Programme participants Raphael Arpa, Nelson Thom and Giovanni PumboFor a university with a population with just 3,000 students, Papua New Guinea (PNG) University of Technology university student leaders are taking their passion for sport to rural village communities in the area.
The university based in the northern town of Lae sees basketball as one of its most popular sports on campus with the official university team known as the UniTech Bulls Basketball Club, made up of university students and local community basketball players.
The UniTech Bulls are taking their love of sport one step further, using basketball to provide primary and high school students with the opportunity to learn individual and teamwork skills. University student leaders involved in the UniTech Bulls club visit rural communities throughout the year to deliver a skills-based basketball programme to those from remote villages.
Involved in the programme is Veronica Michael—UniTech Bulls coach also with the club for over 20 years, who knows just how much of an impact the programme has on young people in their community.
“We collaborate with the community, including village elders and those that organise sport for the villages and surrounding areas,” she mentioned. “The programme enables young people to learn new skills and it provides an opportunity to identify talented primary and high school students in the sport of basketball. After team and skills-based lessons, the students are involved in social basketball games at the end of the weekend,” she went on to explain.
Also currently involved in the programme for the past three years are Raphael Arpa, Nelson Thom and Giovanni Pumbo.
Raphael Arpa is in his final year of studying math and computer sciences at the PNG University of Technology and has been a member of the UniTech Bulls since high school.
“I love the opportunities the sport of basketball has provided me across the years and to be able to give back to younger children and teenagers (by being a part of this program) enables me to foster the future talent of basketball in our region,” says Arpa.
Nelson Thom—a recent graduate from Divine Word University (also located in Lae) with a degree in journalism—is a successful basketball player having represented his region and country in the sport. Working alongside coach Veronica Michael, Thom has the responsibility of organising the development trips to rural regions.
“Our development program is growing every year. Whilst the pandemic halted progress in 2020, we are looking forward to delivering the program to more young people in 2021,” said Thom. “The joy that shows on the faces of the young people involved in the program, inspires us to want to constantly improve. Some students have never experienced playing basketball before and others are a rising talent, but whatever the experience the person has, they have fun, they learn and the see how sport can unite a community. That is rewarding for us,” he concluded.
A current student, Giovanni Pumbo is a 2nd year student studying architecture also from the PNG University of Technology and is looking forward to getting back on the road to deliver the program after the hiatus of 2020.
“Being a university student and being a part of this programme allows me to show young people that you can make a difference. I like to show younger people that it is possible for anyone to go to university and achieve their dream career and to also continue playing sport whist studying,” says Pumbo.
Coach Veronica Michael feels very strongly about what her team is doing to unite people and communities, while bringing skills and knowledge to young people. She is most appreciative of her team and how much time they have given to make this programme a success.
“I am particularly proud of the players in the UniTech Bulls club for their enthusiasm, the willingness to give their time and efforts to teach youngsters and to share their own stories. Our club has a sense of togetherness and cooperation, a king of chemistry that we enjoy, and this makes our trips more fun,” she said.
“These university students are contributing immensely back into their communities and showing that they are indeed future leaders,” concludes Michael.
PNG and the UniTech Bulls have found a way to use university sport as more than just competition—taking it to local communities for skill development and lifelong learning, leaving a sustainable legacy for generations to come.