Githunguri Youth Sports Association (GYSA) is a sports and rehabilitation center whose mission is to mentor and empower youth in its served communities using sports as a mobilization tool. GYSA was founded in 2001 and is registered to Kiambu County in the Republic of Kenya.
GYSA is currently empowering over 2,000 youth in Kiambu and Lamu counties in Kenya. It uses radicalization to pull the youth under 17 from being recruited into illegal groupings or falling prey to drugs and substance abuse. In partnership with the National and county government departments, GYSA has organized events at community levels and schools to fight vice and keep youth busy and healthy.
GYSA is managed by a board of trustees who have devoted their time and resources to volunteer support. It has a staff of 30 who have organized youth into teams. Each team has a coach and a team manager who are trained youth educators. Fair play and community services are emphasized. All players are trained to be role models, thus enhancing their personal development. During the sports tournaments, the youth educators facilitate capacity building sessions in life skills, career counseling and mentorship and avoiding drugs and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS. For the increasing numbers they worked out a strategy to keep the youth busy throughout, and this led to the formation of leagues with different themes. As an exit strategy for 18 to 35-year-old students, the organization is incorporating enterprise development training and sensitization on Government procurement opportunities available for youth.