Bebeto, Jorginho coming to TT

FORMER Brazilian football stars Bebeto and Jorginho are coming to Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday to participate in the Xchange Youth Leadership Workshop. It is being organised by Unicef in collaboration with Island People and Xtatik. The Unicef  Regional Office of Latin America with the support of TRAFFIC USA, has invited Bebeto and Jorgino to present their social sport project currently being implemented  in Brazil. The project entitled “Bola pra Frente” is a sports-based project for communities in areas of deprivation such as the Social Inclusion Partnership areas in Brazil.

At the Caribbean Football Union Congress in Barbados last month, Unicef delivered a presentation on how their organisation could work with regional football to build a new movement of young people, families and communities working against violence. And out of that and the go ahead from Concacaf and CFU president Jack Warner, Unicef are now aiming to play a more active role in using its workshop for youngsters to inject a more positive lifestyle among the youth.

Technical director of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips has also been invited to attend the workshop and he will meet with the two members of Brazil’s 1994 Winning World Cup team. Bebeto and Jorgino have also expressed interest in viewing one of Trinidad and Tobago’s training sessions and will most likely do so on Friday morning. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to share experiences and advice,” Phillips said. “These two men are idols where they come from and they have tasted success at the highest level in football. They should definitely bring off a positive vibe and I think Unicef and the other local organisations must be commended  for this sort of venture.”

Viviana Limpias,  communication officer, Unicef regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean said Unicef are now incorporating the power and potential of sport, recreation and play into its work in countries around the world. “The Xchange movement is about building a new positive lifestyle using sports, music and art as an entry. It should allow those running sports-based projects to demonstrate their impact,” said  Limpias. Christine Norton, Regional Gender and Adolescent Advisor, Unicef, noted that the workshop was not only timely but will build on the natural habits and skills of young people in order to enhance their own abilities.

“Brazil have been very successful in creating innovative programmes to reach young people and create learning  communities,” Norton said. “These have had a positive impact not only for the country but on the lives of the young people,” she added. The workshop runs from March 14-18 at Pier 1, Chaguaramas during which young people from the Caribbean between the ages of 18 to 25 years, from the countries of Belize, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad will share experiences and circumstances peculiar to their societies.