The Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 will make young people in Senegal healthier. Literally.
This is the goal of the Impact Spark initiative, which was launched in November 2024 during the third edition of the Dakar en Jeux Festival. Using the power of sport to raise awareness about health issues, doctors from Senegal and Lausanne have been working together to teach children about healthy habits.
The project isn’t based on theoretical lessons that some children between the ages of 14 and 18 might find boring. The doctors involved instead used sport as the basis for their teaching, making for an exciting and energising recipe.
Basketball was used to help children learn about their mental health, taekwondo taught children about oral health, while other topics, such as malaria and addiction prevention, were addressed through football and breaking.
“It was really important, we learned a lot of things,” said Fatima, a 14-year-old from Grand Yoff.
“Today, I learned about emotions and health. We had the opportunity to express our emotions through sports. The day was packed — I learned a lot, and it was incredible,” added Maxime-Aurèle, a classmate from the same school.
Sport became a gateway for topics that are sometimes difficult to discuss, including abuse and mental health. For example, playing basketball using different rules, while discussing the Sandwich method communication tool to learn how to react to criticism, left a lasting impression on participants, who continued to smile all day long.
“Mental health is a sensitive topic. It’s difficult for kids to come and talk about it, so it’s better we come to them,” explained Awa Dieye, a child psychiatrist, lecturer at Dakar University and department head at Thiaroye’s hospital. “We know how sport brings [people] together, how much kids love it, so we come to them, and through the activities, send a message of prevention.”
Each activity lasts an hour, with 30 minutes of teaching followed by 30 minutes of sport based on each topic, resulting in a full half-day of fun that has the potential to change the children involved’s lives forever.