ExxonMobil, YBG renew partnership for Community Basketball development
ExxonMobil and Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) have fortified their partnership, which is aimed at tackling the development of the sport from a community level.
Under the theme, ‘Building Healthier, Safer and Better Communities’, the YBG programme continues for the 17th year and this is the fifth occasion the oil company has supported in a substantial way.
The YBG Academy is a “Community Partnership”, which seeks to provide an alternative in the interim for core student-athletes aged 13 to 19, who have been without structure for almost two years, to train and play safely.
“Through the ExxonMobil Community Partnership, YBG will be allowed to continue its good work and firstly it will allow access to expand the YBG Academy in several communities,” YBG’s Co-Director, Rayad Boyce stated.
One of the participants go through the drills
“Secondly, it will continue to fortify the framework for timely educational intervention, since its support is a critical role in the national school basketball festival [and] has always played a role in encouraging and motivating grassroot development from Secondary to Tertiary or Vocational education.”
ExxonMobil Guyana has partnered with YBG in the past, supporting league competitions and investing in the community and this time around their partnership with YBG will offer support to sport being a vehicle for transformation, educational intervention, and support for student-athletes, and Leadership and Community empowerment.
Alistair Routledge, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, said they are extremely happy to renew the partnership for the “outstanding work” since YBG is not just teaching Basketball, but also life skills.
“This is a great way to learn and a fun way, but remember you are learning more than just how to play with the ball,” Routledge told the participants at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The initiative is also supported by G-Boat, California Guyana Basketball Foundation and the National Sports Commission. Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, applauded YBG for their efforts in developing the sport from the nursery level. “Youths are the future,” he said. YBG has developed a process of identifying central hubs, which are then sanitised, and resourced with equipment, administrator, coaches, and a roster of student-athletes within their zone/region.
In Georgetown, the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and the Marian Academy are those hubs. On average, 750 student-athletes would participate in YBG programmes each year.
Yours truly,
Akeem Greene
Source: NEWS ROOM