Football   Care recognises national team players who started with the Rainbow Project   |22 December 2021

Representatives of Richard Labrosse and Brandon Molle collecting the certificate on their behalf (Photo: Jude Morel)

Three members of the national football selection who won the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy held in Colombo, Sri Lanka recently have been honoured by the Campaign for Awareness, Resilience and Education (Care), the place where they started their football journey.

Brandon Labrosse, Ryan Henriette and Brandon Molle have each been awarded a certificate and token of appreciation for their continuous devotion, commitment and progress in football, after completing the Rainbow Project in 2013 under the umbrella of Care.

It was in April 2013, that Care, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, made a first attempt to use football as a tool to build up a group of young boys' character and resilience against substance use.

The group from the Mont Fleuri secondary school had previously completed a two-year project – The Rainbow Project – while still in primary school.

The Rainbow Project is run by Care under its early intervention programme that works with children with early risks of substance use to shift their behaviour from an at-risk one to a self-protective and empowered one.

Care accompanied the boys for a two-year period on a behaviour intervention and support plan.

Besides football, the plan incorporated counselling and psycho-social support, character education sessions and activities, family and school support, with both the school and parents actively involved and engaged.

Thereafter, while still attending the Mont Fleuri secondary school, some of the boys were accepted for the under 17 years' national team.

It is to note that Labrosse, along with fellow teammate Warren Mellie are already in France undergoing trials for the possibility of playing professional football.

The ceremony to honour the players took place yesterday at Care House in Victoria in the presence of Care director Noella Gonthier, director general for Early Childhood and Primary Education Cyril Pillay who was representing the Ministry of Education, head teacher of the Mont Fleuri secondary school Marc Arrisol, along with all the coaches and helpers who were active with the project since its inception, including Maurice Denys and Michel Emile.

Mrs Gonthier noted that based on the success of this football with a purpose project with the Mont Fleuri school boys, Care, with the approval and support of the Ministry of Education, has brought the project to three other schools through its outreach programme.

She also added that two years ago Care added art to the project, hence it is now the Sports and Art Project.

She explained that this project's main aim is to use sports and art to build up children's character and resilience and help them to make positive life choices.

The only one of the three present yesterday, Ryan Labrosse encouraged the youth of the country to take up sports activities which he said, other than keeping them healthy, will also help to build up their character.

Sharing his own experience, Labrosse said it is easy to fall, while the most important thing is to get back up.

Roland Duval