Up Close. Marko Kasic tackles how sports like running is a powerful tool to transform children’s lives
Up Close. Marko Kasic tackles how sports like running is a powerful tool to transform children’s lives
Transcript
00:00Sports can be a powerful tool for transforming the lives of children.
00:04Encouraging Filipino youth to take up running or other kinds of sports offers a pathway from poverty to educational and economic success.
00:12This can lead to athletic scholarships, providing opportunities for high school and college education.
00:18The recent success of Filipino athletes like Carlos Yulo, who won two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics,
00:25highlights the need for substantial support to help young talents reach their potential.
00:31By investing in sports programs and resources, we can create opportunities that turn dreams into reality and uplift the entire community.
00:42And tonight, we're so pleased to have with us British philanthropist and founder of Fun Life, Marco Kacic,
00:48who has completed a 600-kilometer run across Lausanne to advocate for grassroots sports for Filipino children.
00:56Good evening, Marco.
00:57Good evening, Charms.
00:58First of all, I am astounded. 600 kilometers.
01:01Okay, we'll get to that in just a bit.
01:04But first of all, you are the founder of Fun Life.
01:08What exactly is the core mission of Fun Life, and how does it continually drive its initiatives?
01:15Thank you for having me.
01:16And yeah, so Fun Life is an NGO that was set up in 2014 in direct response to Typhoon Yolanda.
01:23So initially, we wanted to use sports as a way to really help children deal with the trauma.
01:29And we think sport is really powerful at so many things, especially at restoring normalcy and happiness to children.
01:36And Fun Life has really evolved from there.
01:38We started using it in schools.
01:40We've seen some amazing successes in terms of reducing dropout rates, working with adolescent girls.
01:45So we've seen a lot of benefit in using sports not just to help with trauma and healing,
01:51but actually build real positive values and teach children discipline, hard work.
01:56And it's one of those rare things in life where what you put in is what you get out.
02:00So it's a really powerful life lesson we find with children.
02:03Okay.
02:04Of course, we are all so proud of Carlos Yolo's Olympic victory.
02:09How has his success underscored the need for more grassroots sports investment in the Philippines?
02:15I mean, I understand that your efforts recently was exactly to build up that kind of impact.
02:22Yeah.
02:23As you said, amazing, amazing success story.
02:26And really, if you look at his humble beginnings, it just goes to show how much raw talent there is there.
02:31And I think for us, we see it in the communities.
02:35And especially with the provincial communities where they have so much sort of access to space as opposed to here in Manila.
02:42So for us, it just underscores the potential that's still untapped.
02:47And our work is really about introducing sports into schools, especially public schools, into communities.
02:53And really giving the children an opportunity to find out what their passion is.
02:57It's very rare to find a Carlos Yolo that kind of skills.
03:01I think just getting the passion, and as you said, getting that holistic ecosystem for sports.
03:06I think, yes, investment into the grassroots is important, but then also working with parents.
03:12Because sometimes the friction we get is that the parents are not always encouraging the children.
03:17And as you said in the intro, you know, sports can offer scholarships.
03:21It can really be a pathway out of poverty into education.
03:25And those who have passion and skill, they can really have tremendous success.
03:31Okay, the Move Lausanne initiative.
03:35What are some of its key objectives?
03:37And can you share information on your journey?
03:40And as we mentioned earlier, well, I already broke the ice and said 600 kilometers.
03:45So no need to tell us the distance covered.
03:47But tell us about your journey and what continued you and inspired you to just keep on going.
03:53Yeah, so Move Lausanne falls under FundLife.
03:57Actually, a bit of backstory, FundLife is connected to an initiative led by the Vatican under Pope Francis.
04:03And what we did in 2022 was sign a pledge for play equity,
04:07which means we believe that every child has a birthright to access safe spaces, play, and education.
04:14And so that's really been our core advocacy for over 10 years now.
04:18And I think one of the things that we're focusing on is really actioning our advocacy.
04:23So the advocacy for me running is really what FundLife is about.
04:27And it's my way of saying, well, we believe in this so much, so I can run for two weeks.
04:33Because it's something that I think all children should have the right to, but so many don't.
04:39I think we take it for granted the fact that we can go out.
04:42We can run if we want to whenever we want.
04:45And it's really a privilege that millions of children, not just in the Philippines, but beyond, really don't have.
04:51I like that, advocating for safe spaces for children to safely learn and play,
04:59because these are some of the things that we take for granted if we are not living in impoverished situations.
05:06So you mentioned a lot of advantages that running can bring to children
05:11and especially inspire them to sort of bridge a pathway from their current situation to out of poverty.
05:18How does running, in summary, benefit these undeserved, underserved Filipino children?
05:25And what impact do you hope to achieve in the long run with your initiatives?
05:30Yeah, well, I would say it's any sport.
05:33I think, you know, for me, I started running in the last 18 months.
05:37Before that, I hated running, so I'm not the best spokesperson for running.
05:40I started running because it was something I found difficult.
05:43And it was something that was sort of something I didn't look forward to.
05:47So for me, it's really been the mental benefit of running, which has now turned into the physical benefit.
05:53But running in particular, I think what we found is that it offers the least amount of barriers to entry for any child in the Philippines.
06:01Something like basketball or football or volleyball.
06:05You need to have teammates. You need to be selected. You need to have a coach.
06:08Whereas running, really, you don't need much.
06:10You literally need a safe space.
06:12You know, we've seen in the province, most children don't even have running shoes.
06:16So it's really something that any child can do.
06:19And there isn't also a socioeconomic barrier.
06:23Because, you know, with so many sports, especially football here, it's really you have to pay to play.
06:28Whereas running, even now with the emergence of so many run clubs across Manila, it's really inclusive.
06:34And it's something where it really breaks down these barriers.
06:38I think that's the one thing that we found.
06:40It brings those that are disadvantaged and those that are advantaged.
06:44And nobody really questions where you come from.
06:46As long as you run, whatever pace, you don't have to run fast.
06:50But as one of the run clubs that we work with says, just show up.
06:54This sounds familiar. I am a power walker.
06:57I think a brisk walk is a run for me.
06:59So maybe the inclusivity will benefit people with my kinds of skills.
07:03But going back to your journey, 600 kilometers is an amazing feat.
07:09How did you engage with the communities that you encountered along the way?
07:13I mean, we all know that there are a lot of different groups of people that you encountered.
07:20And, of course, the experiences also impacted you.
07:22And I think just inspired you to continue on with your mission.
07:26Yeah, absolutely.
07:28And actually, just a confession, I had never run a single marathon before I did this challenge.
07:32And so this challenge is the equivalent of running 14 marathons in 14 days.
07:37And the main motivation was because Fundlife has been working in these communities for so many years.
07:43So we actually teamed up with a local NGO called Bike Scouts.
07:47And they connected us to these communities along the way.
07:51So we started in Pagodpud.
07:53We went down all the way, you know, down Luzon.
07:56We stopped in Sagada, Baguio, La Union.
07:59And I think just the curiosity, that's the number one thing that I would say.
08:03It's so shocking for communities to see someone running because it's very hot.
08:07And so we were running at 9 or 10 a.m.
08:10And I think just get that curiosity out there and show everyone that, you know, anyone can run.
08:17I don't have to run.
08:18I didn't do it for any kind of accolade or applause.
08:21But it was something that I felt I was compelled to do.
08:24And I think we just want to kind of create that emotion within the communities.
08:28And give children something to say, if he can do it, I can do it.
08:32Especially if they know why I'm doing it.
08:34Because it's not an organized race.
08:36There's no medals.
08:37It's nothing like that.
08:38But I think we saw the value of just interacting with the communities.
08:42And also the big goal is to give them a platform, to give them a voice.
08:46Because this challenge hopefully will turn into us educating and training 50 DEPED teachers across Luzon.
08:53So they could actually learn how to become simple running coaches.
08:58So that's the aim.
09:00You know, it's not just me running.
09:02But it's how do we communicate that simple running message into the public schools, into the communities.
09:07And we think it's about the local people, the local teachers in the communities that can do that.
09:12It's not my job because I just run and then I don't know when I'll be back.
09:17The teachers, the community leaders, they really have the power to impact children on a daily basis.
09:23Okay.
09:24Very interesting that you bridged into that.
09:26Because we'd like to know more about your other plans and commitments to continue to advocate for children, for sports at a grassroots level.
09:35You talked about educating teachers to be the children's running coaches.
09:40Tell us more about that.
09:41Yeah.
09:42That's the essence of Fund Life.
09:43We started 10 years ago and we're locally led.
09:46So we have our main base in Tacloban, Leyte.
09:49And we have a local team.
09:51We have local mentors, local coaches.
09:53We regularly do capacity training for DEPED teachers.
09:56And so the idea is really to pass on that knowledge and to give that knowledge to those, as I said, champions who work with the children.
10:04So we've now built a safe space in Tacloban.
10:09It's an integrated learning and play center.
10:11And our mission really with our partners across Europe and beyond is to create more safe spaces for community development.
10:18It's about giving agency and then just letting the community hopefully take that progress and develop, as you said, the next sort of sporting talents and educational sort of opportunities for some of these children.
10:30Yeah.
10:31You know, I think it's really important.
10:33I would say buzz words here is really exposure, training, and the opportunity, you know, because all of this is really just a pathway to the next level.
10:42And then you need to hone these talents and the interest.
10:45So an individual like myself and everyone listening right now across the country, what steps do you think can individuals take to support Fund Life's mission and really just help realize its collective vision?
11:00Yeah, I mean, I would say the first thing is to if obviously you're an avid sports fan or you want to participate, start local, because obviously I think we can have the most impact in the communities that we have greatest access to.
11:13So wherever you may be, there is going to be something in that community, whether it's a local youth group, whether it's a local sports program that you can join and really make those opportunities available for as many children as you can.
11:26Often people think that they want to change the world, but changing the world is very difficult.
11:31But it's quite easy to change somebody's world that you know, whether it's just mentoring somebody or just investing time into somebody, giving them advice.
11:40Because often what we find is a lot of the children we work with, they're very excited to start.
11:45But then often sometimes it gets difficult or sometimes that excitement wears off.
11:50And it's really the discipline, the showing up, the consistency.
11:54That's the most important thing I think anyone can show, especially young children.
11:59I think if you can instill that consistency and commitment in young children, there's real great potential for them.
12:06Okay.
12:07Very importantly, of course, with the recent victories of athletes around the world and especially our Filipino athletes bringing home two golds and a few bronzes and other accolades.
12:19You know, it goes without saying that, as you mentioned earlier, it's not enough to just congratulate them or praise them.
12:26We need to consistently give these children and individuals support.
12:32And, of course, the bigger community here are business leaders to create lasting social impact, as you mentioned.
12:38What would be your message for them to support your charity projects and your vision with a more sustainable mindset?
12:46Yeah, it's a great point.
12:49And we've seen actually business leaders step up before.
12:52In football, for example, Fund Life has a big football program and we've seen how powerful business leaders can be in generating real investment into sports.
13:02The one thing that we would always say is look at it as a holistic investment.
13:07Don't look at it as a kind of charity donation because, obviously, you're investing in these communities which are going to be your future employees.
13:14They're going to be your future customers.
13:16And, essentially, we also do corporate wellness programs in different areas.
13:21And we often see that the employees who are the healthiest, who partake in sports, who also understand the business has a social purpose, it really translates to business success.
13:32So, we often have these conversations with business leaders because they somehow think, oh, this is charity.
13:38It's not really part of my core business objectives.
13:41But, really, when you integrate your core business objectives with doing good in a sustainable way, we sometimes call it legacy programming.
13:49You know, where can your community be in 10 years from now?
13:53So, it's really about taking that long-term approach and really connecting with local groups because some businesses, they're quite reluctant.
14:01They have their own foundations.
14:03They have their own sort of projects.
14:05But, really, I think going out there and meeting local people, like you said, I think there's so much future potential in, you know, 12 years from now in the next Olympics.
14:14Who knows where the next star will come from?
14:17I think there are so many hidden gems that are just waiting to be discovered.
14:21And I think it's business leaders.
14:23It's obviously government.
14:25It's the community themselves.
14:26I think it's all about uplifting and creating that enabling environment for children to play and also believe that that's key.
14:34Exactly.
14:35I am so inspired today.
14:36I think everyone in the studio is.
14:38We'd like to thank you for your time, Marco, for sharing your passion with us for education and sports.
14:43We wish FundLife the best of luck.
14:46More power.