youth Report* that will be submitted to groups such as the UNDP International Working Group

•    A Youth Network that will be facilitated through the setting up of a Youth Forum on the Sport and Development Platform (sportanddev.org)

•    The encouragement to offer the opportunity for more Youth Conferences in the future – already, as a result of this conference there is a commitment to host an annual National youth conference in Namibia.

Youth conference on film - http://www.insightshare.org/sport4development.html

* the youth report will be included in the final conference report which will be presented at the UN Sport for Development International Working Group ( http://www.righttoplay.com/site/PageServer?pagename=iwg_home ) in early December. The report will be distributed to all delegates and will be ready by the first week of December.