Will Dodds, a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, traveled to Cameroon during the summer of 2013. While there, Will worked with CameroonFDP’s team of staff members in Kumba to launch the very first Youth League. The Youth League is a program that involves coaching clinics and youth soccer competition. Coaches attend CameroonFDP’s clinics throughout the year to learn about our curriculum and methodology. The competitions that take place throughout the year allow coaches and teams to come together, show how they have grown, and compete with each other on the field in the spirit of youth development.
Will first become involved with CameroonFDP after finding out about the organization online. He started volunteering in September 2012, where he wrote blog posts, created newsletters, and collected soccer equipment. Justin Forzano, founder of CameroonFDP, then proposed an opportunity to Will to take on a role for the organization in Kumba. Will said yes right away since he developed a curiosity about the country and CameroonFDP’s work there. With the help of the Kumba management team and staff, he had an enriching and rewarding experience.
Will’s favorite memory from the trip was his interaction with the management team and the friends he made in Kumba. Even two and a half years later, he still keeps in touch with them via Facebook. Now Will is in a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at the University of Pittsburgh to teach K-12 Spanish.
To learn more about Will’s trip to Cameroon, please visit his blog. If you are interested in traveling to Cameroon, please check out our Travel Abroad page for more information!