Papua New Guinea team prepares for Gold Coast Marathon

The team and their trainers warm up at Ela Beach, Port Moresby.

A team of young people from the Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Territory are again preparing to run the annual Gold Coast Marathon this year as part of The Salvation Army Hope and a Future program.

The team (Team Feiva) are “hard at their weekly trainings”, said mentor and former program participant Greg Vali.

Their current goal is to run 12-15km three times a week. Captains John and Rose Raga from the territory’s Youth and Children’s department have also joined the team.

The program is modelled on four key pillars – faith, fitness, education and leadership. It aims to give young nationals identified as future leaders in their countries the opportunity to be mentored to help develop them into those future leaders in their corps, family, community and workplaces.

The young people train for and run the marathon with mentors from Australia along with PNG nationals who are former participants in the Hope and a Future program.

The program has been life-changing for all participants, with many reaching educational goals that would not have been possible otherwise and all growing spiritually in their leadership potential and ability to engage in the community and local church.

Families, corps and local communities are benefitting as a result as well.