The Institute of Social Science Studies (IPSAS), Universiti Putra Malaysia has established a smart partnership with the Seri Cempaka Youth Association (PBSC), Kuala Lumpur to implement the pilot project called G.R.E.A.T Program. This program has been sponsored by the World Leisure Organization (WLO) which is headquartered in Spain. The purpose of this program is to develop a sports program for development or Sport for Development (SFD) based on life skills that focuses on youth in low-income areas of the city.

Through the sport-based Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach, sports and recreational activities have been chosen as a medium to attract youth to participate. Participants were also taught three types of targeted life skills, namely communication, courage and confidence. GREAT will also train Sport for Development Leaders (SFD Leaders) among the youth who will act as planners and implementers of the program. A total of three optional sports activities have been successfully implemented, namely soccer and handball on 14 January 2023 at Padang Kampung Pasir, Kuala Lumpur, as well as abseiling, flying fox and white water rafting activities on 28-29 January 2023 at LaCottage Kampar, Perak.

According to the Program's Chief Facilitator, Puan Siti Mariam Ahmad Tobias who is also a student at IPSAS in the field of Youth Studies, this program has its own uniqueness as it offers youth with learning life skills in a non-formal way through a structured sports program. The goal of this program is for participants to successfully improve their sports skills in addition to learning life skills that can be applied in everyday life. IPSAS hopes that the G.R.E.A.T program can be used as an example in designing sports programs for development. Application of PYD values to be implemented for  sustainable youth development.

Date of Input: 03/02/2023 | Updated: 03/02/2023 | nooryati