The positive societal impacts of sports and sporting events cannot be overstated. From baseball in America to soccer in Tanzania, sports provide a forum that unites people regardless of their backgrounds and beliefs. In addition to its unifying quality, watching and playing sports can be an effective form of stress relief and a way to stay healthy. One of the things that stood out to Isaka Petro Dalei (YES 2018-2019, Tanzania, placed with PAX in Portland, IN) during his year on the YES program was the extent to which extracurricular activities, such as soccer and football, are embedded in the U.S. high school curriculum. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in Tanzanian schools, particularly those in rural areas where limited funding forces school administrators to choose between academics and extracurricular activities. Isaka’s experience inspired him to work with community members to organize extracurricular activities at Mbugwe secondary school. Isaka believes that being involved in sports at a young age has many benefits, such as teaching critical time management skills, promoting a healthy lifestyle, encouraging academic success, and providing an overall positive outlook on life.

Isaka and his team organized a two-day event packed with sporting events, consisting of warm-ups, girls' and boys' volleyball, and football games. While these sporting events were occurring, other students had the opportunity to cheer for their team and learn other games, such as card games. These events encouraged students to focus on physical fitness and teamwork while providing fun activities that encouraged and rewarded their hard work.

Isaka was able to organize these great activities thanks to the financial and in-kind support he received from community members. These funds were used to purchase sporting equipment, such as soccer balls and refreshments for participants. Throughout the event, Isaka and his team encouraged the young high school students to actively find ways to better their community by engaging in volunteering activities. By demonstrating volunteerism to the students, Isaka demonstrated the importance of giving back while also promoting fun and healthy activities. Isaka was happy to organize a project he thought would be beneficial to the students' wellbeing. “It is important for the students to be involved in sports since it is part of physical health; being physically fit is so important,” Isaka said.