When it comes to sports, we notice that there are no girls on the fields of the village farm. Our male-dominated society, which does not want to see girls progress, is to blame, not the girls. When girls have been given the opportunity to advance, they have set new records. History is very evident with this, but who cares??
Some social organizations are attempting to achieve this goal. The UVAS Foundation is one such organization dedicated to ensuring women’s involvement in sports.
UVAS Co-Founder Prateek Dubey spoke with us. Please let us know what Prateek thinks about UVAS.
Question: First and foremost, Prateek, tell us about the UVAS Foundation.
Answer: UVAS stands for UNIT OF VERSATILE ASPIRATION FOR SPORTS, a non-profit organization that uses sports to give females from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds new perspectives on life. Where she can learn the game and improve her skills and can make her career in sports.
At the UVAS Training Center, we’ve strived to create an environment that’s not only gender-neutral but also a comfortable place for kids to play and learn. A person’s self-confidence grows as a result of sports and learns leadership, responsibility, and how to get out of difficult situations. It is our goal to instil this confidence and enthusiasm in the girls of the lower socioeconomic classes so that they can become partners in their own, their families, and society’s development.
Question: What is the UVAS Foundation’s mission, and how is it working?
Answer: When we talk about sports in today’s world, sports have traditionally been dominated by men, to the point that if I tell you what a coach looks like, your mental image of a coach will be of a man. Men also hold the majority of positions in sports policymaking organizations. This is why there have only been a few female players in India thus far. There is also a significant disparity in the prize money and salaries awarded to female athletes in sports.
When a girl kid joins UVAS, we focus not only on her Sports, but also on other essentials of life such as education, food, play equipment, and other amenities that are critical to their overall growth. We keep in continual contact with each and every player, keeping track of their success in their game, as well as their academic progress, what subjects they are studying, and what personal problems they are dealing with. All of this is monitored by us, and we also give the required training and assistance.
Question: Where are the UVAS Foundation’s current centres located, and how many children do you work with?
Answer: UVAS got its beginnings at a community park, where we helped train kids. A UVAS training centre has been operating in Dwarka, Delhi’s Sector 2, for the past three years, and we will be opening another soon. Training will begin soon at that location as well. At UVAS, we have players ranging in age from 8 to 22-23 years old. We began with a small group of seven children, which has since expanded to over 80. We have players affiliated with us who compete at the national level.
Question: What has UVAS accomplished thus far?
Answer: Four UVAS-affiliated girls work as school sports coaches. So far, 19 members of our team have competed at the national level. Six UVAS girls have also been chosen for the Government of India’s ‘Khelo India‘ scheme. Aside from that, at least 12 girls have prioritized their studies in addition to sports, and they will be the first women in their families to graduate.
And there are other girls who are using their scholarship money to not only pay for their studies but also to continue their education and prepare for civil administration.
Question: How does the UVAS Foundation collaborate with sports on various levels?
Answer: As I previously stated, we strive to better not just our athletics but also our academics and personal lives at UVAS. We hold various types of training sessions from time to time, in which we continue to provide information on self-defence, computer training, food, and health.
Apart from that, we occasionally arrange awareness campaigns in which our UVAS students perform street plays to inform females about sports and their benefits so that more youngsters become involved in sports.
Question: Prateek, how does one become a member of UVAS and what role can he play?
Answer: UVAS is open to any child who wants to participate in any sport. We have a two-week monitoring process in which we look for a child’s desire to participate in sports. We consult with their relatives. If everything goes well, we tend to associate the player with us for a long time.
UVAS is open to everyone, including children. The condition is that one should respect females excelling in the game. Anyone can help us provide training/mentorship by donating money, sponsoring us, or by taking some time out from everyday life.
Question: What kinds of issues do you encounter in this position?
Answer: When a child comes to us, he or she is dealing with a variety of issues, including their parents’ lack of interest in sports, a lack of self-confidence in youngsters, a lack of healthy nutrition, and a lack of necessary resources to play with, and so forth. The majority of the children we work with come from low-income households, and as a result, they do not have access to nutritious food. Sporting goods can also be quite costly.
Apart from it, there are social issues such as girls marrying at a young age, pushing for a job as soon as they complete their 12th grade, not sending girls out of the family, and so on.
Currently, Covid-19 is putting girls further behind. Families’ financial situations have deteriorated, and they are now more cautious to let their children play. However, the children’s enthusiasm for sports and their ties to UVAS have ensured that not a single child has left us so far. We have a zero per cent dropout rate.
Currently, there are two such families in the lockdown affiliated with UVAS who are unable to pay their rent. They were set to leave Delhi and return to the village, but when the children learned of this, they offered their savings to the families and prevented them from returning.
Question: Prateek, how much and what type of government assistance is accessible to you?
Answer: At the moment, the government is the only source of grounds. Some youngsters are awarded scholarships through government programmes, which they utilize to fund their academics and other necessities.
Question: What are the objectives that the UVAS Foundation has set for itself?
Answer: UVAS aspires to develop such female leaders in a growing number of communities through various sports so that women can participate not only at home but also in society. We aspire to expand women’s engagement in sports and achieve gender equality in the sports world.
At present, we have set a target of opening 3 new centres in the coming 2 years and training at least 100 children at each centre. Out of those, at least 80% of children are involved in basic computer training, 100% of children have school retention, and about 30% are preparing for state-level sports.
You can click here to join UVAS.
Also Read: Supreme Court Opens Doors for Girls to Rashtriya Indian Military College, Rashtriya Military School
