Community Cricket Programme Empowers Slum Youth through Sports

Bhubaneswar, prabaha tv : The Community Cricket Program (CCP), run by Pro Sport Development (PSD), continues to make strides in providing life-changing opportunities to marginalized youth from slum areas across Bhubaneswar. This innovative, mixed-gender initiative uses cricket as a tool to promote health, leadership, and critical life skills while addressing issues like gender-based discrimination and child rights.

Now in its second year, CCP has engaged 100 students—47 girls and 53 boys—across four community schools situated in Bhubaneswar’s slum settlements. Participants, aged 13-16 years, are honing their cricket skills while also developing leadership qualities and increasing their awareness about gender equality and child rights. These students, many of whom come from poor economic backgrounds, are receiving opportunities they would have never otherwise accessed.

Participants have already benefitted from exposure opportunities such as summer camps, mixed-gender tournaments, and workshops. Additionally, in September 2023, select participants from the program’s pilot cohort represented Team PSD and young people from Odisha’s underserved communities at the Street Child Cricket World Cup (SCCWC) 2023 in front of a global audience, advocating for the rights of underprivileged children.

With plans to expand the programme to a new cohorts, CCP is committed to continuing its mission of empowerment, fostering inclusive leadership, and building a brighter future for slum-based youth in Odisha.