IESF announces education and youth leadership body

The International Esports Federation (IESF) has announced the creation of the Esports Education and Youth Leadership Commission.

The commission aims to expand the esports ecosystem and its presence within schools, and will consist of three committees including students, academics and administrators.

It is being led by Commissioner Serhat Bekdemir, Founder of Turkey’s Collegiate Esports League and long-standing advocate of integrating esports into education.

Commenting on his appointment, Bekdemir said: “Grassroots esports is rising, and this is a great opportunity for me to work for IESF to support their mission, uniting the esports world. We are now calling for the best esports education institutions to get together and share the best practices from all over the world to help educate the youth, families and institutions about esports under the IESF’s leadership.”

Vlad Marinescu, the President of IESF, said: “Mr. Bekdemir is a long-time trusted friend of IESF and will assume the role of the commissioner to work closely with institutions to establish a strong commitment to making an impact in the Esports education and collegiate esports scene globally.”

As well as advocating for the introduction of esports into educational curriculums, the commission will develop its own materials and courses that can be used for supporting education and learning, all aimed at empowering young people to follow a career in esports.

Esports qualifications are rapidly becoming more available across the world. In the UK, students can now obtain BTECs, Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in the subject.

Courses tend to focus on the business side of esports, teaching skills such as how to run esports tournaments, keeping up with changing regulations, and marketing in esports.