Kwaku Festival
For three weekends, 3X3 Unites shone at the Kwaku Festival in Amsterdam Zuidoost. At the place where 3X3 Unites itself once began, it gave 3x3 clinics during the Afro-Caribbean event, organised tournaments, participated in an inspiring talk together with Rabobank, and brought young people together.
‘With 3X3 Unites, we want to offer young people a place to come together, build new communities, bring different cultures together and learn new life skills through 3x3 basketball,’ says Shuwendly Sophia on behalf of 3X3 Unites. ‘At Kwaku Festival, all of this comes together beautifully in an urban culture that suits us.’ 3X3 Unites had about 60 free tickets per day for young people to come to the festival. These were mostly 3X3 Leaders, but many other young people were also interested and wanted to participate in the 3X3 Unites activities at Kwaku Festival. ‘The demand for tickets exceeded supply,’ says Mike. ‘A total of 300 young people participated over three weekends.’
The Kwaku Festival and 3X3 Unites have a lot in common. Both
organisations are rooted in Amsterdam Zuidoost and want to empower people and bring them together through music, culture or sport. ‘The collaboration with Kwaku Festival feels very natural. It's like going back to our roots,’ says Mike Nasibdar, coordinator of 3X3 Unites.
"With 3X3 Unites, we want to offer young people a place to come together, build new communities, bring different cultures together,
and learn new life skills through 3x3 basketball," says Shuwendly Sophia on behalf of 3X3 Unites. "At Kwaku Festival, all of this comes together beautifully in an urban culture that suits us."
3X3 Unites had about 60 free tickets per day for young people to come to the festival. These were mostly 3X3 Leaders, but many other young people were also interested and wanted to participate in the 3X3 Unites activities at the Kwaku Festival. ‘The demand for tickets exceeded the supply,’ says Mike. "In total, 300 young people participated over three weekends."
Various tournaments
The Kwaku Festival once again demonstrated the unifying power of 3x3 basketball. During the various tournaments and clinics organised by 3X3 Unites at the festival site, young people from different neighbourhoods and cities met each other. Young people from Amsterdam Zuidoost, Almere and Rotterdam competed against each other or formed teams together.
‘It was great to see how 3x3 basketball brought young people together,’
says Stephen Volante Sarpong, who helped with the activities as a 3X3 Leader. "In 3x3 basketball, you have to play together and work together, so the young people quickly got to know each other. It doesn't matter which neighbourhood or city you come from."
The 3x3 tournaments were a huge success, especially during the last weekend. On Saturday, the Africa Cup for young people under 18 and over 18 took place. On Sunday, the Future Stars All Ages tournament was held. ‘We were completely full and the atmosphere was great,’ says Stephen. ‘And when they weren't playing, they were chilling out together or enjoying the music, for example.’
In addition to the regular 3x3 tournaments, there was also a Girls Only tournament. Furthermore, 3X3 Unites organised a basketball camp and various clinics, for which more than 25 children registered. ‘The children were all super enthusiastic and the parents were cheering them on from the sidelines. There was also music playing the whole time, which created a wonderful atmosphere. The vibe was great.’
Rabobank
The Kwaku Festival also showcased the collaboration between the Kwaku Festival, 3X3 Unites and Rabobank. The three parties are partners and form a strong trio. For example, the Kwaku Festival featured a 3x3 court with the logos of Rabobank and 3X3 Unites, which was also used during the celebration of 750 years of Amsterdam on the A10.
But that wasn't all. As part of the Rabo Business Beats programme, Rabobank and 3X3 Unites held a talk about how you can use 3x3 basketball on the street to grow to your own peak. And how sport, culture and entrepreneurship go hand in hand.
Mark Schuurman took to the stage with three 3X3 entrepreneurial young people. They shared how they rose from their neighbourhoods: by organising their own activities and projects, setting up clothing lines or simply being role models who motivate others. Their stories showed how entrepreneurship often starts with showing courage and taking responsibility for your own dreams.
The title of the Talk was therefore: From the Streets to the Top: Young 3x3 Leaders taking charge! Shaïl Wijdenbosch talked about his own clothing brand Starborn, which he launched earlier this year. “It was new to me. I'm normally someone who likes to stay in the background, but this was cool.” He hopes his story will inspire other young people. 'We all strive to be the best version of ourselves.'
3X3 Leader Assala Driouichi on the power of girls. 'The power of girls and women is that they generally have different qualities and character traits than men. It is important to have diverse qualities if you want to achieve a certain goal within an organisation, group or project.'
New 3X3 Leaders
3X3 Unites coordinator Mike looked back with pride on three weekends at the Kwaku Festival. ‘It was a fantastic event where we were able to introduce many young people from Amsterdam Zuidoost and beyond to 3x3 basketball in an accessible way, and where they made new contacts,’ he says. ‘The combination of urban sport, music, fun and culture worked really well.’
The fact that the young people enjoyed it was evident from the fact that Mike had already received several registrations for the 3X3 Leader Course. ‘Super cool,’ he says. ‘Next year, we want to make it even bigger.’
