On the 30th of August, Empowered Futures collaborated with the Temba Bavuma Foundation to host a 3-day inaugural cricket festival. This took place in efforts to bring together cricketers from previously disadvantaged areas to compete against some of the top competing and well-known schools in and around the province and the country.
One of the aims of the tournament, as Temba Bavuma advocates for, was to afford players from all walks of life the exposure and opportunities to interact and engage in an environment that they would not normally be accustomed to, based on their experiences with living in and facing socioeconomic disparities. Additionally, the tournament endeavoured to, and will continue to, develop and master the skills and techniques of said and future players to hopefully lead to stronger leads and possibilities to play in prestigious cricket communities.
As the founder of Empowered Futures, Yolisa mentioned and emphasised that as much as levelling the playing field plays a significant role in boosting morale and performance for the boys, it cannot go unsaid that off of the playing field that these boys’ lives still require balance and maintenance as a way to restore a sense of meaning to life beyond the sport. She further pointed out that that same balance is cultivated by recognising and tending to their needs in education, their physical, mental and social health included.
To corroborate the aspect of life outside of cricket, Zenande, holistic wellness lead at Empowered Futures, made reference to the importance of implementing systems that work towards finetuning life skills and developing an assertive mindset that favours success and consistency. She went on further to mention that any individual that funnels through the foundation will be nurtured in a safe yet practical manner, having learnt and adapted measures that cause the individual to contribute to society as an all-rounder, who pays forward their opportunities and possesses the ability to make a change in someone else’s life who may find themselves at the time originating from a similar background.
On behalf of Empowered Futures, we also take the time to express our heartfelt gratitude to the sponsors for the awareness and assistance they gladly provided to us. We thank them for playing a role in making the festival a success. We recognise that the bulk of the planning would not have been possible without their support, and having made strong partnerships, we hope that we may grow exponentially to provide the same experiences for future generations to come.
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