Canadian Curriculum supports Egypt's first Youth Baseball League

May 7, 2021 

Kids in Egypt’s first youth baseball league are learning the game with the help of Baseball Canada's Winterball program. Nonprofit Because Baseball is running the program with the goal of reaching kids from all backgrounds, providing donated equipment and the opportunity to play baseball and learn life-skills. This is the first time the curriculum is being used by another country.  

As part of the physical education curriculum in schools across Canada, and targeting 8–12-year-olds, the program it is especially useful for those who have not been exposed to the game before. Egypt's youth league is the first to be designated a youth Major League Baseball affiliate in the Middle East.

“The Winterball curriculum gives students from all backgrounds the opportunity to develop baseball skills, increase hand-eye co-ordination and learn tenets of good sportsmanship, all the while promoting an active and healthy lifestyle,” said Kemp Gouldin, founder and president of Because Baseball. 

During six week-long baseball seasons throughout Cairo, Because Baseball reaches hundreds of youth players by partnering with local schools in similar method to how Baseball Canada partners with Canadian physical education programs. Boys and girls play together, and kids from private schools and orphanages play on the same teams. The organization has also held games on the Giza Plateau, reflecting the first time baseball has been played amid the Great Pyramids in more than a century.

“Baseball has been so instrumental in tearing down barriers that divided us,” Gouldin said. “As a kid, I learned that baseball could bring together families, communities and cultures, and this is a lesson I never forgot. One of the cool things is watching the kids cheer each other on. Yes, there is competition. But there is also a real spirit of lifting each other up, and the idea is everyone can succeed if we are supportive of one another.”

Coaching fellow Terry Johnson who travelled to Egypt to coach reiterated the feeling:“If we take the lead from how kids interact with each other, the world would be a better place."  

Source: Toronto Star