Leaders of Unites #141 - Yai Maria

30 September, 2026

"The 3X3 Leader Course is about much more than basketball. It’s about building a community and learning life skills."

As a child, I had one big hobby: Lego.

My name is Yai Maria and I am 17 years old. I was born and raised in the Bijlmer. I have always lived there with my mother. As a child, I had one big hobby: Lego. I liked that you could use your own imagination. From all those separate bricks, you could create one big thing. I often made robots. I still like Lego. I recently bought a new Lego set to build a BMW.

I also played baseball for a while. My family is from Curaçao, and baseball is part of the culture there. But I didn’t really like it, I found it a bit boring. It was always the same: someone hits the ball, the other team tries to catch it and throws the ball back. No, I quickly knew that I wasn’t going to do this for years. At that point, I had never played basketball before.

The thing I like most about basketball is the team feeling. Making a plan together and making sure everyone can play to their strengths.

I first came into contact with basketball at secondary school. We had to choose an after-school sports activity. I decided to play basketball and immediately thought it was really cool. It demands a lot from you. You not only have to be strong and athletic, but you also need good technique. We soon started playing every day at school.

But it didn’t stop there. We also played basketball outside of school. I could often be found at the court in Reigersbos. I met a lot of new people there, and it was always a good time. Last year, I also joined Warriors, but that didn’t go exactly as expected. At one point, we didn’t have enough players, so we couldn’t finish the competition. It was chaotic.

Since this season, I have been playing for Blue Stars in Diemen. I feel more at home here and feel like I am learning more. The thing I like most about basketball is the team feeling. Making a plan together and making sure everyone can play to their strengths. On the outdoor courts, I play a lot of 3x3 with my friends. In the beginning, I sometimes forgot that you first had to earn the right to attack before you could score points.

The 3X3 Leader Course is about much more than basketball. It’s about building a community and learning life skills.

I didn’t know 3X3 Unites yet when Mike Nasibdar messaged me in my second year of secondary school asking if I wanted to participate in the 3X3 Young Leader Course. I thought: okay, this is a chance to play some basketball, so I might as well do it. But I soon discovered that it is about much more than basketball. It’s about building a community and learning life skills.

After the Young Leader Course, I also did the regular 3X3 Leader Course. I mainly learned a lot about working together and organising things. As our final assignment, we had to organise an event. I couldn’t do that on my own, so we had to work as a team and communicate well. In the end, we organised a really great event.

I now use those lessons myself as a 3X3 Leader. We have a group chat with our community. In it, I try to communicate as clearly as possible. What the activation involves, what time it starts and ends, and so on. The Leader Course has really helped me, and I always recommend to other young people who come to our activations that they should also do the Leader Course.

I bought my watch with my first salary from 3X3 Unites. I’m extremely proud of that.

I always wear my watch for two reasons. First of all, it helps me keep track of the time. I know that I am often quite late. Of course, that’s not possible when, for example, you have to run an activation. But the watch also represents a new chapter in my life: I bought it with my first salary from 3X3 Unites. I’m extremely proud of that.

I also always carry a keychain with me with the letter Y on it – the first letter of my first name. The keychain helps me stay close to myself. There are moments when I feel like I’m losing myself or getting lost. When I look at my keychain and see the letter Y, I know again who I am and what kind of person I want to be. A person who helps others.

I would love to set up a spoken word department within 3X3 Unites.

After the summer, I started a sports education programme. I don’t know exactly what I want to become later on. What I do know is that I want to keep developing myself and continue to grow within 3X3 Unites. I currently run three activations a week and am part of the Paper Dome team. I get a lot of satisfaction from involving as many young people as possible and seeing our community grow.

One day, I hope to work full-time for 3X3 Unites. But that’s something for the long term. In the short term, I would love to set up a spoken word department within 3X3 Unites. I write a lot of poems myself and have performed them from time to time. Personally, I think it would really add something to 3X3 Unites. Through language, you can express your feelings in a beautiful way.