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  • Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC

  • Learning English. I'm Neil.

  • And I'm Sam.

  • We all know that sport is great for our

  • health - and if you're talented

  • it can make you rich.

  • Many great champions have found

  • a way out of poverty through

  • their sporting ability

  • - think of someone like

  • footballer Maradona.

  • But in today's programme we're not

  • looking at the superstars.

  • Instead we'll discuss how

  • sport can change the lives of young

  • people from some of the poorest,

  • toughest backgrounds

  • on earth.

  • And of course, we'll be learning some

  • vocabulary on the way.

  • Many projects around the world use

  • sports to change children's lives -

  • improving mental

  • health, challenging stereotypes and giving

  • hope. Among them is the

  • Ebony Club in Brixton

  • which uses sport to help young people

  • in London's most disadvantaged

  • communities - but which

  • sport? That's my quiz question. Is it:

  • a) golf, b) tennis, or c) horse riding?

  • Well, I can't imagine there's enough space

  • for golf and horse riding in the city, so

  • I'll say b) tennis.

  • OK, we'll find out the answer later.

  • Just now we were talking about

  • London but sporting

  • projects like the Ebony Club are

  • happening all over the world.

  • In Cape Town, South Africa, British surfer

  • Tim Conibear noticed how kids

  • from poor townships

  • hardly ever went to the beach.

  • So he started giving them

  • free surfing lessons.

  • Tim founded the 'Waves for Changes'

  • project and now hundreds

  • of kids go along each week

  • to get 'surfing therapy'. Not only is surfing

  • giving them a buzz, it's helping to improve

  • their life chances.

  • Here he is talking to the BBC World

  • Service programme

  • People Fixing the World:

  • Surfing also is quite difficult

  • so you're learning a very

  • challenging skill which takes

  • a lot of confidence. Very small successes

  • that children have when they go into the

  • water elicit a really big emotional

  • response. If you come from

  • a background of trauma quite

  • often you'll have a negative self-image

  • and being able to try

  • something new, achieve something

  • new, be recognised by a coach or

  • a mentor is very very good for

  • your confidence as well.

  • Most of the surfers have experienced

  • trauma - emotional pain

  • and shock caused by very

  • distressing experiences.

  • This has given them a negative

  • self-image - the way a person

  • feels about themselves,

  • their ability, personality and value.

  • Surfing helps kids improve their

  • self-image because it's

  • challenging - difficult in a

  • way that tests your ability

  • and determination.

  • So challenging, in fact, that the

  • children have a mentor - a trusted

  • advisor who gives

  • help and support to a younger

  • or less experienced person.

  • Tim believes that the concentration

  • needed to surf makes the

  • children's other problems

  • disappear - at least for a short time.

  • And the results so far have been

  • optimistic, with a significant reduction

  • in violent behaviour

  • reported among Cape Town's

  • young surfers.

  • Surfing is quite well-known in

  • South Africa. But what happens

  • when you take a completely

  • unknown sport into one of the least

  • developed countries on earth?

  • In 2007, Australian Oliver Percovich

  • was travelling in Afghanistan with

  • his skateboard. The children

  • there were fascinated so he started

  • showing them how to skate.

  • The idea grew and a few years later

  • he founded the organisation

  • 'Skateistan' giving free

  • skateboard lessons to children aged

  • five to seventeen, with a focus

  • on those with disabilities,

  • from low-income backgrounds

  • and especially, girls.

  • Here's 'Skateistan' volunteer,

  • Jessica Faulkner, explaining how

  • skateboarding reinforces positive

  • educational messages which Afghan

  • kids don't always get at home.

  • There's a few things that skateboarding

  • does as a kind of function.

  • It is really quite

  • challenging - it's not an easy sport for

  • anyone whether you're young or old.

  • And that means

  • that it also teaches quite a lot of life

  • skills. You have to fall off

  • a skateboard quite a

  • lot of times before you get better and

  • it really helps children with

  • things like goal

  • setting and resilience and determination.

  • Also, and really importantly, we do believe

  • that children should have fun.

  • Like surfing, skateboarding is challenging

  • and difficult. It requires effort and Jessica

  • believes this teaches children important

  • life skills - the basic skills needed to solve

  • problems commonly encountered

  • in everyday life.

  • One important life skill is goal setting -

  • deciding what things you want

  • to achieve and how you

  • plan to achieve them.

  • Along with other skills like determination

  • and resilience, this helps

  • kids improve their

  • outlook on life.

  • And to experience one of the most

  • important things - having fun!

  • Which reminds me about the kids

  • at the Ebony Club and my quiz question.

  • Remember that I

  • asked you which sport the club uses

  • to support disadvantaged

  • children in London.

  • Yes, and I said, b) tennis

  • But in fact, it's c) horse riding - a sport

  • normally associated with the elite.

  • In this episode we've been discussing

  • how sport can help improve

  • the life chances of

  • young people from tough backgrounds,

  • many of whom have suffered trauma -

  • severe emotional

  • pain and distress.

  • Such pain damages a child's self-image -

  • how they see and value themselves

  • in the world.

  • This can be improved by taking part

  • in sports, like surfing, skating

  • and horse riding, which

  • are challenging - demanding

  • and testing of your abilities.

  • Often kids are supported by a mentor - a

  • trusted, more experienced friend

  • who can offer help

  • and advice.

  • And with this support they learn life skills

  • - basic skills everyone needs to cope with

  • everyday problems.

  • One important skill is goal setting -

  • deciding what you want

  • to accomplish and planning how

  • to do it.

  • And of course, sometimes the most

  • important goal is just to have fun!

  • That's all we have time for.

  • Join us again soon as we discuss

  • more topical issues.

  • Bye for now!

  • Bye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC

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