Share:
Following launches in Australia, Japan and Poland, Beyond Sport and New Balance Foundation are thrilled to introduce the grantees of Futures in Motion in South Africa: Hoops 4 Hope, Sentinel Ocean Alliance and training4changeS. Over the next three years, the organizations will receive funding and capacity-building support to strengthen programs advancing youth wellbeing, education, employability and inclusion, as well as organizational sustainability.
“With Futures in Motion’s expansion to South Africa, the program can refine and strengthen support for organizations who bring a diversity of expertise, sporting disciplines, delivery models and community insight. Together, Hoops 4 Hope, Sentinel Ocean Alliance, training4changeS, New Balance Foundation, Beyond Sport and our expert advisors can demonstrate how sport and physical activity can accelerate positive youth development in ways that reflect local needs — because there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” said Beyond Sport Executive Director Fred Fikouhi-Turner.
Across South Africa, multiple factors are contributing to low youth physical activity levels. These include limited access to sport opportunities and suitable facilities, transportation challenges, financial constraints, equipment costs, food insecurity, coach shortages and growing screen time. These barriers are especially pronounced for girls and young women, youth with disabilities and young people in low-income, township, rural and remote communities. Through basketball, football, futsal and ocean-based activities, the three organizations are creating more opportunities for young people to participate, develop valuable life skills and thrive.
“At New Balance Foundation, we believe sport and physical activity can be powerful catalysts for positive youth development when all young people have the opportunity to participate,” said Megan Bloch, Director of Global Philanthropy, New Balance Foundation. “Through Futures in Motion, we’re proud to invest in community-based organizations that understand the unique needs of the young people they serve and are creating meaningful pathways to wellbeing, connection and opportunity.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECTS
HOOPS 4 HOPE
Using basketball and Ubuntu to create opportunities for young people across Cape Town
Since 1995, Hoops 4 Hope (H4H) has delivered year-round FUNdamental basketball and life skills programs grounded in the spirit of Ubuntu, “I am because we are.” Working primarily in under-resourced Cape Flats communities, the organization provides safe spaces, trusted coaches and mentors and learning opportunities that build confidence, empathy, resilience and leadership. Its participants include young people directly affected by violence, trauma, poverty and social exclusion, with a focus on girls, young women and youth with disabilities.
The Futures in Motion grant will support H4H’s “7 Tools of an Ubuntu Champion” program in Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Philippi, strengthening coach development, community delivery, global learning and long-term youth impact.
“The challenges facing young people today are too complex for any organization to address alone. With resources increasingly constrained, collaboration is no longer simply valuable—it is essential. We must combine what we know, what we have and who we can reach, and use those collective strengths more effectively.
Futures in Motion gives us the opportunity to share our experience, learn from a global network, test new approaches and strengthen how sport changes lives. Cape Town brings experience, resilience and young people ready for opportunity. Futures in Motion brings connection, resources and shared learning. Together, we can turn movement into momentum and hope into possibilities for our young people.”
– Matthew Skade, Hoops4Hope South African Director
SENTINEL OCEAN ALLIANCE
Making ocean-based sport and its benefits more accessible
Since 2019, Sentinel Ocean Alliance (SOA) has offered ocean-based programs for young people excluded from mainstream sport due to poverty, disability and geography. Through adaptive surfing, ocean swimming and aquatic therapy, it promotes inclusion, water safety, employability, social connection and wellbeing, particularly for Learners with Special Education Needs, girls and young women, youth from low-income households and those with limited opportunities to learn to swim.
The grant will support SOA’s “Indigo Programme – Inclusive Ocean Therapy” in Hout Bay, helping teenagers with disabilities and neurodevelopmental differences strengthen water competence, emotional regulation, belonging and life skills. Participants receive free weekly specialist coaching, door-to-door transportation, adaptive equipment, meals and Makaton communication support for seven months of the school year. SOA will also develop an accredited methodology to share with other organizations.
“Being selected for Futures in Motion is a profound recognition of the Indigo Programme, and especially of the young people at its heart. Our learners face barriers that most people never have to think about: disability, poverty, social isolation, and a coastal city whose ocean they live beside but cannot safely access. This grant shows that their inclusion matters, and that means everything to us.”
– Marguerite Hofmeyr, Managing Director, Sentinel Ocean Alliance
TRAINING4CHANGES
Combining football, education and mentorship to build pathways for young people
Since 2013, training4changeS (t4c) has combined healing-centered football and futsal programming with education assistance and mentorship for children and young people across Stellenbosch. Working across socioeconomic divides in 10 municipal wards, the organization has a particular focus on girls, youth impacted by violence and trauma, neurodiverse learners and young people with disabilities. Through sport, t4c strengthens community connections, promotes wellbeing and empowers young changemakers.
Futures in Motion will support t4C’s “Community Re-Creation Program,” delivered in partnership with Courageous Care and Open Play Foundation. The initiative will work to increase sustained physical activity and confidence among girls and boys, support adapted futsal coaching at Dorothea Special School and create pathways into education, employment and leadership for young people ages 8 to 18.
“We are excited to be part of Futures in Motion because it helps us to keep building on the work we have been doing since 2013 to bring change in Stellenbosch and beyond. Through Futures in Motion, we will keep growing and learning more about empowering changemakers through sport, particularly how we can better serve girls and children with disabilities. This exciting collaboration will create new hope-filled pathways for young people, and it gives us a great platform to share the experience we’ve gained through our unique approach to positive youth development.”
– Lorenzo Claassen, Coordinator, Community Partnerships, training4changeS
Congratulations to our grantees!
The South Africa cohort will also have an early opportunity to connect and learn together. One Youth Leader from each organization has been selected to attend the 2026 One Young World Summit in Cape Town this November. Together with Beyond Sport and representatives from New Balance South Africa, they will co-facilitate a Futures in Motion workshop for 40+ summit delegates.
As the South Africa chapter of Futures in Motion gets underway, the focus now turns to what these organizations and young leaders can build together over the next three years.
“We’re thrilled to bring Futures in Motion to South Africa as New Balance Foundation continues to expand its impact around the world,” said Katharine Stewart, Country Business Leader, New Balance South Africa. “It’s especially meaningful to see this global commitment come to life through inspiring local organizations that know their communities and are creating brighter futures for young people through sport.”
Futures in Motion was developed and operates in close collaboration with in-country consultants, advisory groups and subject matter experts to ensure cultural and local relevance. The program supports community organizations to strengthen their long-term sustainability while helping equip young leaders to drive change.
Share:
