Given the diverse background of many people in South Africa, there was a need identified to make the Shuttle Time material available to people in their mother tongue, especially in the poorer and rural areas where English is not a first language of many.
The translation of the Shuttle Time programme isiZulu, one of the more widely spoken official African languages in South Africa, is therefore an important step in popularising badminton.
Implementation
The translated resources are used at community centres that look after young people after school, and other schools identified with the programme. The translated resources have made it easier to train leaders at these centres.
Badminton South Africa is keen on badminton becoming a sport of choice and a possible alternative to other mainstream sports such as rugby, football, cricket, hockey and netball. The programme is being implemented nationally, across all nine provinces, with schools for the challenged now included.
Increasing Popularity
People in rural areas and poorer communities have taken to badminton as it seen as a safe sport. Communities see badminton as an opportunity to take children off the streets by giving them something to strive for. Many children have come through the ranks and gone onto represent their provinces; some even have represented the country. Shuttle Time has exposed children to new opportunities, offering them the chance to see a different side of the world.
