This week, he attended and delivered a keynote address to 700 youth from all across the Oceania region at the Pacific Youth and Sport Conference in New Caledonia.
When asked about the key message he wished to express to young people, he said: “Use sport as a tool for development and peace, and that means not only to kick the ball, but using it to tell your people how they get better, how they feel better, and how they can engage themselves in society, in a positive way, as all of us would like you to live, in peace and harmony”.
United Youth Media, a group of PYASC participants who are also heavily involved in the media coverage of the conference, broke down the key messages they took from Lemke’s address.
1 Love and role models
“Our children need role models. It’s so important as your child grows up, they have love and good role models.”
Lemke makes a great point. In our current society we are often told to revere Hollywood celebrities and other public figures who don’t always display particularly brilliant behaviour or attitudes. It is incredibly important to supply youth with inspiring people to follow.
Lemke says that those who inspired him in his youth are still figures who inspire him today.
To those listening, Lemke spoke words of encouragement.
“We have to create more and more and more role models, as one day you definitely will be one of them”.
2 Use sport as a tool for development and peace
“I try to use sport, and the power of grassroots sports, to bring people together in tenuous situations.”
As of right now, there are 70 military conflicts happening globally. Children die every day due to conflict. As Lemke so perfectly sums up, “ What the hell is going on in this world?”
In a world so torn the work of those like Lemke, who teach others to understand and respect one another through sport is vital.
“Sport is the universal language,” Lemke says. “Respect each other. Understand each other. And then, one day, become friends with each other.
“I’ve been several times to Israel and Palestine, watching the situation there. But, if you ask me, 95 per cent of the population don’t want anything other than to live in peace and harmony.”
3 Include those with disabilities
“Why?” A simple statement questioning society’s more-often-than-not exclusion of people with disabilities.
“Ten per cent of the world’s population live with a disability. And they shouldn’t be excluded, they should stay in the centre of our societies all over the world.”
The UN take special measures to promote the improvement of the lives of those living with a disability. Lemke used the example of a program currently running in Fiji, which integrates people of all abilities in games of cricket.
“The joy that we feel and felt in that moment when they had a training session was unbelievable,” Lemke said.
4 Partnership is the key to success
“Coming to an end, what is necessary to remember, is the Millennium Development Goal number eight.”
The Millennium Development Goals aim to reduce poverty and improve living standards. Number eight specifies a need to create a Global Partnership for Development.
The goal seeks to increase Official Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries and improve global communication through technological development, among other things.
“It is so important that we partner up. This conference is a very good example of this. Go back to your home islands or countries and please, use this moment of partnership, use the social networks, and learn how to use other partnerships for your own goals.”
Finally, Lemke left the conference with a message.
“When you believe in your own power, then you can definitely be sure that you will achieve. You can believe that we all have our faith in your future – because you are our future. “
– By Holly Tregnza – United Youth Media