A young and aspiring volleyballer from the island nation of Kiribati in the Pacific Islands has been given the opportunity to lead his community as a Sports Coordinator.

Thanks largely to training provided by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), 24 year-old Bereteiti Benetito was recently given the opportunity to undertake a specialised coaching certificate with the ASC’s Betio Community Club (BCC) program, located on the Kiribati islet of Betio.

A member of his local club for several years, Bereteiti has been playing volleyball as well as obtaining his coaching certificate, and was recently accepted as a national volleyball referee.

‘I will often organise volleyball matches in the community and reward the winners with prizes from the competition fees,’ Bereteiti said. ‘It’s a way to get people involved and active and to build the community spirit.’

Kiribati’s population of about 110 000 is spread over a land mass of only 811 square kilometres on 33 islands. These islands are widely dispersed over a sea area of about 3.5 million square kilometres, 12 500 of which are on Betio, a small coral islet 400 metres wide and 5 kilometres long – as a result, overcrowding, high unemployment and environmental issues impact heavily on the local population.

Supervised by a volunteer-based management committee, the BCC coordinates various sporting activities run by four smaller community sporting clubs that cover Betio.

Developed in 2008 by the Australian Government through the ASC and the Kiribati Government through its Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs, the BCC is as a sport for development project. It provides the community – vulnerable groups such as unemployed youth, women, children, mature aged people and people with disability – with opportunities to be involved in sport and other opportunities for personal, family and community growth.

In December 2010, Bereteiti was elected as the Sport Coordinator for his club ‘Bouantewa’. Over 12 months he has progressed from being a community participant to a sport coordinator and was recognised for this outstanding achievement with a medal and $50 gift voucher at the BCC Annual Awards Night in December 2010.

‘I have witnessed how sport can promote peace in the community, it occupies youths and the unemployed. If we work together as a group, we can improve the community and make it a better place for all,’ said Bereteiti.