Volkswagen, in partnership with the Department of Basic Education, has set out to empower more than 1 800 high school girls through sport and life skills education in the Alexandra community in Gauteng.
The Volkswagen Train 4 Life programme initiative, which works alongside six Alexandra-based high schools, has two core focuses: driving healthy habits and passions through a girls-only soccer league and laying down positive foundations through a life skills education programme
“At Volkswagen, we believe that sport, especially soccer, is more than just a game. Soccer has the potential to play a vital role in youth development, as a tool to help facilitate individual and team growth while building healthy passions and habits. Providing young girls with a safe platform to embrace their soccer talents and the benefits of team spirit. Sport is a core purpose of our Volkswagen Train 4 Life initiative,” said Steffen Knapp, head of the Volkswagen Passenger Car brand.
Volkswagen continues to invest in local youth development as part of their ongoing commitment to “move people forward”. The life skills education portion of the programme, designed to help Grade 8 girl learners, at the six participating schools will run in April. The workshops will impart valuable life skills on topics such as personal hygiene, self-defence and road safety.
“We are proud of the Volkswagen Train 4 Life initiative, as we want to empower our communities and we hope the tools the programme provides can inspire and motivate South Africa’s young girls to dream big.”
The inaugural girls’ soccer league kicked off in 2021, with six girls-only teams, which culminated with the finals hosted by Volkswagen earlier this week at the Three Square Sports Stadium in Alexandra.
Kwabhengilanga High School is emerged as champions of the first Volkswagen Train 4 Life Girls Soccer League and the team won soccer training kits for their school.
Former Banyana Banyana captain and decorated coach, Simphiwe “Shorty” Dludlu, has partnered with Volkswagen to help train the young girls and inspire their journeys. The Alexandra-born national football star is a powerful mentor for the girls because she is living proof that all dreams are possible.
“My personal goal is to empower young girls through soccer so that we can grow both the sport and the dreams of South Africa’s young girls in a positive environment. The Volkswagen Train 4 Life initiative allows me to follow this ambition with girls from my community in Alexandra, which is one of the toughest training grounds in the world,” says Dludlu.
According to Volkswagen, Dludlu will be scouting from the current league of girls to form her own team that she will take to the Volkswagen Vaya Cup, the national youth Soccer League for boys and girls to be held later this year.