Pele FC Alumni wraps up another successful youth programme

Another instalment of the Pele Football Club Alumni Youth Educational Seminar wrapped up at the Marian Academy auditorium in Georgetown last week, utilising the Easter break to engage youth from all walks of life.
In excess of 80 children between the ages of 14 and 18 had the benefit of attending the seminar.
There, Guyana Times Sport caught up with Pele Alumni Chairman Denis Carrington, who divulged the objectives of the years-long initiative.
Carrington told this publication, “Our goal and mission continue to be the same: it’s to empower the students in Guyana exclusively, not in the US, not in Canada. We’re a charity organisation that is focusing on the youth of Guyana, empower them to do more than they’re doing, using sports as an avenue to do that and to enjoy success as they step up the ladder.”
“It’s to expose the kids to different influences, things that back in my youth, that was important to my family and other families. Things like how to use a knife and fork, how to sit properly at a table, etc, so, we start out with etiquette, but also found over the years that there’s a high rate of suicide in the country, so also educating the kids about suicide, bullying, dental hygiene,” he went on to add, detailing specific focus areas during the two-day event.
Carrington further discussed the success of the initiative, highlighting the likes of aspiring doctor Joel Weekes and aspiring pilot Isaiah Layne, who passed through the programme.

“Part of the programme that we do, we’ve had students that have gone through the programme that have come back and give testimonials. So, there’s a lot of successes, we’ve had a couple that did not make it; but again, we try to count the ones that have become successful. That’s our measuring stick; if it’s just one, that’s important to us,” he shared.
Quizzed on seeing other charities emulating Pele Alumni’s work, Carrington is even eager to see the products of their programme paying it forward.
“We have 75-80 kids here, so, if we get half of them that have understood the message, discipline, the whole list of things available, then another charity could come in and have the similar or the same message and that will help the youth in Guyana; that’s the important part,” the Pele FC Alumni Chairman expressed.