JOSO CITY (Japan) – Imagine being a kid and growing up in a place where you don’t speak the local language. Navigating everyday challenges without being able to express yourself properly. Exploring curiosities without the comfort of close bonds and connections that make being a kid more enjoyable.
For children with multicultural backgrounds in Joso City, Japan, learning must continue outside of the traditional classroom setting. Day to day life becomes a constant process of adapting as you go. While the language barrier is a reminder of a past tied to another place and can be a frustrating separator from the present, the children in Joso City use it as a motivator for future integration and belonging.
Beyond the classroom - at the court - is where these children have learned to connect with the local population and practice conversational Japanese. COES established the Beyond Border Ballers project to provide children with a foreign background a safe environment to communicate with their peers, foster life skills and adapt to local customs.
A place free of judgement that encourages individual expression, mistakes and fun - all contributing to personal growth.
BASKEBALL AS A BRIDGE TO BELONGING
A beneficiary of the FIBA Foundation Propose a Project initiative, and a social legacy of the 2023 World Cup, the COES project provides basketball as an alternate sporting environment for children in the area - with a focus on second language acquisition and cultural adaptation for children 6-18 years old with foreign roots. For most of the participants, not only was this their first experience with basketball, but it was their first time consistently engaging with physical activity.
The program was implemented in collaboration with Escola Opção, a Brazilian school in the community, to not only be present where kids already exist and spend most of their time, but to also help teachers reimagine their own assumptions about these children and influence the overall community perspective. Highlighting that a language barrier is not a deficit - and instead, magnifying the children’s willingness to grow and take on challenges.
A FAMILIAR FACE LEADING THE WAY
Mai Sakaguchi is the founder and leader of COES. As a former FIBA Foundation Youth Leader, Mai is applying her knowledge and experiences from the 2023 World Cup back home in her local community.
“What I learned through the Youth Leadership Program is the importance of believing in your vision and continuing to take action — consistently, whether big or small.
As a legacy of the 2023 World Cup, we launched "Dream Big Okinawa" — using basketball to address social challenges: the lack of opportunities for children and the need to protect Okinawa's beautiful natural environment.
Conversations with the local community after the tournament deepened my belief in the power of Basketball for Good. People mentioned how much impact the game made for children, people and community in Okinawa. How special, touching, and inspiring the experience were, how much they enjoy the basketball and how much they were proud to host the game. The games end — but the feelings stay forever.And Dream Big Okinawa played crucial role.
At the time, I never imagined founding my own organization. Yet at every stage of my journey — from leading World Cup legacy programs within a National Federation to starting a small NGO — I was encouraged by the friends, mentors, and networks from the Youth Leadership Program and FIBA Foundation.
Today, as COES, we create opportunities for children of foreign roots to enjoy basketball — building connections with the Japanese community and nurturing their resilience and communication skills.
The scale is different, but the commitment is the same: to use the joy, connection, and happiness that basketball brings to make a meaningful impact.
"Win for All." Beyond differences in culture, language, religion and nationality— I will keep dribbling, toward wins for everyone, that is for a better society, people, and planet.”
RIPPLE EFFECT OF MOTIVATION
50 students have participated in the COES Beyond Border Ballers program. Qualitative pre- and post-program comparisons highlight their appetite to learn new skills, motivation to collaborate, increased confidence levels and an overall heightened interest in participating in basketball activities. For instance, the kids began organizing their own daily 3x3 basketball games outside of scheduled program hours after developing a greater interest in the game.
The 5 participating teachers remarked how surprised they were at the children’s athletic abilities and their capacity to understand Japanese and teach their friends.
The impact of COES was felt even beyond the school:
"This heightened the local government’s interest and sensitivity toward multicultural initiatives. As a direct result, the project sparked a ripple effect at the community level, accelerating the planning of new regional events targeting children with foreign roots, including the local Filipino community.”
A VISIBLE TRANSFORMATION
One teacher from Escola Opcao offered some strong praise for the program, stating,
“Because COES’s program offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes it easy to participate—even for those lacking confidence in Japanese or athletic ability—the children look forward to COES's visit every week. Even on days without the program, they now bring out the balls to play shooting and passing, and their physical activity levels have definitely increased. We are deeply grateful to you for creating this environment where our students can experience basketball.”
ROOM FOR GROWTH AND WILLING TO IMPROVE
What Mai and her team at COES are seeking to accomplish is no small feat. Monitoring, evaluation and learning have been crucial to their process and the efficacy of the project over time. The COES team has demonstrated an intention to learn and be flexible to alternative solutions to ensure the program continues to grow and be a valuable tool for joy and immersion for children with foreign roots. FIBA Foundation is thrilled to be part of this evolving project and their commitment to create safe spaces for children to learn, grow and integrate into their communities.
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The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports and particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage..
The FIBA Foundation believes that basketball has the power to empower, educate and inspire youth and facilitates this by implementing Basketball For Good projects around the world.