Football Sphero Sports

Sphero makes undeniably cool, programmable robots and STEAM-based educational tools that transform how kids learn,create,and invent through coding,science,music,and arts. Sphero goes beyond code and drives kids to turn their imagination into reality.

Although Africa holds nearly 17% of the world’s population, its Science, Technology, Engineering,Arts,and Maths (STEAM) capabilities fall behind the rest of the world. STEAM education is a driver or economic performance and this essential for helping growing economies compete in the global market, create jobs (especially STEAM jobs), and improve wealth.

Whilst we don’t know what the jobs of the future are going to be, there has been significant research that shows 75% of the jobs of the future are going to require skills in the STEAM subjects.

According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), sub-Saharan Africa, and Kenya in particular, has some of the highest school drop-out rates in the world. Between primary and secondary schools, nearly one-third of girls and one-quarter of boys will drop out of school (UNESCO).Low transition from primary to secondary school is slowing down government efforts to improve the wellbeing of Kenyans, according to an annual UN global development ranking. Kenya’s ranking remained unchanged at 147th out of 187 nations in the human development index, a gauge of well-being published by the UNDP for the past 23 years that combines economic prosperity with education levels and life expectancy. Estimates from the national census (2019) indicate that 11% of children aged 6-‐16 years are not attending school, against a national average of less than 4%. Even most worrying, 9% of them have never been enrolled anywhere. Findings of Uwezo Kenya (2020) further indicate than more girls (9.7%) are out of school than boys (6.4%).  Meanwhile, out of school youth are often expected or forced by circumstances to provide for themselves and their families, either as street children or child workers in the various sectors of the urban economy. 

Education-focused sport for development initiatives have the potential to address the challenges education systems face by contributing to positive educational outcomes, such as student engagement, attendance, their overall enjoyment in school, and improved behavior and relationship with teachers and peers which are key for a positive teaching and learning environment. 

Sphero sports introduces students to soccer and STEAM through hands-on, soccer-based coding and maths games. By combining soccer with interactive and engaging programming activities, students become Sphero sports master of 21st century. Sphero Sports engages students from all background in the game of soccer. For those students who may not identify as a soccer fan,but instead feel more comfortable learning and working with technology, the close alignment of soccer and analytics will open their minds to the game and may even create new fans. This all-in-one Sphero coding solution is perfect to get students excited about STEAM learning through a sport they already know and love, as well as providing soccer foundations with the perfect start in teaching STEAM education. Sphero Sports includes the following process packages and technologies:

a) Sphero sports (soccer version) bundle package

b) Sphero Bolt power pack that lets you charge,store and carry.Sphero Bolt robots which is top of the line kit for educators fostering collaboration in the classroom with a recommended 2:1 ratio of robots to students,providing plenty of opportunities for creativity in any setting.

c) SPhero Sports Code Mat-which is a premium high quality seamless learning with Sphero Edu app.Perfect for sports foundations,education studentsmthis football-themed mat offers a simple and accessible way block-based coding,basic maths principles,and collaborative problem-solving

d) Sphero Edu App-Includes standard-aligned STEAM and computer science lessons and activities in the Sphero Edu App that can be teacher-led or self-guided.It provides community coders,makers,and learners who create and share inspriring content every day.

Many communities that we serve have limitations in almost every area of modinization.These limitations are not limited to only education and the classroom in which teachers and learners exercise their duties but also other aspects of human endeavors. Scholarly approaches embraced by educators in the quest to evolve knowledge, especially those whose basis arises from the Science and Mathematics, have generated considerable improvement over the years. These approaches beget a pattern aimed at preparing emerging learners with up to date knowledge on how best to solve challenges required of complex yet everyday human life.Football Sphero Sports engages children in STEAM learning via the appeal and attraction of the football and the world's greatest game.Children are instantly attached to the large football themed code and soon will be excepting engaging and hands-on robotic skills based on football fundamentals, such as passing, dribbling, and shooting.The entire Sphero Robot Football experience is inspiring by football and all learning is disguised as play and fun,yet developing critical skills to support their future opportunities. The Football Sphero Sports program showcases the power of football to create societal change and enable disadvantaged children to access the skills needed to improve their lives and economic development.

VAP has a group of expereienced grassroots community coaches with role model capacity.These coaches are well connected to the participants they serve and act as the connection between the participants and the lifeskills education.The coaches have been delivering sports based education programs in different communities and schools as an after- school program for over 10 years and majority of the coaches who deliver programs in the communities are former graduands of sports based programs hence providing them with a vast experience on program implementation.

VAP as an organization developed a Human Centered Design initiative and  conducted a community participatory workshop in the targeted communities to access the challenges and needs of STEM. The workshop was attended by teachers, community representatives,children from different schools, representatives of various institutions including both private and public.A community lens highlighted the specific challenges that children from the slum areas face because of lack of digital gadgets that include:computers,smart phones, laptops etc. that hinders their access to the digital learning space, access to jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.Additionally,many of the young people from the under privileged communities don't have access to STEM education and have no idea of what STEM entails.