By Luisa Eusebio, YMCA Siderno
Luisa Eusebio, an International Program Manager from YMCA Siderno, Italy, was selected to participate in the FIBA Foundation’s European Youth Leadership Program, 14-16 June in Mies, Switzerland. The programme was open to young people aged 20-30 with an interest and knowledge in using the power of basketball as a tool for positive change, and the FIBA Foundation selected one leader per country. Luisa shares her experience and what she learned.
The FIBA Foundation’s European Youth Program 2023 consisted of a three-day training for young leaders who wanted to learn and contribute to the growth of young people through basketball.
We were a group of 20 young people from 15 different countries such as Portugal, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Turkey and others. This was probably my favourite part because I got to know different countries through different people. We also learned about FIBA and their different achievements and responsibilities.
After the training days, we were all involved in the Open FIBA 3X3 Swiss Tournament (17-18 June), which lasted for two days and took place in the FIBA headquarters in Switzerland. During that weekend, we supported the organisers and the other volunteers in developing the event. Moreover, we got the space to carry out our own activities as we were divided into 4 groups:
- Competition Team
- Social Team
- Sustainability Team
- Volunteers Team, which was my team.
What motivated me to participate was the opportunity to learn how to combine social work, mainly focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and sports like basketball, which is our main activity at YMCA Siderno. Also, I wanted to participate in this unique experience to bring new ideas and activities to young people in Siderno. I want them to experience new things and improve our current projects.
I learned so much by attending:
- The programme gave me the confidence and the tools to become a better leader in my community.
- It allowed me to connect with people from different countries and contexts and share ideas.
- I learned about developing a project and discussing different points of view and solutions.
- And I began to think about how to tackle the current issues in our community of Siderno.
I first met YMCA Siderno as a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteer in 2021 and participated in a project that lasted for 11 months. I fell in love with the town and the people and decided to return as a Project Manager at YMCA Siderno the following year. And now, the FIBA Foundation programme has allowed me to mix sports and project management to improve social issues in our society.