May 8-9, 2019
Naples and Castel Volturno
“Basketball and sport in general help to improve self-esteem and self-confidence,” and “you have to be focused on goals and keep a determined attitude toward them.” These are some of the remarks given by WNBA and NBA stars Cynthia Cooper and Casey Shaw during a 2-day-program in Naples and Castel Volturno. “Teamwork, commitment, discipline, but also determination, integration and fun: this is basketball – and sports in general!”
In the official role of “Sports Envoy”, Cynthia and Casey spent the first part of the program in the Neapolitan high school “Francesco Saverio Nitti” where they held basketball clinic. At the Liceo Sportivo, they gave a presentation to 70 kids about bullying, cyberbullying, living a healthy lifestyle, and how sport changes life.
After the Neapolitan stop, the two Sports Envoys spent a full day program in Castel Volturno, first with presentation and clinic with 150 boys and girls aged 10-14 in the outdoor courtyard of the school “Istituto Comprensivo Statale G. Garibaldi.”
In the afternoon, the Sports Envoys met the Tam Tam Basketball team, well-known for its players born in Italy to foreign parents and migrants, an “athletic and social” project to support at-risk youth and integration. Before training, the two basketball stars answered questions and curiosities about their sporting careers, the difficulties they encountered and their life as players and coaches.
The program – organized by our Consulate and the U.S. Embassy in Rome – is part of the “Sports Envoy” initiative of the U.S. Department of State, thanks to which athletes and coaches of various American sports federations collaborate with Embassies and Consulates around the world, with the aim of spreading the culture of sport, leadership and respect for diversity among young people.
