Over 40 young men and women from all regions of Namibia will attend the nation’s first-ever national coaches and referees workshop at the University of Namibia’s Lecture Hall 6 and at the Gymnasium July 13-16.

Organized by the Namibian Basketball Federation (NBF) and the U.S. Embassy’s American Cultural Center, with support from Nampower, the four-day workshop was opened by the Namibian Director of Sport Develop-ment and Promotion Dr. Vetumbuavi S. Veii at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 13 at the UNAM Gymnasium.

This workshop will train participants to organize and administer youth basketball clubs in their communities, as well as on how to counsel youth on health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS awareness. Sports ethics will also be an important part of the program.

Part of the NBF’s Basketball4Hope development program, this workshop is the beginning of a long-term project with the American Cultural Center, Nampower and other sponsors to ensure that all young people have access to quality basketball opportunities. The project seeks to inspire youth to devote themselves to healthy pursuits such as basketball, and to practice the ethics they learn both on and off the court.

The first day of the workshop covered leadership, ethics, and basketball administration. Day two was concen-trating on community outreach, health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS awareness mentoring, as well as ethics and sportsmanship. The workshop will move to the gymnasium on Friday for basketball fundamentals and officiating workshops. On Saturday, the group will agree on a game plan to form youth clubs in each of their communities.