Soc­cer for Dreamers, a US-based non-governmental sports charity foundation, is set to pilot its Ubuntu Online Academy initiative in February next year with the target of reaching at least 20,000 youth by the end of the year.

The Ubuntu Online Academy is aimed at equipping the youth including young male and female footballers in the country with the essential elements and skills to help them flourish well in the corporate world, job market, and as entrepreneurs.

Already, some players from the Women’s Premier and Division One leagues as well as male juvenile players plying their trade in the juvenile, Division Three, and Two leagues in the country have been hooked onto the platform to be able to get the necessary training and skills to be able to get side hustles to support them during and after their careers.

According to Madam Sylvia Ak­waboah, president of the Foundation and mother of co-founders of the Foundation Jed, Baruch, and Kayden Ak­waboah, interactions with young male and female footballers to know their problems after presenting them with football equipment and menstrual cups last year as well as this year, brought to light the need to equip them further to be able to fend for themselves.

Speaking after a round table discussion organised at the Lancaster Hotel in Accra on Tuesday to seek the expectations of business owners, and heads of corporate bodies among others on what they expect from the youth when it comes to employment, madam Ak­waboah noted the interactions with the players gave them a deeper understanding of their plight, and this gave birth to the idea of coming up with the online academy to help them.

she stated that teaching them how to fend for themselves would better serve them than the foundation always coming back to donate to them.

According to her, the roundtable meeting served its purpose, because never would she be able to sit and conjure up what the different sectors have their experience, and their pin-points.

“Having the main actors in the job market give up their input so we know exactly what they want us to put as content on the online platform to serve them and to serve our youth, is most valuable.”

She disclosed that since the launch of the academy in August, it was the first time engaging with stakeholders, employers, business people, and corporates about what their pin-points are in terms of recruiting the youth.

“After today, we know what exactly to serve our youth and their employers on the platform, and to further create more content to get us going.”

She announced that they are now reaching out to primary, secondary, and tertiary youth as well, and with the hope of reaching 20,000 youth at the end of next year,

To this end, they are recruiting 200 volunteers to be trained and equipped to help the Foundation hit its target.

“Any youth out there who wishes to volunteer is welcome on board. They should just go on to the Ubuntu online Academy and then register to be a volunteer, ” she added

The Ubuntu Online Academy is free and all one needs is to register, and all the courses will be available for free.