Sandals Resorts Extends ‘Future Goals’ Program for Curaçao’s Youth – Travel And Tour World

With an endearing gesture to engage the youth of Curaçao, Sandals Resorts and AFC Ajax have announced the renewal of their partnership with the Future Goals program, as they pledged to extend their partnership until June 2028. Through this increased undertaking, even more schoolchildren will be able to experience the life-changing impact of the power of play while learning valuable lessons that can shape positive behaviors like active play, environmental stewardship, teamwork and creative problem solving.

The programme, that first ran in 2022, is expanding, providing new ways for young people across the country to connect with nature and teach them life skills, all in the most popular game on the planet.

The Impact of Our Work: A Game Changer for the Youth of Curaçao

The Future Goals program fuses education and soccer to offer a tailor-made learning experience to kids in Curaçao. The program also takes a new approach to practice, using soccer to teach skills such as environmental responsibility, teamwork, and critical thinking. With the assistance and support of marquee partners AFC Ajax, Sandals Resorts, and the Sandals Foundation, Future Goals leverages local resources such as Limpi Recycling, a Curaçao-based recycling company, to turn that ocean plastic waste into solar-powered soccer goalposts for local schools.

The initiative is more than just an outlet for soccer equipment. It provides an annual, eight-week curriculum that marries in-classroom work with hands-on work in the field. These sessions are led by local “Future Coaches”, trained by AFC Ajax, where young people don’t only learn about playing soccer, but also about working together, overcoming adversity and taking care of the environment.

Influence and Expansion of The Future Goals Program

Curaçao The Future goals program already made a huge impact in Curaçao with more than 1.4 million plastic bottles and caps removed from the island community. More than 3,000 square feet of abandoned fishing nets has also been pulled from the water and shaped into environmentally friendly soccer goalposts for schools. The initiative has also introduced nature-sourced soccer gear and learning kits to the majority of the island’s primary schools, giving its students the tools to learn and grow in ways that are not only nurturing but sustainable.

Future Goals continues to have an increasing footprint all over Curaçao’s schools. And not only had the program’s good works had been serving the earth, but such good works inspire the power agents of the next generation to lend their voice to the cause of nature.

Annual Events and Student Enthusiastic Involvement

In its second term, Future Goals plans to hold additional annual activities to enable students to come together and increase their interaction with nature. These events are the well-attended “Plastic Art Challenge” _ inter-school soccer tournaments and island-wide clean-up days. In a further riposte to all the protocol, no fewer than 743 children from 21 schools recently took to Solovki’s streets and coast to pick up garbage — putting some polish on the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

The events are an opportunity for students to practice what they learn – and get a sense of community engagement and environmental stewardship. For many, it is also an opportunity to not only play soccer, but to actively participate in the preservation of their island’s natural beauty.

Investing in a Sustainable Caribbean Future

Patrice Gilpin, Public Relations Manager for the Sandals Foundation, brought attention to the significance of the initiative, stating, “Through this partnership, our children gain the chance to play, lead, and connect to their environment in meaningful ways. It’s a testament to what can happen when we invest in children — investing in children is investing in a stronger, more stable future for the Caribbean.

Cas Biesta, commercial director of AFC Ajax, added: “Together with Sandals Resorts, we demonstrate how far-reaching the effect of Ajax can be on the other side of the world. Glad to see that the Future Goals program has been operating non-stop in Curaçao now for three years. The foundation is ‘one love soccer,’ but it also imparts lessons in teamwork, creativity, resilience and caring for the environment.”

This collaboration not only supports soccer passion but empowers young people by offering life skills training to become the leaders of tomorrow and protect the environment for the generations to come.

A Legacy of Social Impact Continues

The Future Goals program is expanding, which means further priceless experiences for kids, as they learn vital life lesson, and become more mindful about the environment. This recommitment comes as part of the Sandals Resorts’ continued pledge to social responsibility, community outreach and the development of the Caribbean.

The program’s growth means that even more kids in Curaçao will now have the opportunity to grow up understanding what they can bring to the world—meeting it on their own terms and leaving their mark knowing they can shape a cleaner, greener future. Centered around play, learning and sustainability, Future Goals is contributing to the future of Curaçao’s youth and the Caribbean at large.