Your Health First joins Liverpool FC and WISH soccer event at Awsaj Academy
Sahtak Awalan - Your Health First brought its blender bikes to the LFC Foundation and WISH event at Awsaj Academy, giving students the chance to make healthy and nutritious fruit smoothies using pedal power.
Your Health First was on hand to provide healthy refreshments, free lunch boxes and information about healthy lifestyles when the LFC Foundation, the official charity of Liverpool Football Club, teamed up with the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) to promote engagement in sport for children with special needs.
Sahtak Awalan - Your Health First, the flagship public health program of WCM-Q, brought its ever-popular blender bikes along to Awsaj Academy for the final day of the five-day ‘Respect 4 All, Qatar’ program of sports skills classes. This gave students the chance to use pedal power to make their own healthy and nutritious fruit smoothies while taking a break from the action on the pitch.
The Your Health First team also distributed free lunch boxes containing a skipping rope plus a colorful and fun information pack to teach the students the nutritional value of various foods, and the importance of exercise and a balanced diet for overall good health.
The LFC Foundation has a dedicated team of coaches working with communities in Liverpool and around the world, using football and sport to promote social cohesion and good health. During the ‘Respect 4 All, Qatar’ program, which was coordinated by WISH, a Qatar Foundation (QF) initiative, LFC Foundation coaches ran classroom and outdoor-based workshops to share practical measures that sports coaches can use to help children with additional needs, such as autism, or physical or sensory impairments, to engage with sports training sessions. At the event on the final day, the coaches led students through close ball-control drills, five-a-side matches and team-building exercises.
Alongside coaches from LFC Foundation, the day was also attended by Mrs. Machaille Al-Naimi, President of Community Development, QF, and Greg Gomis, goalkeeper from Al-Sailiya Sports Club, a Qatar Stars League football club.
Qatar Foundation’s Awsaj Academy provides schooling for children in Grades 1 to 12 who have learning challenges. Your Health First is dedicated to empowering all members of society, particularly young people, with the knowledge, skills and opportunities to maintain good health.
Nesreen Al-Rifai, WCM-Q Chief Communications Officer, said: “The smiles on the faces of the children as they played football and made their own smoothies on the blender bikes were the perfect demonstration of the power of sport and exercise to promote not only good health but also happiness and a strong community. We are very happy and proud that Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First was able to contribute to this wonderful initiative from the LFC Foundation and WISH.”
Jamie Spellman, Foundation Coach with LFC Foundation, said: “As a club we have a passion for working with the community to break down barriers and bring people together.”
Sultana Afdhal, Chief Executive Officer of WISH, said: “We were delighted to welcome the LFC Foundation here to Qatar and to Qatar Foundation because Liverpool FC is a club with a heart. The children reacted beautifully to the training and the coaches learned vital skills for interacting with children with learning challenges. When we all work together and focus on what we each can do, rather than what we cannot do, great things can happen.”