Using sports for positive development
Cricket can help you find a purpose. It can make you a better person
Since 2015 UNICEF and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have undertaken a global five-year partnership to help raise child protection issues by harnessing the reach of one of the world’s most popular games.
In April 2019 a special campaign, #OneDay4Children”, spearheaded by UNICEF and the ICC, was launched. Activities took place throughout the six-week UK-hosted ICC Cricket World Cup tournament and culminated in the #OneDay4Children on June 30 2019, when England played India.
In the run-up to the launch, the England and West Indies teams met children from schools across Barbados. One of them was 13-year-old Micaiah Bartlett
Keen cricketer Micaiah, who plays school and club cricket, was excited but tense as he prepared to meet his sporting heroes in the West Indies and England teams who were playing the first One Day International at the Kensington Oval in Barbados in February 2019.
Keeping up with Micaiah’s exploits on the field, where he is a batsman and wicket keeper, binds the Bartlett family together. According to his mother Ingrid, who has nurtured his love of the game since the age of 5, “We’ve always reassured Micaiah that he can go after his dreams and achieve them once he puts his mind to it. He understands that mum and dad are behind him 100 per cent.”
Micaiah was a tiny bit overwhelmed when he got to meet West Indies Captain Jason Holder, who rose through the ranks of the same cricket club, Wanderers. Jason is a real role model for Micaiah and the game itself has taught the schoolboy a lot. “Cricket can make you a better person – you have to have that sense of commitment to going to practice, training hard. Cricket can help you find a purpose.”
“I think cricket teaches you responsibility and how to balance your time between school work and sport. It teaches you communication skills, in that you have to interact with others. Because of cricket I can talk to people now and express myself properly.” – Micaiah Bartlett.
Micaiah also met members of the England cricket team, including Adil Rashid and captain Eoin Morgan. Although a serious game, cricket has its lighter side. “Cricket is a way for me to interact with my friends, in that I get to enjoy myself and take a break from the pressure of school,” says Micaiah.
There is some good advice for other young cricketers, “Make sure you enjoy yourself, work hard, go to every training session, respect your coaches, be of good character and be a good influence.”
Rushing towards a bright future. For UNICEF, children like Micaiah can find fun, direction and a safe space in cricket and sport in general. Coaches and the responsible adults who guide the children also have a role to play in ensuring that sporting spaces really are safe and that they report any allegations of abuse from children in their care.
