Background

India has one of the largest youth populations in the world, with about 65% of its population under the age of 35. At the same time, there is a significant gap in regular physical activity and organized sport participation among children and adolescents: for instance, only a small portion of young people are meeting recommended activity levels, and infrastructure and access limitations remain in many communities.

For students in underserved, socio-economically disadvantaged communities, these barriers are even greater. They may be in environments where there are no safe play spaces, no durable sports equipment, no consistent coaching, and no structured opportunities to be on a team, and as a result, they are further limited in the capacity to access some or all of the benefits of sport (i.e., health, teamwork, confidence, and leadership).

In acknowledgment of that gap, Play it Forward will work to create and provide accessible sporting opportunities and additional support for these students. We will invest in providing new equipment, connections between NGO for inter-competition opportunities, partner development, and thorough knowledge resources for NGOs. The goal will be to create inclusive pathways into sport and physical development for adolescent students who may not otherwise have had the opportunity.