In Indonesia, Premier Skills has built a strong partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the PSSI (national football association) to tackle some of the country’s most pressing social issues through football, across gender, disability, inclusion, education and health.
Since 2010, through its Gocekz (meaning ‘dribble’ in Bahasa Indonesian), project, Premier Skills has provided thousands of vulnerable young people, many of whom live on the street, with a safe space to build their social skills, gain self-respect, connect with people in their communities, and, ultimately, improve their livelihoods.
The project uses counselling and structured football training to address the needs of young people. It also trains community football coaches, physical education teachers and youth leaders to become role models for their communities, inspiring young people to improve their health and continue their education through new progression routes into training and education.
Eko Sutiadi, a community coach from Rumah Cemara, an organisation that improves the quality of life of people with HIV and drug addictions through sport, has used his Premier Skills training to support many homeless or ‘street’ children in Bandung to leave the streets and pursue new life paths. Of the 99 homeless children the organisation has so far worked with, 95 per cent are now off the street, and the others are on the road to recovery.
One of the children who made a full recovery and is off the streets is Acil. He is now clean from drugs and represented the Indonesian team in The Homeless World Cup 2016, in Glasgow. We’re very proud of this; it’s proof that we can improve quality of life through sports.
Eko, Premier Skills community coach
Reach
- 544 grassroots coaches and referees trained
- 3,116 young people engaged through inclusive community football projects
- 54 per cent female participation on courses delivered by Premier Skills Coach Educators
Key partnerships
- Ministry of Youth and Sport
- Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI)
- Football Plus
- Mayor of Bandung
- Mayor of West Java
- Governor of Nusa Tenggara Timur
- Jakarta State University
- PERSIB Bandung football club
- Ministry of Social Affairs
- Rumah Cemara (addiction treatment centre using football)
- Indonesia University of Education
- University of Papua
Future goals
Working with local partners and the network of Premier Skills Coach Educators, Premier Skills in Indonesia is focusing on expanding its reach to engage more women and girls and support young people in their communities, including the most disadvantaged, to build their skills and confidence and become better integrated within society.
