Right to Dream

Company Overview

The Academy in Ghana was founded in 2000 by British social entrepreneur, Tom Vernon. He recognised how sport, when combined with education, could have the power to inspire, and could help provide children from extreme poverty with the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families. Starting on a small-scale, training just a few boys on a dust pitch in Accra, the Academy has grown to the point at which it is today; a successful, fully-residential international school, offering scholarships to talented children drawn from all over West Africa. The focus and guiding principle of the Academy is that every talented child has the right to dream of a better, brighter future and can reach their full potential when nurtured within the right structure and environment. In March 2010, we officially opened the new RtD Academy, a US$2million purpose-built facility, located 20km south of Akosombo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The new Academy provides a home for our expanding programme, with specialist facilities and resources located onsite. As the Academy has grown, so has the boldness of Right to Dream’s vision. Our graduates are role models who have the ability to inspire, create and lead positive change – a new generation of talented, young Africans seeking to claim a better future for their communities and country. Right to Dream has now worked with over 100 children and our graduates have followed two main pathways after leaving the Academy: 35 graduates have been awarded full scholarships to leading universities, private boarding schools and colleges in the US and the UK; 15 graduates have signed professional contracts for international football clubs, 6 representing the Ghanaian National Football Team – the Black Stars. All RtD graduates have a belief and desire to help others achieve their dreams.