Generation Amazing Festival Highlights Sport's Ability to Connect People

Doha, December 06 (QNA) - The Generation Amazing Festival kicked off Saturday and gathered together young people from Qatar, the region, and the world to showcase the capacity of football to unify, empower, and drive positive social change. The three-day event, which is being hosted virtually by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), with Qatar Foundation (QF) as a strategic partner, highlighted that sport has the ability to connect people - bridging both communities and generations - and help to tackle global issues such as COVID-19. President of Community Development, QF, Machaille Hassan Al Naimi, who was among the panelists in the opening session, said: "Sport instills incredible behaviors and values that cut across different sectors in our lives. "It teaches things like teamwork, fairness, leadership, respect, and, most importantly, cross-cultural differences and tolerance. It is a great equalizer, bringing people from different paths together. "When children can look at sports teams and see people of different nationalities, and different walks of life, focusing on one shared goal, it shows them that there is something greater than the individual themselves, and they can all come together. Explaining how this is reflected in QF's community development focus, Al Naimi pointed to the organization's Ability Friendly programs, which span swimming, football, and horse-riding and create inclusive sporting opportunities for all within Qatar's community. In a festival discussion on Innovating World Cup Legacy to Create Long-Term Impact, Nasser Al Khori, Programmes Director, Generation Amazing, explained: "There are many legacy aspects to 2022 - from sustainability and the environment to the World Cup stadiums themselves - and for Generation Amazing, the focus is on creating a human and social legacy. "Our pitches and programs have provided safe spaces for communities that didn't have access to infrastructure or youth programs. Now we are going back to these communities to look at how we can continue to help them and build a sustainable model, because social enterprise is so important. "In the 10 years since Generation Amazing was established, one of its biggest milestones was reaching 500,000 beneficiaries. Now we are targeting one million beneficiaries by 2022, through working with our partners to continue to promote football for development, use football for good, and make it part of the legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 . "We are proud to be delivering the Generation Amazing Festival 2020 in strategic partnership with Qatar Foundation, and with the invaluable support of Qatar Airways, beIN Sports, and Ooredoo. Globally, we make sure that through a collaborative approach, together with global partners like CONCACAF and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, we are developing programs that inspire and empower youth to change their communities for the better." Norwegian footballer Andrine Hegerberg, of Italian club AS Roma, spoke about how sport has helped children deal with the effects of COVID-19, and overcome the physiological and mental stress caused by lockdown and schools closing. Recollecting her own experience when she was in lockdown in Norway, she added: "The value of football is that it can connect people even though we're far apart. "You feel like you're together, even though you're not physically together with a group. You feel like you're a part of something. And I think that somehow gives meaning to life - being a part of something bigger than yourself. "Sport is so much more than the physical effort you put into training and games. It connects people, regardless of their background, gender, or age. It's a bridge." The opening day of the festival also heard from former Australian footballer Tim Cahill - an SC ambassador - FIFA Legend and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup winner Carli Lloyd, and ex-footballer Jason Roberts, Director of Development at CONCACAF, one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies, who said: "Sport is not just about providing an elite pathway; it's about providing access to sport, engaging people, and then educating them so they can positively benefit their community." Established in 2010 as part of Qatar's successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the SC's Generation Amazing program uses a football-for-development approach to educate young people about values such as gender equality and inclusivity, and life skills that include communication, organization, teamwork, and leadership. Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a non-profit organization that supports Qatar on its journey to becoming a diversified and sustainable economy. QF strives to serve the people of Qatar and beyond by providing specialized programs across its innovation-focused ecosystem of education, research and development, and community development. (END)