Next Step world conference closing in

ERWIN Handura, the local project manager of the Next Step Conference, said all is on track as Namibia prepares to host one of the world’s biggest sport seminars.

Handura updated the media yesterday about the conference that is scheduled for September 19 to 22 in Windhoek. The seminar is expected to draw close to 300 delegates from the international sport and development community.Handura said there had been enormous interest from the participants.”There has been quite a lot of interest shown by the participants as some want to come earlier before the main event, while some want to stay a bit longer and visit the country’s tourist attractions after the conference,” he said.According to Handura, President Hifikepunye Pohamba will officially open the conference on September 19 at the Safari Hotel, which illustrates the importance of the conference.Handura, who is also the women’s national team hockey coach, is optimistic that Namibia will successfully host the conference.”We want to make it bigger than the previous events.It will also be an economic injection for our country as you will have all these delegates coming from outside.It is basically a win-win situation,” said Handura.Some of the world’s renowned sportsmen and -women that will attend the conference include Edwin Moses, the chairperson of the Laureus World Sports Academy, former Chelsea player Greame Le Saux, Namibia’s former sprinting sensation Frank Fredericks and Dame Kelly Holmes of the UK, to mention just a few.The Next Step Conference was first held in the Netherlands in November 2003.At that seminar, it was agreed that the Next Step would be a biannual conference with the aim of gathering practitioners and planners together to focus on the role of sport in achieving developmental goals.The last conference was hosted in Lusaka by Zambia in collaboration with the Norwegian government in 2005.After successfully hosting it in that country, UK Sport partnered with the Supreme Council for Sport (SCSA) in Africa Zone VI to host another event in Namibia this year.The theme for this year’s event is ‘Sport – Empowering tomorrow’s leaders today’.NEXT STEP YOUTH PROGRAMME Sports Coaches’ Outreach (SCORE), in partnership with the SCSA Zone VI, the Ministry of Sport, National Youth Service, Sport and Culture and UK Sport has initiated a two-day youth seminar that will precede the main Next Step conference.The youth seminar will take place on September 17 to 19.One-hundred-and-fifty young leaders from the ages of 16 to 30 will participate in the seminar that will act as a platform for the young leaders to share experiences and knowledge about sport development through workshop sessions and networking.According to SCORE’s national manager, Vumisa Mayisela, 75 of the youth delegates will be incorporated into the main Next Step conference.The three main themes that will be addressed on the first day of the seminar are HIV-AIDS, Women and S port and Disability Sport.”We want to engage the youth in dialogue about key challenges and opportunities that are facing the development through sport programming and youth when it comes to HIV-AIDS, Women and Sport and effective and sensitive programming for youth with disabilities,” said Mayisela.Another highlight of the youth seminar will be the Next Step Youth Festival on September 21, which will include football and netball tournaments.The festival will run parallel to the main Next Step conference on that day.The seminar is expected to draw close to 300 delegates from the international sport and development community.Handura said there had been enormous interest from the participants.”There has been quite a lot of interest shown by the participants as some want to come earlier before the main event, while some want to stay a bit longer and visit the country’s tourist attractions after the conference,” he said.According to Handura, President Hifikepunye Pohamba will officially open the conference on September 19 at the Safari Hotel, which illustrates the importance of the conference.Handura, who is also the women’s national team hockey coach, is optimistic that Namibia will successfully host the conference.”We want to make it bigger than the previous events.It will also be an economic injection for our country as you will have all these delegates coming from outside.It is basically a win-win situation,” said Handura.Some of the world’s renowned sportsmen and -women that will attend the conference include Edwin Moses, the chairperson of the Laureus World Sports Academy, former Chelsea player Greame Le Saux, Namibia’s former sprinting sensation Frank Fredericks and Dame Kelly Holmes of the UK, to mention just a few.The Next Step Conference was first held in the Netherlands in November 2003.At that seminar, it was agreed that the Next Step would be a biannual conference with the aim of gathering practitioners and planners together to focus on the role of sport in achieving developmental goals.The last conference was hosted in Lusaka by Zambia in collaboration with the Norwegian government in 2005.After successfully hosting it in that country, UK Sport partnered with the Supreme Council for Sport (SCSA) in Africa Zone VI to host another event in Namibia this year.The theme for this year’s event is ‘Sport – Empowering tomorrow’s leaders today’. NEXT STEP YOUTH PROGRAMME Sports Coaches’ Outreach (SCORE), in partnership with the SCSA Zone VI, the Ministry of Sport, National Youth Service, Sport and Culture and UK Sport has initiated a two-day youth seminar that will precede the main Next Step conference.The youth seminar will take place on September 17 to 19.One-hundred-and-fifty young leaders from the ages of 16 to 30 will participate in the seminar that will act as a platform for the young leaders to share experiences and knowledge about sport development through workshop sessions and networking.According to SCORE’s national manager, Vumisa Mayisela, 75 of the youth delegates will be incorporated into the main Next Step conference.The three main themes that will be addressed on the first day of the seminar are HIV-AIDS, Women and S port and Disability Sport.”We want to engage the youth in dialogue about key challenges and opportunities that are facing the development through sport programming and youth when it comes to HIV-AIDS, Women and Sport and effective and sensitive programming for youth with disabilities,” said Mayisela.Another highlight of the youth seminar will be the Next Step Youth Festival on September 21, which will include football and netball tournaments.The festival will run parallel to the main Next Step conference on that day.