Flow Fest hosts football tournament to reconnect teens with movement and community
The Flow Fest plans to build on this momentum with a recurring series of youth and community gatherings across Dhaka, using movement and shared activity to foster purpose and supportive peer networks.
More than 100 teenagers put down their phones and stepped onto the turf in Uttara on Saturday. What followed wasn't just a football tournament, it was a reminder that young people still crave what screens can't give them.
The Flow Fest hosted a community high school football tournament at Turf Tent, Uttara, on 28 March, bringing together six schools for a morning of sports, laughter, and face-to-face connection.
For the past three years, The Flow Fest has been successfully hosting festivals and community events. This year, we are organizing a series of matches involving 10 schools. Today, the first match was played between Sir John Wilson School and Sunbeams, where Sir John Wilson School won by a score of 5-3.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Organised by two students of Sir John Wilson, Arshan Omar and Yameen Ashraf, this event aimed to encourage young people to adopt healthy hobbies, spend less time on digital devices and engage in positive, substance free social environments. The event was organised as a response to the survey conducted by The Flow Fest last year which found that an astonishing number of youths suffer from 'loneliness' and 'anxiety'.
Students from Scholastica Mirpur Campus, Glenrich International School, Sunbeams, Aga Khan Academy Dhaka, DPS School Dhaka and Sir John Wilson School, competed in mixed teams, with structured warmups and guided introductions. By the end, many players lingered long after the final match, swapping numbers, continuing conversations and simply enjoying each other's company.
"Helping youths build resilience and a holistic sense of wellbeing is an important aspect of education," says Shazia Omar, founder of The Flow Fest. "Sports offer a simple and powerful way to bring young people together."
The tournament was initiated as a part of The Flow Fest's broader mission to create environments where teenagers can develop a sense of belonging and learn that asking for help from peers and mentors is a sign of strength. Pairing movement with meaningful social interaction, the organisation endorses a simple but powerful message: that seeking help is courageous, not shameful; that healthy feels good; and that we heal through connection, not in isolation.
The Flow Fest plans to build on this momentum with a recurring series of youth and community gatherings across Dhaka, using movement and shared activity to foster purpose and supportive peer networks.
