Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 4, Session 4: The Project Cycle | Page 60 of 91Trainer Material 1: The Sports Equipment Project
Read the following story to participants.
The students at Abbasaya School were frustrated. The lunch period was the only time they had for exercise
during the school day but with no sports equipment, there was little they could do in the dusty schoolyard. A
few older students wanted to know what could be done. They asked as many students as they could about
what sports they would like to play during the lunch period. They found that some students wanted to play
football while others preferred basketball. They talked to the school principal and learned that she thought
students did not take care of sports equipment so she did not want to spend any money to buy new
equipment.
Note: The paragraph above is an example of the Identifying step of the project cycle.The students decided that they needed to both raise money and educate their friends about how to care for
the equipment. They figured out how much money they needed and made a plan to raise the money through
a school dance and asking for donations from community businesses. They also asked the school’s technical
education teacher to give lessons on how to patch a deflated football, how to maintain an air pump, and how
to make a basketball hoop and soccer goal.
Note: The paragraph above is an example of the Planning step of the project cycle.Next, the students organized their classmates to help. Some set a date, advertised, found a band, and sold
tickets for the dance. Others visited local businesses to ask for donations. Still others agreed to take the
lessons from the technical education teacher.
Note: The paragraph above is an example of the Doing step of the project cycle.After about five weeks, the students met to see whether they were making progress. They realized that they
needed to sell more tickets in order for the dance to be a good fundraiser. A few businesses donated money
but not very much. The owner of a grocery store would not give any money but agreed to donate some food if
they wanted it. When people learned that there would be food at the dance, the students were able to sell
more tickets.
Note: The paragraph above is an example of the Reviewing step of the project cycle.When the school principal saw the success of the dance and how much money had been raised, she made a
personal contribution to the equipment fund. She also cleaned out a closet to store the equipment and
supplies. After several more weeks, the students purchased the equipment and installed the basketball hoops
and football goals. During the graduation ceremony at the end of the school year, the student organizers
made a special announcement to thank everyone who had contributed to the sports equipment fund.
Note: The paragraph above is an example of the Celebrating step of the project cycle.