Shortlist Spotlight: Sport for Peace and Social Justice Award
As we move closer to the Beyond Sport Global Awards we continue to profile those entries that have made it to the Official Shortlist. There are many examples of sport being used for promoting peace and social justice. The Christmas Day Truce of the Second World War, Muhammad Ali using his stature as an athlete to draw attention to civil rights, and the Olympic Refugee Team in Rio are all great examples.
Sustainable Development Goal 16 promotes peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. The projects shortlisted for the Sport for Peace and Social Justice Award are:
Football for Peace and Reconciliation – streetfootballworld, Colombia
One of the major challenges in Colombia facing its post-conflict period is creating sustainable peace and reconciliation. Former Rebels, Demobilized population and Victims from a 50 year conflict have come together for the first time, in a ground-breaking project that provides support for psycho-emotional reconciliation and mutual understanding through the power of football. Using sport as an excuse to unite people that wouldn’t be together otherwise, the project has allowed participants to become changemakers by forgiving their own history and re-signifying their role in the country, using football as a tool to build peaceful territories, and lead by example.
Honor Award – Value Sports, Israel
Violence and racism are substantial threats to the Israeli society, reflecting also in football. The "Honor Award" program is integrating a social-educational change model, impacting football clubs and measuring the change. The program aims to take away the emphasis placed on winning, and focus more on the opportunities of sport to empower communities and bring them closer together. Using football as a uniting platform, the program can implement a measurable standard to encourage tolerance, acceptance, non- violent and non-racist behaviour in football clubs. Value Sports was chosen to lead this program, implemented in top league teams as well as 40 football clubs working with children and youth across Israel.
Mi Vida es un Diamante - MVD (My Life is a Diamond) - Grupo Internacional de Paz, Colombia
Over a half century of armed conflict has had far reaching and damaging effects on Colombian society, especially in territories with a lack of institutions and high levels of social exclusion. Moreover, children and young people from these territories have been one of the main targets of illegal recruitment by military groups. MVD reaches children and youth, without distinction of gender, creed, race or economic status; giving priority to the most vulnerable to armed conflict. The program uses sport and localised coaching to break intergenerational cycles of violence, and also enrich community integration and position new ways of leadership.
Playing for Peace: Stopping the Violence and Bridging the Gang Divide on the Streets of Chicago - New Life Centers of Chicagoland, USA
Summer Softball began as a response to the rampant violence that has plagued Little Village, a community on Chicago's Southwest side. The program seeks to bring peace, hope, and reconciliation between rival gangs and curb the epidemic of violence. Little Village has over 2,000 active gang members, the highest rates of youth homicide in the city, and high rates of childhood obesity. The program intentionally targets youth that are gang involved. Many teams have gang leaders as coaches as it is important to have them involved in the process of peace building. New Life Centers provide safe space, community, hope, and opportunity to those most likely to be victims and perpetrators of violence.