An award-winning humanitarian, civil war survivor, inspirational speaker and tennis coach from Southport is hosting a special event called ‘Yes I Can – How Tennis Saved My Life’.
Sam P Jalloh will be among VIP guests at Bridge Chapel Centre in Liverpool on Tuesday 16th July 2024 from 6pm.
You can book tickets via this link here.
Sam is a war survivor, a BBC Inspirations Awards 2020 recipient, a TEDx Speaker, an ex Sierra Leonean Tennis player, a professional tennis coach, a globe trotter and the author of the acclaimed books ‘How Tennis Saved my Life’ and ‘Can’t Break the African Spirit’’.
Sam Jalloh will tell his harrowing story of how he grew up in a war-torn west African country, Sierra Leone, and against all the odds managed to escape and build a successful career in tennis and motivational speaking.
The dad-of-two has enjoyed living in Southport for the past 20 years.
Sam will be joined by a stellar panel of special guests including:
- BBC presenter Richard Askham
- Businessman Simon Valentine
- Opera singer Sophie Clarke
- Media expert Roy Basnett.
Yes I Can will be a night of inspiration and entertainment with amazing special guests.
Inspirational speaker, author and tennis player Sam Jalloh at Southport Beach.
Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
One of Sam’s strengths is using his experiences of growing up to inspire and change young lives.
All funds raised will go to the Motivate Africa Programmes 2024, helping underprivileged children.
Sam has also written other books, including ‘Can’t Break The Africa Spirit’ to share his message of peace and hope, imploring people to understand that we are all one people.
He shares his views on how to make Africa, and the world, a better place, with a range of solutions.
The proud father-of-two teenage daughters would love to see more support for parents, less power for elites and more empathy for others.
Sam said: “My whole life, I have just wanted to help humanity and to see how I can get communities of people to understand that at the end of the day we are just one people.
“We should all love and care for each other.”
Sam Jalloh
Sam grew up in Sierra Leone where food was scarce, dangers were rife and the challenges many.
Tragically he saw the cruel realities of civil war first hand when he saw his best friend shot and killed while he was next to him. His outlook on life changed instantly.
He left the war-torn country and eventually settled in the seaside town of Southport, where he married and has enjoyed raising twin daughters Sierra and Sahara.
He has travelled the world coaching some of the biggest names in tennis.
He has also toured a huge number of countries across the globe sharing his story and his message for the future. He particularly enjoys speaking to and spending time with young people as he seeks to help them to understand the world they are growing into.
He said: “After surviving my birth in Sierra Leone, a country that continues to have one of the highest neonatal and infant mortality rates in the world, I went on to be the first boy in my family to celebrate my second birthday – unlike my three brothers born before me.
Southport author, inspirational speaker and tennis coach has written a new book, Cant Break The African Spirit. Photo by Andrew Brown Media
“At the age of six, I was adopted from my biological parents to a new home where I faced constant punishment.
“After my best friend got shot, that really changed me.
“When it happened, I looked at my Mum and she looked at me in a way that said ‘I don’t want to see that happen to you’.
“To this day, I ask myself ‘what if’?
“What if we had been standing just 10 yards away from where we were when my friend was shot?
“When I was growing up, I suffered many beatings from my adopted family, and then saw the brutality of the civil war in Sierra Leone, where a quarter of a million people lost their lives.
“In a small way, this is my story, but in a greater sense this is our story. Regardless of my origin or where you come from, we are connected through history and the deeds of those who came before us.
“It is time we stood together and said to the supremacists, ‘We see you, we know what you are doing, we accept it no more’.”
Sam Jalloh on the Motivate Africa Tour 2021
Sam is the winner of the BBC Inspirations Awards 2020, a Tedx Speaker and has featured on shows including BBC One Breakfast, BBC One Sunday Morning Live, BBC Radio Four Saturday Live, BBC World Service TV and Radio, BBC Africa and many more.
Sam said: ”When you turn on your TV, you see a lot of issues with drugs, with knife crime, wars taking place.
“There are reasons for all of this and it makes you think ‘how can we help the society we live in’?
“I have come from a country with some real poverty.
“I can only say people born in the UK are among the luckiest on the planet.
“If you are unwell, you can go for free to the nearest hospital where they will look after you well and for free.
“If you want a good education, you can go to school all the way up to 18, for free.
“If you are out of work, you will get benefits. If you are hungry, there are food banks that will support you.
Sam Jalloh
“If you want to find work, there is work that people can do.
“Then I go back to Africa and I see the lives that people there are living.
“Families there don’t have 10% of what we have here in the UK.
“If people in the UK want to know how bad their lives really are, go to Africa, go to Asia, see how the kids growing up there are living their lives and the opportunities they have in life.”
While Sam believes life is easier in the UK and in the West, he also recognises that there are many problems that people face, particularly with issues such as crime.
The dad-of-two believes that society’s strength lies with strong family bonds, with good parents and strong role models.
He said: “I think, as a country, we should be spending more money and more time in trying to support and educate parents, especially young parents.
“I have two teenage daughters. There is no way my daughters would go out onto the streets, join a gang, or get a knife and stab someone.
“There is no way they would disrespect anyone they meet.
Sam Jalloh wth Virginia Wade
“It is important to teach children lessons about empathy, and how to care about other people, and those lessons come from parents.
“It is my responsibility and our daughter’s mum’s responsibility to teach our kids about empathy and good values in life, how to be respectful to everyone in the community.
“I have been to lots of schools and colleges speaking with thousands of children on how they should behave in life and how we can cut down on knife crime.
“I encourage them to become good citizens, and to choose the people around them wisely.
“It’s so important to choose good friends who encourage you to be the best you can be, and who will not invite you to try drugs or join a gang. When you choose good friends, then it will always help you.
“I like to encourage young people to stay positive and to make education their number one priority.”
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