<\/p>\n
The impact of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will be felt not just on sports fields and in stadiums but also in schools and classrooms. To celebrate International Women\u2019s Month, we shine a spotlight on the women combining sport and education to inspire positive change across Senegal as part of the Games\u2019 legacy programme, of which the\u00a0Olympic Values Education Programme<\/a>\u00a0(OVEP) (http:\/\/apo-opa.co\/40UDldm<\/a>) is a key driver.<\/p>\n KEY FACTS<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDo not set limits for yourself \u2013 there are many possible paths.\u201d<\/p>\n For A\u00efchatou Diop, this is the message she hopes that girls across Senegal will carry with them as the country prepares to host the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. Her own journey reflects this belief: after six years as a committed volunteer and swimming coach, she now has a role in the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee.<\/p>\n A\u00efchatou is just one member of a growing network of women educators helping thousands of Senegalese children discover the powerful connection between sport and personal development through an Olympic civic and sports certification \u2013 the\u00a0Brevet Olympique Civique et Sportif (BOCS)<\/em>\u00a0 \u2013 a national programme forming the key pillar of the educational legacy of these Games.<\/p>\n The principles of OVEP are central to the BOCS. The ambition is to reach 900,000 young people aged from 9 to 15 across 11,000 schools before the start of the Games in October.<\/p>\n Across classrooms, sports fields and community centres, women like A\u00efchatou are playing a central role in bringing that mission to fruition.<\/p>\n WOMEN LEADING THE WAY <\/strong><\/p>\n Behind the national rollout of the BOCS is a strong network of women working at every level of the programme \u2013 from project management and coordination to teacher training and classroom delivery.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen are integrated at both governance and operational levels,\u201d explains Fanta Diallo, the Engagement and Mobilisation Director for Dakar 2026, whose department is overseeing the rollout. \u201cWomen are represented within our leadership and delivery teams [\u2026] and play an active role in curriculum delivery and mentoring.\u201d<\/p>\n Fanta\u2019s team \u2013 a group of educators, youth leaders and sports facilitators with near\u2011perfect gender parity \u2013 are involved in training teachers, mentoring students and supporting schools and youth programmes as they introduce OVEP-related activities and clubs.<\/p>\n The programme is even active in Senegal\u2019s \u201ctoddler huts\u201d \u2013 community centres for kindergarten-age children \u2013 ensuring that the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship are introduced from an early age.<\/p>\n CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIRLS <\/strong><\/p>\n Facilitating equal access to sport, education and leadership opportunities is a priority of the BOCS. Targeted outreach is directed at girls in schools and community settings, while the programme is aligned with national and local initiatives promoting girls\u2019 education, health and participation in sport and community life.<\/p>\n \u201cParticular attention is given to parity in access, participation in practical sports sessions, civic modules and leadership activities linked to the Olympic values,\u201d Fanta explains.<\/p>\n Those aims are being achieved. Girls represent almost 50\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the beneficiaries of the BOCS programme \u2013 a significant proportion in a country where many girls face cultural and socioeconomic barriers to sporting and educational opportunities.<\/p>\n INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION<\/strong><\/p>\n Across Senegal, BOCS clubs have been established in schools, often led by mixed-gender student committees responsible for organising activities inspired by the Olympic values.<\/p>\n In one secondary school, a group of girls involved in an OVEP club organised a \u201cvalues through sport\u201d day, designing the programme, coordinating the event and leading awareness sessions on respect and fair play.<\/p>\n The impact extended well beyond the event. Several of the girls went on to take leadership roles in other school clubs and community initiatives. Their teachers also reported noticeable improvements in their public speaking, decision-making and confidence.<\/p>\n C\u00e9cile Faye, Director of the National Olympic Academy of Senegal, believes such outcomes demonstrate the importance and value of having women in leadership roles, and their capacity to imbue positive values in younger generations.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes female leadership important in society is transmitting values to young girls,\u201d C\u00e9cile explains. \u201cSeeing them become autonomous and reproducing the same behaviours is reassuring.\u201d<\/p>\n For Awa Ndao, an OVEP trainer and youth engagement specialist, the programme\u2019s impact can often be seen in small but powerful moments.<\/p>\n What motivates her most, she says, are \u201cles sourires des enfants\u201d \u2013 the smiles of children who feel included and valued through OVEP initiatives.<\/p>\n She believes that women play a crucial role in creating environments where that transformation can happen, and in ensuring that the legacy of Dakar 2026 extends far beyond the end of the Games. She sums up that aim as \u201cdrawing inspiration from Olympism to build a better world\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n