MAIDANMAGAZINE VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 2 | 26 NOVEMBER 2012
PLAYING FOR GOOD A Sport for Development Platform
CONTENTS | PLAYINGFORGOOD 1 EDITORIAL
U.K. SPORT 2
2012 Olympic Values – International Inspiration as a Force for Transformation
4 MJP FOUNDATION
Sport or Play: Let's Show Them the Way: Stephan Bogna
6 INVESTING IN COACHES
A Key Accelerator to Successful Gender Inclusion: Maria Bobenrieth
9 A Legacy beyond London Can the Games Inspire India's girls: Alison Bukhari
10 CHILDREN OF THE DAWN
My Future, My Responsibility
12 COACHES ACROSS CONTINENTS Voices from the Field of Sport for Development: Marisa Brown
GRASSROOT SOCCER 14
Grassroot Soccer's Skillz Street Changes the Game for Girls in South Africa: Elise Braunschweig
KICK FOR LIFE 16 Football Club 3.0
20 STREET FOOTBALL WORLD / SALT ACADEMY SALT – Changing Lives through Football
STREET LEAGUE- LONDON 22
Street League – Football and Change
24 RIO TINTO
Magic Bus in Keonjhar – Fostering Future Leaders
26 SAMARTHANAM Samarthanam and Sports for the Differently-abled: Arundhati Venkatesh
SKILL SHARE INTERNATIONAL 28 Using Sports as a Medium to Empower Youth
PARIVARTAN 30
Engaging Coaches and Athletes in Fostering Gender Equity
33 NETBALL DEVELOPMENT TRUST
How to Make a Difference through Netball!
34
Interview: A Question of Cooperation
CREDITS | VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 2 | 26 NOV 2012 PUBLISHER Matthew Spacie
EDITORIAL BOARD Vivek Ramchandani Rekha Dey Bidisha Fouzdar
DESIGN& LAYOUT Jenny Poser
6
photo courtesy: Jenny Poser
EDITORIAL
Vivek Ramchandani
Once again, we have figured in the international medals tally, and so, Indian sporting aspirations continue to grow. We are positively on course to become a serious contender at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. But we can only hope to leverage the potential athletic power of 550 million youth to throw up champions and contend effectively on the global stage if they can all access organised sport – facilities, equipment, coaching. To achieve the goal of sport for all requires massive investment and human resources – a great big push – the commitment to create the sports infrastructure for millions to access quality sport. PYKKA, as envisioned was a step in the right direction, but the model has not been entirely successful and needs to evolve. This calls for partnership between civil society, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Human Resources Development. It also needs commitment from caregivers – from parents and teachers who recognise regular physical activity as an essential educational component and insist that their children participate regularly. It needs child-sensitive coaches, who can not only plan systematic, age appropriate and inclusive field games, but also make them fun so children want to come back again and again. Sounds like a pipe dream, doesn't it? This is where the Sport for Development community can help – by developing, piloting and validating cost-efficient models and equally important, by communicating the results widely amongst peers and policy makers we can influence policy. It is not enough to simply deliver our respective projects on the ground. However much good we do, each project is a drop in the ocean and we must strive to ensure a ripple effect that spreads the intervention in the immediate neighbourhood.
It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to define good practice as we go along – through effective monitoring and evaluation; by documenting tried and tested child protection, gender equity and inclusion systems; by plugging into practitioner networks, broadcasting information, building partnerships, sharing resources and actively communicating. The Maidan platform was conceived for precisely this reason – to tell development stories, share project successes, interact with other practitioners, collaboratively develop resources – but also to build a strong case for sport as a powerful tool for personal empowerment and social development. The 'Maidan' website is poised to become a permanent, independent and sustainable online Indian sport-fordevelopment resource accessible to all. Make sure you sign up. The Maidan Summit is the only such forum for the Indian sport for development community to connect, share productive dialogue, innovation and insights from India and around the world. The Maidan Magazine finds its readership amongst those who are passionate about sport and we expect it to evoke increasing interest in the power of sport as a tool for human development and change. The bottom line is that the success of the Maidan concept is entirely dependent on your active participation and on your contribution. We invite you to engage regularly with the Maidan Secretariat to share your needs, seek information, access resources and help us shape the future of sport-fordevelopment in India. Email: vramchandani@gmail.com
2 | MAIDANMAGAZINE Olympic bids always come laden with commitments. When London 2012 pledged to bring the spirit of the Games to children worldwide, it delivered a legacy framework for future hosts of Olympic Games to emulate and build on. International Inspiration, designed and implemented by UK Sport, UNICEF and the British Council, has built and supported the capacity of the world's most valuable resource – its young people. This international sporting legacy of the London 2012 Games has channeled the power of sport into high quality and inclusive development activities across the world, especially into capacity building, because ultimately it is people – whether in schools, on the field or in government – that bring change. Since de Coubertin created the modern Games, the Olympics has had a proud history of bringing change – be it socially, as a platform to promote values and enhance culture and education; or physically, through the impact of transformative city infrastructure projects. At the historic London Olympic Truce signing, Ban Ki Moon referenced International Inspiration as a framework for the International Olympic Committee to consider for future Games. With this, Sport for Development had firmly earned – for the first time – its right to be part of the Olympics story.
crowned in front of millions as Uganda's first gold medalist in over 40 years. Just days after becoming one of Uganda's most successful sports stars, Kiprotich became a proud Ambassador for International Inspiration in his country. He is reinforced by an army of Young Sport Leaders (YSL) who are motivated to ensure the legacy of the Olympics has a place in Uganda's history. Uganda is now in its second year of the International Inspiration programme. Children in secondary schools are being trained as YSLs to help support teachers to deliver sports activities in primary schools and in their communities, from the urban slums of Kampala to the pasturelands of remote Karamoja. The influence of young people is limitless. YSL Kai Solomon, a disabled learner himself, who spends time working to remove the stigma attached to disability sport in his community, says, “The International Inspiration Club gives me courage to show what I've got”. In Egypt, the 20th and final country to join the programme, the first female coach in her community, Sara, wants all girls to find out about the power of sport. After the YSL training, she gets great personal satisfaction from joining with her friends to plan sports activities for marginalised groups in her community.
One outstanding individual who earned his place on the podium is marathon winner Stephen Kiprotich, who, during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, was
UKSPORT
2012 Olympic Values International Inspiration as a Force for Transformation
3 | MAIDANMAGAZINE “Working with orphans inspired the YSLs. The young leaders were very happy to take part in this as their first project”, she says, after her first successful sports festival for children in need of care and protection in her community. International Inspiration is feeding the grassroots and also signing Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) with governments to ensure the sustainability of the activities. In Azerbaijan, an MoU was the catalyst for the formation of Sport for Development – a local NGO supported by the Azerbaijan Paralympic Committee – which is now the first organisation to bring together disabled learners and elite athletes to promote inclusive sport.
As we all look towards the celebrations in Rio for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the seeds of change have been planted in Brazil too. The education secretariat in the Pernambuco State is currently rolling out YSL trainings with the aim of enabling 67,000 students in 1,200 schools to support extra-curricular activity. Global reaction to the London 2012 Games is something special that we have now had time to evaluate. The lessons we, as International Inspiration partners, have learned from London 2012 provide a template for host nations and Sport for Development organisations to build on when planning sustainable impact and change through sport.
Of course, many organisations in India and around the world, including Magic Bus, the Isha Foundation and the Special Olympics Bharat, have been doing similar work for many years now. But the Olympic Games are a powerful catalyst, and International Inspiration has taken Sport for Development to an unprecedented scale. The global recognition of International Inspiration allied with initiatives such as the increasingly influential Maidan movement in India can ensure that opportunities for young people through sport are able to flourish, and that knowledge sharing will continue to foster vital connections and new growth in the future. For more information, please contact:
Pictures © UK Sport
UK Sport Email: debbie.lye@uksport.gov.uk Website: www.uksport.gov.uk/international Twitter: www.twitter.com/uk_sport Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/OfficialUKSport
10 | PLAYINGFORGOOD
Sports Let’s Show Them the Way or Play
TION A D N U O F P J M Stephan Bognar What would it take to get village kids outdoors on a hot and humid day in Cambodia? A ball! Without having to compete against the video games or the virtual world that kids in most developed economies are connected to for 4 to 8 hours a day, most Cambodians still love the outdoors and achieve the best possible results with minimal equipment or uniforms – including running shoes. I’m not sure how many kids in Montreal, Toronto, New York, or London have ever attempted to kick a (hard-as-stone) soccer ball clear across the field barefoot and then run on a rocky surface and continue the game for another hour, smiling and sweating all the time. I think parents would have filed a class-action lawsuit against the coaches if ever their sons or daughters are subjected to such natural conditions. But this is life in Cambodia and for many other villages which I’ve seen firsthand from Ethiopia to Afghanistan to the rural areas and slums in India.
I can still remember my first race in my elementary school in Canada: the excitement and the nervousness as we waited for the coach to blow the whistle to test our strength, speed and endurance. From that moment onwards, sports was going to be part of my life both personally and professionally. But as a child, I only knew how sports or outdoor play made me feel and not how it was secretly playing a key role in maintaining my health and mental well-being. Today, however, I (and we, including the global mother ship – the United Nations) do know. Public health experts and doctors continue to bombard us with study after study that physical activities, which include walks in the parks (or green spaces), are essential for human well-being. One of the latest studies published this summer (2012) in the Lancet medical journal clearly tells us that the world is not only abandoning exercise, but that the lack of exercise is tied to global killers such as, heart disease and diabetes. But are we listening? I don’t think so.
5 | MAIDANMAGAZINE I don’t even think the power of the London Olympic Games or the Paralympics Games will succeed in demonstrating to governments or corporate/business leaders that human health and physical activities are linked and needed to sustain our global economy, even if businesses and governments are investing millions to finance the Games. Why? Because I still see more shopping malls and parking lots than parks or green spaces where both young and old can engage in physical activities. Even in places like Cambodia and rural India, I’ve seen businesses bulldoze the last remaining green space which kids use to kick the ball and forget their economic reality – their poverty. Sometimes, the destruction of these green spaces in the developing world also means the destruction of the village’s water supply. I can’t understand how businesses continue to forget that our industrialised economy needs healthy people and a healthy ecosystem (not the one on the ipad) to operate. As the CEO of a foundation, I always strive to be a good role model for my employees and the impoverished villages where we work. Staying healthy is part of my agenda, and not an add-on. It is a key component. In 2007, I helped our local teams design and launch our Healthy Bodies-Healthy Minds programme to get village boys and girls to engage in sports or active play. I wanted to create a movement that would inspire villagers – young and old – to be the best ‘Olympian’ they can be so they can live longer and healthier. I also wanted to show the kids (and their parents) that sports can help build confidence, leadership, a sense of community and camaraderie. It can create new friendships and help repair damaged relations, especially in postconflict settings or troubled spots.
Since launching our active play programme in 2007, I’ve come to realise that foundations, charities, businesses and governments (including ministries of education) around the world need to do a lot more to help support physical activities in all communities and provide a natural environment where the people can do it. It’s quite clear that there is an increasing disconnect between human health, physical activities and natural environments. Our current approaches – from media campaigns to community development, health care and environmental management – are fragmented and lack cohesion. Of course, there are many public health and environmental organisations across the world undertaking projects that have a positive impact in specific sectors, but often the outcomes are one-dimensional. We need a multi-sectoral, inter-agency framework that brings health-care, environmental, education practitioners and city planners together in the design and delivery of programmes that link human health, physical activities and green spaces for healthy human development. But to start, we need a transformational project that changes the way we think about exercise, physical environments and health. And to change the way we think, our actions must be stronger than words. We have to show our kids and our communities how to do it. Let’s work towards creating an effective, preventative model which embraces physical exercise and well-being and guarantees the fundamental right to a clean and accessible physical environment for all populations in both affluent and developing countries. For more information, please contact: MJP Foundation Email: bognar@mjpasia.org Website: www.mjpasia.org/
Pictures © MJP Foundation
INVESTINGINCOACHES A Key Accelerator to Successful Gender Inclusion
Maria Bobenrieth
7 | MAIDANMAGAZINE What is a 'good' coach in Sport for Development? Is it someone who can demonstrate how to bend a cross like Beckham? It is that patient teacher who seems to command the attention of the youth they serve like a magnet? Or is he/she that respectable young, role model who perfectly embodies all the life skills we hope to teach the participants? Ultimately, it is a talented and committed individual who has a burning passion for both sport and developing young learners. Perhaps the most meaningful standard by which a coach's competency (and ultimate success) can be measured is in relation to the goals of the programme in which they operate. If sporting excellence is your main purpose, the quality of your coaches depends on their ability to build good players and teams – through techniques, tactics, and game strategies – to win games and championships. If the goals of your programmes are to equip children with life skills, you must build those capacities in the coaching staff. Being a 'good' coach means more than just facilitating a sport session; it means having specific knowledge, facilitation competencies and providing a panorama of support to the participants – often from situations with a multitude of challenges and vulnerabilities. Coaches need to be adequately prepared to deal with the sensitive and complex issues that affect the daily lives of their charges. Increasingly, key programmatic goals in Sport for Development include equipping girls with the tools to realise their potential. So, what makes a good coach of a girl in Sport for Development programmes? Is this reflected in the competencies we invest and build in coaches? How are we preparing and investing in coaches to handle the specific emotional, social and developmental needs of girls? At Women Win, we propose that by undertaking a genderblind approach to developing coaches, we may be missing a golden opportunity to positively impact the lives of the girls in sport or development programmes. The Girl-Centric Coach Both girls and boys need coaches who lead by example and can effectively teach on and off-field skills, manage group dynamics proactively, handle injuries, plan training sessions, utilise positive motivation techniques and so on. International governing bodies define eight categories of sport coaching quality , which include: Ÿ Philosophy and ethics Ÿ Safety and injury prevention Ÿ Physical conditioning Ÿ Growth and development Ÿ Teaching and communication Ÿ Sport skills and tactics Ÿ Organisation and administration Ÿ Evaluation
However, coaching girls to be empowered requires an additional set of skills and experience. Girls, on the whole, have different barriers and incentives for their sport participation compared to their male counterparts. To capture the conversation of what exactly girls need, it is helpful to look at those same categories of coaching through a 'gender lens.' For example, when considering safety, every coach needs to address protective equipment, a playing field that is free from physical danger, etc. But safety, for the girl participant, could also mean providing a safe emotional and physical space for girls to play sport freely in accordance with cultural and traditional community norms; taking into consideration harassment or abuse in public while traveling to and from sessions, or providing separate or private toilets and washing facilities where girls can change their clothes and wash up after training. It is more complicated and needs a different approach by coaches. At Magic Bus, an equal numbers of boys and girls play in mixed-gender teams, with one male and one female coach. However, coach Priti Raskar acknowledges that, “For girls, we have to offer support differently. They don't get permission for playing as they grow.” When it comes to growth and development, a good coach considers providing athletes with leadership opportunities. An effective coach of a girl recognises that although girls have the same leadership potential as their male counterparts, they aren't often recognised and cultivated in society. Girls might need more encouragement for their selfesteem and a deeper reinforcement through constant mentoring and role modeling, whereas their brothers can likely find those opportunities in their community, household, etc. According to Pooja Rawat, a senior coach of the Goal Programme at the Naz Foundation, “In a mixed group, girls will not voluntarily come forward to demonstrate and feel shy to perform in front of boys. They are very sensitive and emotional about various issues in comparison to boys. They tend to get disappointed after losing a match; a coach has to be like an elder sister to keep them motivated.” Investing in Female Coaches One of the main challenges for girls development through sport is that there are far too few trained female coaches. In most cultural contexts, women have been denied access to sport, and as such, don't collectively have the experience or skill to form a deep pool of female coaches. First and foremost, we need to recruit, equip and retain more female coaches in our sport programmes. When trained and given access to the game, an effective female coach can be an incredibly powerful force in the lives of both girls and boys – as they can see themselves and their potential in a living role model before them.
As for the value of women coaching girls, there is an innate understanding of the female sport experience. Often girls may not feel comfortable talking to a male coach about sensitive issues and stressors to their participation (such as menstruation, harassment, family pressure). However, we should not assume that because a coach is female, she will be able to deal with the multitude of sensitive issues that affect girls' lives. Gender-based issues related to sexual health, abuse, or class may be difficult for any coach to address. For this reason, coaches need specific training in sensitive issues and where to go for help when/if a coach feels overwhelmed or underprepared to address these issues. Lastly, because women coaches have often had a late entrée to sport, they may need greater opportunities for tactical and technical training than their male counterparts. Whereas many boys grow up playing cricket or football at every free moment, thereby developing these skills, girls have often had less access to playing opportunities, feedback from qualified coaches, etc. Investing in the female coach means making sure she has equal opportunities to build technical and tactical coaching skills. Properly Equipping Male Coaches Historically, sport has been a masculine domain, therefore most coaches of both girls and boys programmes are male. Male coaches may not be aware of the unique difficulties and challenges girls face growing up in India and many other areas of the world. In working with male coaches, the key investment an organisation can make is ensuring that coaches a) bring an ethic of equality and girls' empowerment to their work, b) are trained in the specific needs of girls and perhaps most importantly c) live these values in their communities. The Parivartan programme, a gender-based cricket intervention in Mumbai, supported by the International Center on Research for Women, is setting an example of how to use innovative methods to teach boys and men about gender equality.
Coaches who have participated in the Parivartan training programme “become more supportive of equality between men and women.” According to Marisa Brown, a leader at Coaches Across Continents who has worked with Slum Soccer in India, “It is very important as a coach to understand the pressures that the girls are facing in their communities from friends, family and society overall.” Key training for male coaches can include positively addressing health and hygiene, putting girls in positions of leadership, addressing social tendencies of girls, such as cliques and understanding how girls' participation is impacted by social factors, such as stigma, body image, pressure to be feminine, and potentially even marriageability and virginity. Most importantly, it is crucial for male coaches to understand appropriate physical and emotional boundaries in working with young girls and to agree to specific codes of conduct for what is and is not acceptable behaviour. When it comes to including and serving girls, “The most important element in preparing coaches is to ensure that they understand their role, not just as a coach, but also a role model and teacher of life skills. Give coaches the tools and help them to gain confidence in their ability to play that important role,” says Marisa. After all, our programmes are only as strong as the coaches who deliver them.
For more information, please contact: Women Win Email: maria.bobenrieth@gmail.com Website: www.womenwin.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/WomenWin Pictures © Women Win
9 | MAIDANMAGAZINE
Alison Bukhari
A Legacy beyond London: Can the Games Inspire India's girls?
As London launches into its post mortem of the Olympics and Paralympics and the legacy question rears its head, I have been hearing stories from further afield that tell of the Games' influence in remote villages of India. At first one might question the influence of the Games on a country of 1.1 billion who won only six medals and sent an all-male team of ten to the Paralympics. In conversation with a philanthropist this week, she said it was a bit of an eyeopener for her that India has such a poor representation. I am afraid this was not a surprise for me, as disability is still such a neglected area for policy, funding and development, and it was equally not a surprise for me at all that there were no female Paralympians. To be female and have a disability in India compounds your alienation and discrimination. Indeed, since 1968, when India first competed in the Paralympics, not one woman has been selected. This is not for want of exceptional athletes; take Deepa Malik, for example, who was inexplicably excluded from the team. A legacy of the Games that I am hoping to see and excited to start to hear about is being borne out in remote villages of India, where girls are hailing the two medals in badminton and boxing as aspirational. The founder of CREA (an NGO working on the sexual and reproductive health rights of women, among other things) who I spoke to last week, said she has already heard from girls on their programme, inspired by what they have seen beamed across the world. Organisations like CREA and Magic Bus (the forerunner in India) and programmes like GOAL are using sport as a powerful medium or platform to empower girls, tackling issues such as preference for sons, child marriage, sexual and reproductive health and community engagement. Ever since the International Year of Sport and Physical Education, initiated by the UN in 2005, the role that sport plays in peace and development has become more visible. When I first worked with Magic Bus in the early 2000s, funding was a struggle, and many will of course argue that it still is. However, as the evidence base has been created, funders have increased their participation – obvious suspects like FIFA, Nike and the Premier League have backed Sport for Development programmes, and some of the more traditional agencies such as Comic Relief have also funded projects using sport. Governments have been the longest standing and most vocal advocates for Sport for Development with UK Sport, the Dutch and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) – all big players.
Indeed, it is the ASC that is supporting Dasra's next advisory research report, which will take a different approach to our usual problem-solving framework, and instead will look at the intervention of sport and analyse its usage across a wide range of development challenges. This will create a piece of work that we all hope will bring the innovation and power of Sport in Development to the attention of funders and practitioners both in India and internationally. I worked for eight years for Magic Bus and witnessed first hand how successful sport is as a tool, a platform, and a catalyst for change in women, children and men. One of the critical problems in social development is how hard it is to change deeply engrained cultural norms and socially backward behaviours – behaviours that see girls married before their teens, norms that refuse to see girls educated, deep-seated views that disability is a curse and the result of an evil spirit, open defecation habits that cannot be changed just by building a toilet. BCC or 'behaviour change communications' is a development strategy that we are increasingly seeing as critical if the outcomes of programmes are to be sustainable and for the successful uptake of critical services – whether they be delivered for free or at low cost. Sport is a mechanism for delivering revolutionary behaviour change messages to community leaders, parents and girls and boys themselves, whether they be about the equal standing of boys and girls in families, the right and need of girls to go to school, or an understanding of girls about their bodies that leads to clear messaging about choice and bodily autonomy. When Dasra wrote its last report Owning her Future on adolescent girls' empowerment, we were not all that surprised to see three of the nine shortlisted organisations using sport to bring about important changes in the communities they were working with. While the arguments rumble on about the legacy, we are hoping that CREA's confidence in recent Indian female Olympic heroes to inspire a generation of girls in India will ring true and that the legacy will be felt globally – perhaps furthered by the analysis and research we can bring to the table. Alison Bukhari is director of investor relations at Dasra. For more information, please contact: Dasra Email: alison@dasra.org Website: www.dasra.org
10 | MAIDANMAGAZINE For more information, please contact: Children of the Dawn Email: magali@childrenofthedawn Web: www.childrenofthedawn.org.za Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/childreno fthdawn
My Future, My Responsibility a CHILDREN OF THE DAWN Programme
EXTREME SPORTS CAMPS: “Breaking through to a New ME!”
CHILDRENOFTHEDAWN
11 | MAIDANMAGAZINE According to the 2009 South African General Household Survey, South Africa counts some 4 300 000 orphans (0-17) (children who have lost either parent or both). In response to this crisis, Children of the Dawn aims at building up rural orphaned and vulnerable children into healthy, balanced and responsive adults who are able to make positive life choices. Children of the Dawn (COTD) currently cares for some 810 rural orphaned and vulnerable children across 8 communities in South Africa. COTD is a continuous support programme, meaning that once a child if registered with us, we will continue to support him/her as long as he/she carries on with schooling. As a consequence, the many of COTD beneficiaries are growing up and reaching ‚troublesome teenage years. COTD has developed a programme tailor-made for teenagers 14 years or older, which gives them educational, moral and vocational guidance on a regular basis. The programme is called My Future My Responsibility started in January 2010. In 2011, COTD embarked on a module named Extreme Sports Camps, developed to provide high quality extreme sports camps for all our teenage beneficiaries. The aim of the extreme sports camps programme was to help COTD teenagers set new boundaries for themselves and to go beyond their self-imposed limits. We also sought to help them improve their self-esteem and outlook on life, which in turn would influence their attitude and performance at school and within their community.
Eight sports camps were organised during 2011-2012 with participation from 7 of our communities namely Mathabatha, Mangweni, Mpumaze, Ermelo, Lenyenye, Qwaqwa and Bushbuckridge. The final sports camp was a Prize camp held for the best participant in each area. Of our 264 registered teens, we reached 218 teens (84%). The programme started with a family meeting, and was followed by a preparation workshop at our care centre. We prepare the teens on what they will do at the camp. They were asked to fill a self-assessment questionnaire (grading their social skills and levels of self-esteem), and identify a life obstacle, pinpointing one of the facts/feelings/emotions holding them back in life. We also collected their latest school reports. Then, the teenagers attend a 2 day-camp where they are asked to keep in mind their major life obstacle. Each performed 2 activities in the extreme sports range for eg. bungee jumping, abseiling, rock climbing, tubing or hiking. The purpose was to show them that they can overcome fear in their life. We also show them that persistence is key to one's development. At the camp, we also have an interactive workshop facilitated by a professional where we reflect on the themes of fear and pushing through. Two weeks after the camp, we had a debriefing workshop with the teens where they repeated their self-assessment, and wrote a progress plan on their life obstacle. 3 to 4 months later, we ran a last workshop with the teens where the teens again repeated their self-assessment, and wrote an update on the status of their life obstacle. Once again we analysed their school
Through our thorough evaluation processes, 3 interesting conclusions were reached: 1) The extreme sports camps programme did have a deep and lasting impact on the level of self-esteem and self-worth displayed by participants. 2) The extreme sports camp programme did enable many beneficiaries to tackle a serious life obstacle and find the inner resources to overcome it. 3) The extreme sports camps programme did not seem to have a direct impact on the quality of school results displayed by participants.
COTD views the innovative extreme sport camp programme as a successful tool in promoting social change and empowering vulnerable youth. We would not hesitate to use this programme again and would recommend it to other organisations wishing to achieve similar results. Pictures Š Children of the Dawn
C OACH ES ACRO SS CONT INENT S
Voi ces from the Field of Sport Marisa Brown for Develo pment Sharing the stories, case studies and experiences within Sport for Development is dependent on whether or not those in the field use their voices to express themselves, their challenges and their successes. This seemingly simple behaviour is what the Coaches Across Continents (CAC) programme prioritises in all of our partnerships. In most cases, this is no simple task. We run programmes teaching coaches, educators and leaders how to use the sport environment for development in their communities. We have a unique role in the field of sport for social development, in that we have the opportunity to travel to work with programmes from all over the world in three-year partnerships and in our reach. This means we are constantly learning what Sport for Development means on the ground and on the fields.
Organisations, academies, non-profits and clubs interested in the complete development of their youth reach out to CAC with the objectives of strengthening their coaches’ skills, learning how to incorporate life skills training with sport and finding guidance to address social issues through the sporting environment. CAC has found that strengthening the coaches’ as well as the youths’ voices is the fundamental first step in achieving social change in communities. Adaptability has been a defining quality in CAC’s work, especially with regard to the curriculum development and implementation. Working with many groups, it is impossible to have a one-size-fits-all programme, especially since social change is defined differently in each community.
13 | MAIDANMAGAZINE Our approach is that change (particularly behaviour change) through sports has to happen on the field. Youth want to be on the fields playing and our programmes see the field as the learning environment and the coach, leader or volunteer as the educator of life skills. It is not sufficient to use sport just as the hook and then have a discussion after the games are over. Rather, it is crucial to use the games to create the learning environment where children can begin to practice healthy behaviours. Our games focus not only on strengthening the voice, but also on creating environments where the participants have to solve their problems, think creatively for a solution, work and communicate with others and make healthy choices. Recently, we were approached to bring a development curriculum to life on the playing field. The curriculum was designed originally to empower female adolescents; however, it has now expanded to include everyone. After all, everyone realises that to empower women, you need to work with men too.
For more information, please contact: Coaches Across Continents Email: nickgates@coachesacrosscontinents.org Website: www.coachesacrosscontinents.org/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoachesAcrossContinents Twitter: www.twitter.com/coachesacross Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/ifc1966 Pictures Š Coaches Across Continents
The on-field curriculum covers many issues such as communication skills, financial literacy, rights and responsibilities and issues relating to health and hygiene. The original curriculum saw sport as an important tool; however, it didn’t leverage the sport environment as a learning environment. This curriculum was recently piloted in three locations; Northern Kenya with a community group working on many fronts to create sustainable change, and in Indonesia and Ghana with employees of a corporate partner. At all locations, local educators, coaches, professionals and volunteers were taught the games and the delivery of the programme. They are now teaching this to youth in their communities. Educators then had the opportunity to deliver the games to the youth under the guidance of CAC. Based on anecdotal evidence and feedback from all participants, the games were effective in introducing new skills. Although the conditions in these three locations were very distinct, the games were relevant to all and curricula that include these games are being implemented in all three communities. This has been a learning experience for all groups involved and also highlights the importance of expanding partnerships in the field of Sport for Development.
14 | MAIDANMAGAZINE Grassroot Soccer (GRS), an international HIV prevention NGO that uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire and mobilise communities to stop the spread of HIV in subSaharan Africa, has developed a groundbreaking initiative that empowers young women as community leaders in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Skillz Street is an evidence-based intervention designed for adolescent girls that combines GRS's HIV prevention curriculum with fair play soccer, sexual and reproductive health and life skills, HIV Counseling and Testing, and access to community services. Structured as a 10-session after-school soccer league for girls aged 12-16, Skillz Street aims to empower young women to avoid risky behaviour and protect themselves and others from HIV. Skillz Street was launched in the township of Khayelitsha, on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa in 2010. To date, 3,000 girls have completed the GRS Skillz Street programme throughout South Africa. The GRS model is based on Social Learning Theory, which argues that young people learn best from people they respect. GRS trains local community role models—soccer stars, teachers and peer educators—as Skillz Coaches.
They are equipped with the knowledge and facilitation skills needed to make an impact on the lives of the youth they reach. Led by Skillz Coaches, and enhanced by the unique culture developed within GRS programmes, this girlcentered initiative creates a safe space for adolescent girls to play soccer, take action in their community, and have vital conversations about making healthy decisions. Thirteen-year-old participant Thandiwe explains: “I prefer talking to my coach [about HIV] because I talk about everything with my coach. My mother would say, 'Oh now you think you are a grown-up, talking about such things.' If I talked to my parents about sex they would think I was having sex, but I just want to know.” Her sentiments are echoed by her Coach: “What I have noticed is that those topics [of reproductive health and pregnancy]—[the participants] don't discuss them at home, so when they get to Skillz Street, they ask.” One GRS Coach identified the importance of the safe space engendered within Skillz Street: “The best part is when we fetch kids from school and we bring them to [Skillz Street],
Elise Braunschweig
Grassroot Soccer's Skillz Street Changes the Game for Girls in South Africa
GRASSROOTSOCCER
15 | MAIDANMAGAZINE and we take them back home…we make it safe for them.” In a country where young women are relegated to the home because of the dangers of public space, Skillz Street challenges gender norms by creating a safe space for young women to be themselves and learn new skills—while playing the male-dominated sport of football. By partnering with the local Department of Health and HIV counseling and Testing (HCT) organisations who offer voluntary HIV testing on-site during one of the Skillz Street practices, participants have the opportunity to chose to learn their HIV status—many for the first time. Activities that teach girls about their sexual and reproductive health and rights are complemented by visits from representatives of local health services, including clinics and sexual violence service providers.
The momentum behind this initiative is growing fast, and major players in the fields of HIV prevention and women's empowerment have begun to take notice. After taking the field with Skillz Street participants in Khayelitsha in 2011, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé celebrated the programme, saying “Grassroot Soccer is restoring dignity and building self-esteem of young girls living in a challenging environment, transforming them into actors for the HIV prevention revolution.” To date, over 530,000 young people have graduated from GRS programmes. By the next World Cup in 2014, Grassroot Soccer aims to educate one million young people about HIV and inspire them to live healthier, more productive lives.
The confidence instilled in girls through Skillz Street extends beyond the soccer pitch. In Kimberley, South Africa, teachers have been surprised to note female students' increased participation and assertiveness in the classroom. “Since you guys have been doing Skillz Street, we are surprised that the kids…just want to be busy, and when [I] ask questions, they just want to answer—they just want to answer!” remarked one teacher.
For more information, please contact: Grassroot Soccer Email: info@GrassrootSoccer.org Website: www.grassrootsoccer.org/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrassrootSoccer Youtube: www.youtube.com/grassrootsoccer Pictures © Grassroot Soccer
About the author: Elise Braunschweig is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Public Health in Developing Countries at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She previously was a Project Manager at Grassroot Soccer, managing the development, implementation and evaluation of GRS's gender-focused initiatives in South Africa.
KICKFORLIFE Football Club 3.0
In the period following of the hugely successful London Olympics, football is in the spotlight like never before. In the English press and on social media, people are talking about relishing the opportunity to have a pop at the beautiful game, and there seems to be a growing consensus that things in football need to change. The most common disgruntlements surround money – high player salaries, clubs accruing massive debts, ticket prices increasing and team success dependent on a wealthy individual injecting billions of pounds. Everything else stems from here – the attitude of spoilt millionaire players, the unsustainable club business model, the pricing out of many fans and uncompetitive leagues where only a handful of teams have a chance of success. The fact that these things have not dented most people's love of the game is great. But it could be so much better. Football Club 1.0 Back in the earliest days of formalised football in the late 19th Century, clubs were established for one main reason – the joy of playing. Today millions of people still take part for the pure pleasure in amateur teams and clubs.
Football Club 2.0 As football quickly became enormously popular, its commercial potential emerged, and so running a club evolved from an amateur pursuit to a fully-fledged professional business opportunity. Today, with football as a global entertainment industry, the primary purpose of most top clubs is to make money for the owners – success on the pitch is a pleasant outcome in the pursuit of this financial goal. Of course, there is nothing legally wrong with someone buying and running a football club purely for profit, but it does seem to be the root of many of the game's problems. Is it possible then to create a new model for a football club where profit isn't the only bottom line, instead where a sound business model, success on the pitch and a wider social role all carry equal weight? There are some changes starting to happen that indicate this could one day be possible. In Germany, clubs are being run in a much more financially sustainable way and the fan experience is more highly valued.
17 | MAIDANMAGAZINE This is perhaps not just a better way of doing business, but a healthier all-round model as well. And in terms of their social role, clubs in the UK do seem to be taking this more seriously, moving away from the old community schemes to a more genuine approach to social development. Football Club 3.0 At Kick4Life, we are trying to do something even more radical. We are a charity based in Lesotho, southern Africa, which uses the local popularity of football to deliver a health and education programme to orphans and vulnerable children. Since 2005, we have worked with thousands of young people, and have benefited from the support of FIFA, USAID, UNICEF, Fabio Capello, David Beckham, Prince Harry, and many others. Our focus is on helping to change lives, but over the years we have also worked with many talented young footballers. A few years ago this led to the creation of Kick4Life FC – a football team which now competes in the second tier of the national league structure. The team consists of former and current participants, and as well as playing for the team, they all support Kick4Life's work as volunteers and community role models.
For more information, please contact: Kick for Life Email: pete@kick4life.com Website: www.kick4life.org/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/kick4life Twitter: twitter.com/kick4life Pictures © Kick for Life
The team is not yet an income generator, but we are working towards this, with plans for merchandising, to charge entrance fees to matches and to sell sponsorship around the pitch at our centre. Eventually we hope Kick4Life FC will become a viable enterprise, with one unique characteristic – 100% of profits will be pumped back into the charity's ongoing work transforming lives through sport. If you'd like to follow Kick4Life FC's progress this season as they challenge for a place in the Lesotho Premier League, and keep up-to-date with our wider activities, follow us on Facebook.
20 | MAIDANMAGAZINE
STREETFOOTBALLWORLD For more information, please contact:
SALT-
es Lives Ch gingg Liv angin Chan all otball Footb thr gh Fo ough throu
SALT Website: http://saltacademy.net/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/S ALT-AcademyCambodia/167618326620867 Twitter: http://twitter.com/saltcambodia Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SALT Academy
Salt: Testimonials from trainees C-License Coaching Course in China, June 2012 When I went to China for the C-License Coaching Course, I felt very excited. I was going to China for the first time; I didn't know what to expect. Fortunately I was not alone! My teammate Niphea and me went together. The resort in Nanjin where we stayed was beautiful. There were a lot of mountains around it and we were lucky to stay there. In class, I was one of the youngest. This made me feel a bit unsure. Besides, the teaching languages were English and Chinese. As my English is not very good and I don't speak Chinese at all, I was really worried. Nevertheless, I tried to concentrate on what the teacher and the other participants said and I now feel very proud of myself because I managed it. Everyone shared his or her experience and we worked hard both in the class and at the field. My teacher was so nice because she encouraged Niphea and me each time we didn't know how to do. I like her a lot! Anyway all of the other people in the Coaching Course were nice and I hope to see them again! - Phally, 18 years old
Pictures Š Street Football World
10 | MAIDANMAGAZINE
In Cambodia’s Battambang province, young people are faced with challenges such as poverty, a lack of education and poor employment opportunities. These factors make them vulnerable to risky behaviour, such as drug abuse, gang membership and working in unsafe conditions. Through the power of football, streetfootballworld network member SALT Academy is engaging young girls and boys in community activities, teaching them important life skills and empowering them to make positive life choices. Founded in 2006, Sports and Leadership Training Academy (SALT) provides education and support for 2,000 young Cambodians through a community-based football league. In a region with a high incidence of human trafficking, SALT launched the Mighty Girls programme to specifically support girls in their education and personal development. Broadening horizons, improving confidence The Summer School is an important part of the Mighty Girls programme, providing at-risk girls with a two month curriculum of football training, art classes, swimming lessons as well as catch-up sessions in subjects like English, Khmer and science. In her role as programme manager for SALT, Shannon Hiller has witnessed firsthand the effect which football can have on people’s lives: “The girls train, play, or have tactical sessions every day to improve their confidence and skill on the field. Participants can also attend workplace visits, broadening their horizons and inspiring them for the future.” Dany’s story In many cases, the Summer School has transformed the lives of the participants. “Dany, one of the girls who attended for the first time this year, was at risk of dropping out of school, she was often nervous and unsure of herself,” recalls Shannon. “But during the season she started to show her passion and dedication to football – coming to extra practices, helping out the coach of the younger team and cheering on her friends.”
“When Dany was invited to join the Summer School, her face lit up. Now, after finding her calling on the field (as a goalkeeper!) and joining in all the group activities, she has grown in confidence and isn't shy to be herself. She has even been selected as part of a second team going to the National Women's Championships later this month.” The UNITED fundraising challenge Success stories like Dany’s demonstrate the positive effect that organisations such as SALT can achieve. However, they are often limited in their reach by a lack of funding – meaning that many young people miss out on the opportunity to participate in activities. In order to extend the scope of the Summer School to include even more girls, SALT took part in the UNITED fundraising challenge – an online donation platform initiated by streetfootballworld to support organisations working in the field of Development through Football. SALT eventually won the fundraising challenge, raising a total of €6,540. UNITED not only helped SALT access funds – it also increased awareness of its projects throughout the world. Shannon explains: “Since online donations can be difficult to Cambodia, UNITED really helps us connect to donors all over the world. Moreover, the fundraising challenge gave us a great way to mobilise our supporters to reach out to their own networks and spread the word - not just about giving money but also about our projects like the Summer School.” Shannon is keen to emphasise the direct impact which the funds raised through UNITED had in reaching more at-risk girls: “We were initially worried we wouldn't have enough funds to cover the underlying costs - like daily transportation - which increase a lot if you invite just a few more kids. Thanks to UNITED and other generous donors, we could accept a lot more girls who were border-line risk and ended up with over 50 girls attending the programme!”
10 | PLAYINGFORGOOD
STREETLEAGUELONDON
Street League –
Football and Change
One million young people are out of work in the UK. It's the single most damning statistic for the future prosperity of the country. Sustainable and effective solutions are needed, fast.
The programme, managed by a football coach and a youth worker in each location, delivers a two-hour education session every morning Monday to Thursday, and two hours of football each afternoon.
In Street League, there is one. Founded in 2001 as a charity for unemployed and homeless people, it has been revolutionised over the past two years with the appointment of new CEO Matt Stevenson-Dodd, a former youth worker, MBA graduate and Government Social Enterprise Ambassador.
In the classroom, participants acquire key employability skills, undergo CV-writing sessions and mock interviews run by volunteers from supporting corporate partners. They can earn five nationally-recognised qualifications, including the Community Sports Leadership Award (CSLA).
Street League uses the power of football to engage with 'NEETs' (Not in Education, Employment or Training), and get them onto an eight-week 'Academy' programme run four times a year in 15 locations across five cities in the UK. But the charity has huge ambitions to tackle youth unemployment across the UK. From the five cities they currently work in – London, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh – Street League want to be in 12 cities by 2014
Then there are the soft skills training, which the participants can take for granted. The programme teaches disengaged, disillusioned young people to get out of bed early, smile, maintain eye contact. It teaches the importance of being presentable and on time. It inspires them to be proactive in the search for employment, how to deal with disappointment and manage their frustration. Most importantly, it treats them like adults.
23 | MAIDANMAGAZINE Street League's motto is to 'Change Lives Through Football', and its track record shows that it does exactly that with three out of every four Academy graduates getting a job, or going back into education and training. Perry Bernard, a 24-year-old from London, won a work placement at social gaming company We R Interactive, after their CEO David Rose heard him speak at a Street League Academy graduation. He subsequently earned a full-time contract. Perry said: “Street League gave me the platform to express myself but in the right environment. The coaches brought out qualities I didn't know I had, and my experience shows you never know who is watching you.” David Rose added: “Perry is proof that we have a huge pool of untapped talent in this country and, with the right support, opportunities can be created. Culturally, we have to believe that anything is attainable.” Street League has been an official charity partner of The Football Association since 2010, and was the official volunteering partner of No. 10, Downing Street in 2011. The charity is supported by a mix of private and public sector funding. It relies on trusts, grants and donations, and works closely with local businesses and supporting partners in each of its cities. Stevenson-Dodd said: “Every new Street League participant can quickly see tangible evidence of the rewards on offer if they follow our programme. That's why they feel energised
by the opportunity and inspired to change their situation for the better. “Ultimately it is they who achieve an outcome. Street League merely gives them the opportunity for change.”
For more information, please contact: Street League Website: www.streetleague.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/stleague?sk=wall Twitter: www.twitter.com/street_league LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2738202&trk=m yg_ugrp_ovr Pictures © Streetleague
24 | MAIDANMAGAZINE Rio Tinto and Magic Bus are working together to support the development of children and young people in the Keonjhar district of Odisha, focusing on sports-aligned activities. Six months ago, Rio Tinto commenced a three year sponsorship for the implementation of a local programme run by Magic Bus. Volunteer young community-based sports coaches (Magic Bus calls them Community Youth Leaders) are sought and selected to run activities for fellow young people in their area. They are trained and supported by a small group of youth mentors from Magic Bus. Jeremy Van de Bund, Rio Tinto's Communities Manager, says, “A great aspect of this programme is that these young people are from the local villages and by volunteering as coaches and helping fellow youth, they are at the same time developing their own capacity to be the future leaders. Magic Bus has taken the programme on with incredible enthusiasm. After just six months, the programme is considered a great success – with over 1200 children involved on a regular weekly basis.” The Keonjhar district of Odisha was chosen for the programme due to its close proximity to Rio Tinto's areas of interest. Pratik Kumar of Magic Bus says, “It was a more remote area than Magic Bus had previously worked in.” Rio Tinto was looking for a development programme that would connect with the population in the villages neighbouring the company's project. We needed to focus on
health, water capture and storage, livelihood development, and early childhood care. We believed a programme that connected with the children and youth of the area was necessary to have a lasting impact on capacity building, through enabling educational outcomes. Rio Tinto expects iron ore production to commence in a few years and the mine will remain active for decades. This is a long term investment and our commitment to local communities appropriately too has a long term vision. It is Rio Tinto's practice to hire locally where possible and hope future mine operations will employ locals from neighbouring villages. “The children Magic Bus is providing support to today may be our employees in the future,” says Mr Van der Bund. Magic Bus' aim is to make the programme fun, to free up the children's imagination and use the community network they create to attract others. While having fun, the programme also helps children to build self-esteem early in life, get a good understanding of nutrition and health, learn about team work and leadership, and understand the importance of attendance and education. It does this by building on the premise that educational outcomes provide the platform to enhanced future opportunities and choice, largely absent in the most marginalised communities today.
MAGICBUSINKEONJHAR Fostering Future Leaders
A Rio Tinto sponsored initiative
11 | PLAYINGFORGOOD
A diverse workforce is important to Rio Tinto and the programme seeks to build the capacity of both male and female youth. The programme seeks active involvement from young women and girls who are participating in large numbers. Mr Van de Bund says, “It has been amazing to see how fast the ramp up in activity has taken place. We've seen active involvement from young men and women, boys and girls. The programme has now spread right across the region and we now have17 villages and hamlets participating.” Parents have reported positive changes in the behaviour of their children. Rio Tinto's Community and Social Performance employees say they too have noticed a change. Tribal children of the region tend to be quiet and reserved but through the Magic Bus activities they have developed self-confidence and are today fully engaged in the programme.
And it's not just the children who are benefiting – the whole community is benefitted and they are embracing the programme. Early mornings and late afternoons in Keonjhar are now filled with the joyous sounds of children laughing and having fun. These sounds run through the village and draw people out of their homes to cheer and applaud their children from the sidelines. Even with temperatures pushing over the 40 degree mark, there is no waning of enthusiasm. Rio Tinto's sponsorship of this programme, combined with the expertise of Magic Bus in running the programme, has helped the children of Keonjhar to flourish. For more information, please contact: Rio Tinto Email: Albert.Peter@riotinto.com Website: www.riotintoindia.com/ Pictures @ Nitin Upadhye, Malantoli Plateau, Keonjhar, Orissa
Interview with 8 years old Pappu Patra from Dubna village, Keonjhar, Orissa Tell us about the Magic Bus Volunteer or Youth Mentor. I know our youth mentor and volunteer quite well. I enjoy spending time with them – they often crack jokes with us, which I like. Do you enjoy the sessions? Yes! I like some games more than the others, like: Kabaddi, Football, Kauwa-Koel, Bolo-Bolo Kitne, Dahi BaraDosha, Hum Hathi Ko Ginti Sikhaya, and Puppet Pinjra. Did you learn anything you did not know before? We learn many things like: “Look before crossing the road, focus on listening, especially when teachers are taking classes.” Are there any good hygiene habits that you have learn? Are you practicing them? I like to remain clean now, avoid spitting in public places because this can spread infections. I also wash my hands before meals nowadays – this keeps me from getting sick. Do you go to school? Why do you think going to school is important? Do you discuss this in a Magic Bus Session? Yes, going to school is very important since I want to have a good future and be successful in life.
Samarthanam
Samarthanam and Sports Arundhati Venkatesh for for the Differently-abled It all began with a boy's obsession for cricket. Mahantesh lost his vision when he was six months old. Over the months and years, he developed a craze for cricket by listening to radio commentary. He persuaded his school (a special school for the visually impaired) to hire a coach, went on to play for and captain the Indian cricket team and toured England, alongside his childhood friend Nagesh who was also visually challenged and an international athlete. It was this passion, combined with a belief that given an opportunity there can be outstanding achievers among the differently-abled, which drove him to establish Samarthanam (Kannada for 'capable and empowerment'), using the Rs. 45 000 that he received as an M.Phil. scholarship fifteen years ago. Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled is a not-for-profit organisation that provides opportunities to the differently-abled and underpriviledged. The NGO runs schools, mid-day meal schemes, IT and BPO training units, a disabled-friendly rural BPO, a women's distress cell and a waste management initiative. “The visually impaired too should have the opportunity to be a part of sporting glory�, says Mahantesh emphatically. Samarthanam has actively promoted sports for the visually dsd
impaired over the last decade, as a rightful pursuit and as a platform for their physical and social development. Samarthanam athletes took home seven medals at the 17th National Sports Meet for the Blind in 2010. Samarthanam hosted the FIDE rating National Open Chess Tournament for the Blind in 2012 and funded the Indian blind cricket team's tour of England. The Indian team, in collaboration with Samarthanam, also travelled to Pakistan to play the Indo-Pak series. Buoyed by these triumphs, we took on the mantle of running blind cricket across India. The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) is an initiative of Samarthanam that organises cricket for the blind across the country. Recognition came with the NDTV Spirit of Sport Award for 2011, in the Against the Odds-Lifetime Achievement category. When Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda won the silver medal at the 2012 London Paralympics, everyone at Samarthanam rejoiced. Girisha says, "I had no money, no rewards, no job, and not one person to support me. I enrolled myself for BPO training with Samarthanam and was pushed to restart this sports training.�
27 | MAIDANMAGAZINE There have been several other success stories of sport transforming lives. We take pride in the achievements of Sekar Naik, who has been with us for around a decade. This partially sighted 25 year-old who was orphaned in childhood, is captain of the Indian blind cricket team. He believes cricket for the blind has given him and others an exposure to important aspects of life, which they are otherwise denied, merely due to their disability—discipline, teamwork, fitness, strategic planning, competitiveness and sportsman spirit. The focus is on their skills and not their disability.
For more information, please contact: Samarthanam Email: mahantesh@samarthanam.org Website: www.samarthanam.org/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/samarthanaminfo?ref=hl Twitter: www.twitter.com/JoinSamarthanam Pictures Š Samarthanam
It was a proud moment for us when Samarthanam CABI bagged the hosting rights for the T-20 World Cup Cricket for the Blind in 2012. The World Cup will be held between December 1st and 13th 2013 in Bangalore, with ten countries taking part. As we strive to raise funds and cover the shortfall of 2 crores, standing by us in support are Saurav Ganguly (Brand Ambassador for the T-20 Blind Cricket World Cup) and the entire contingent of Team India. It is this knowledge that fills us with hope, and our visually impaired cricketers with renewed enthusiasm.
28 | MAIDANMAGAZINE Coaching for Hope (CfH) is an innovative programme which uses football to provide life skills and health (HIV and AIDS) education to young people in developing countries. The idea is to tap into the global passion for football and integrate sports and education, to disseminate knowledge in a fun way. Professional coaches from the UK train local youth as local coaches, empowering them to deliver CfH sessions and develop training initiatives of their own.
They organise young people by forming youth clubs and football teams, which start playing football matches at district level. 15 football players from these teams are to be selected every year, through a selection process, and sent to the UK to receive further trainings from a football club. The idea is to polish their skills as a sportsperson so that they can have access to better opportunities in the field of sports, education and secure livelihood options.
The unique accredited curriculum offers modules on HIV prevention and substance misuse, which are then incorporated into training sessions with youth teams, community groups, youth leagues and tournaments. The curriculum integrates various facets of HIV including the facts, transmission and personal risk, abstinence, the importance of being faithful, using condom correctly and risk situations, condom negotiation, sexually transmitted infections, HIV testing and living positively with HIV and AIDS.
The programme has been successfully piloted in the Koraput district of Odisha(Orissa) through SOVA, a Skillshare International partner. The local coaches in Koraput have trained 500 young people, including girls, from their community in football and have been successful in creating awareness about HIV in their communities through workshops. SOVA, in collaboration with Skillshare International, Save the Children and DFID has launched the Coaching for Hope programme for the first time in India at Koraput.
The local coaches then go back to their communities and provide football coaching to youth as well as deliver workshops on HIV for their communities.
S KILL SHARE INTER NATIO NAL
Using Sports as a Medium to Empower Youth from Socially Excluded Communities to Have Access to Better Opportunities in Life and Spread Awareness on HIV and AIDS.
Dr. Dinesh Baliga from Skill Share International says, “The Coaching for hope programme is a programme to encourage young people and bring awareness by playing football, and developing good football coaches. All this is to reduce stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV.” These young people will receive training on HIV and AIDS and their child rights knowledge.
Some key highlights: Ÿ We have tribal girls in Koraput being coached by Kuldeep Daitari and his team mates. Kuldeep is among the 18 young boys coached by two British Coaches Jacob Naish and Dan Lawson in Koraput, Orissa, India 2010 (photo on page 28, about dated January 2012).
The selected players were trained for 7 days by our international coach Mr. Jacob and Mr. Dan on football and how it links with HIV. The seven days workshop was presided over by our international coach, Dr. Baliga and a local coach, Mr. Hema Rao. This is the first part of the programme; there are 8 workshops in this part that take participants though key facts on HIV including transmission and personal risk, abstinence and condom use, using condom correctly and risk situations, condom negotiation, sexually transmitted infections, HIV testing and living positively with HIV and AIDS. The difference between HIV and AIDS is very clearly explained through role play.
being hired by local football clubs (photo on the left, about dated January 2012).
According to Dr. Baliga, “Communication was a major focus and talking about sex and sexuality is very important. It helps in reducing infection rate, both HIV and other infection like STI.” For more information, please contact: Skill Share International Email: bdineshbaliga@gmail.com Website: www.skillshare.org/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/skillshareinternational Pictures © Skillshare International's Partner: South Orissa Voluntary Action (SOVA), Koraput, Orissa, India
Ÿ Many of the young people coached by Jacob and Dan are
Ÿ Daily wage labourers, migrant workers and students
have all been in the CfH workshops being delivered by Kuldeep Daitari and his team mates (photo on the right, about dated January 2012). Four of the young coaches from Koraput were invited by Jacob and Dan to the annual workshops they do in Goa in December 2011. These boys even delivered a few sessions with Afsana, in Goa. Afsana is the Muslim girl who is mentoring the young coaches in Koraput. Unusual occupation for a Muslim girl, reaffirming that indeed social change is happening and gender equations are being rewritten, wherever our partners are putting in some great work. Our future plan is to replicate the model among the IndoAfrican Siddi Community in Uttara Kannada (Karwar) district in Karnataka.
photo courtesy: Daniel Berehulak
PARIVARTAN
Engaging Coaches and Athletes in fostering Gender Equity Findings from the Parivartan Programme in Mumbai, India Results highlight receptiveness among boys, coaches and their families to develop healthy attitudes towards girls The power of sports is unquestionable and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) tapped into this potential by using cricket as a tool to promote gender equity, respect for girls and women, and reduce gender-based violence. Encouraged by the remarkable change in the attitudes of athletes, coaches and mentors across 45 schools and two slum communities in Mumbai who participated in a three-year-long programme called Parivartan, ICRW is now planning to take this initiative forward by integrating this concept in the existing and upcoming opportunities around adolescents. Parivartan provided the proof of concept for how sensitising young boys and their sports coaches/mentors to gender issues can go a long way in changing gender stereotypes, and addressing gender based violence in our society. The programme gauged the impact of a three year intervention, which leveraged the critical role of cricket coaches as role models in the lives of adolescent boys or young athletes aged 10-16 years. The findings from the study attempted to answer three critical questions: a) What changes occurred in gender and violence-related attitudes, perceptions and behaviour among the Parivartan athletes? b) What effects did participation in the training and the overall programme have on the coaches?
c) What changes did the wives, mothers or daughters of the coaches and mentors perceive as a result of the men's participation in the programme? Findings from the study have been very encouraging — they have demonstrated a distinct positive shift in the attitudes of athletes as well as coaches and mentors towards gender equity and violence against women. Alongside the change in attitudes, there is a promising indication of behavioural change as well; however to sustain and amplify the translation of attitudinal change into behavioural change, a sustained long-term investment in the Parivartan programme is an imperative. The study sample consisted of 45 schools and two slum communities and reached directly to 1200 boys aged 10-16 through one-on-one as well as group sessions and 9750 boys through a public education campaign. Results: Key Findings from the Athletes The findings were organised around the following key areas: Ÿ Attitudes towards gender stereotypes, roles and behaviours; Ÿ Attitudes towards violence against girls; Ÿ Intention to intervene in response to hypothetical scenarios of abuse against girls; Ÿ Actual bystander intervention behaviours in response to witnessing the abuse of girls; Ÿ Violence perpetration; Ÿ Acceptability of the programme and self-reported behaviour change.
31 | MAIDANMAGAZINE The school and community athletes participating in the programme demonstrated a greater positive shift in gender attitudes compared to non-participants There is a significantly greater increase in the proportion from the school and community athletes showing greater positive shift towards equitable attitude than for the nonparticipants. This means that the Parivartan athletes demonstrated an overall greater positive shift toward more gender equitable attitudes than the comparison athletes. The community athletes became significantly less supportive of the physical abuse of girls.
BOX 4: Violence Attitudes (“In what situations do girls deserve to be beaten?”) § when she stays out late § when she doesn't help with the household chores § when she doesn't complete her homework § when she doesn't obey elders § when she fights with the others in class § when she fights with brothers and sisters § when she has an affair with a boy Among the community athletes in the programme, there was a decline in agreement with all seven statements in the box, whereas for the comparison group, their level of agreement mostly increased or stayed the same. There was a greater positive shift among school and community programme participants compared to nonparticipants in their intentions to intervene in response to hypothetical scenarios of abuse against girls. At baseline, more than half of school and community athletes in both the intervention and comparison groups said they would intervene in a positive way to stop violence. Examining the data from baseline to follow up shows a greater overall shift from a negative response to a positive response for the participating school and community athletes compared to their non participating counterparts as evidenced by changes in mean scores. For the school athletes, there was greater improvement from a negative to a positive intention to intervene in response to observing sexual joking about a girl or a girl being sexually assaulted. For the community athletes participating in the programme, the hypothetical situations in which they said they would be more likely to positively intervene were sexual joking, assaulting a girl sexually, yelling at girls and spreading sexual rumors about girls.
Overall, school and community athletes witnessed substantial levels of violence directed at girls in their environment. For example, at baseline and follow up, school athletes witnessed nearly two incidents of sexually abusive behaviours in the last three months. For the community athletes it was more than three. Thirty two percent of community athletes exposed to the programme reported witnessing more than 5 incidents during the last three months while 10 percent of the school participants reported the same. The school athletes exposed to the programme reported fewer negative intervention behaviours in response to witnessing at follow up compared to comparison athletes. The community athletes reported more positive bystander intervention behaviours compared to the comparison group Peer violence shows some decline but still remains high among both the school and community athletes. The perpetration of peer violence among the community athletes was also very high at baseline (95 percent), which declined at follow-up (83 percent). There was a significantly greater decline among the exposed community athletes (a 12 percentage point decrease) compared to the nonexposed group (a 6 percentage point decrease). Among the community athletes, both programme and nonprogramme participants reported a decline in sexually abusive behaviours. Results: Key findings from the coaches The findings were organised around the following key areas: ŸAttitudes towards gender roles and relationships ŸAttitudes towards men's control of a wife's behaviour ŸAttitudes towards wife beating and sexual violence ŸWomen's perceived changes in the coaches' and mentors' gender-related attitudes and behaviours. The school coaches and community mentors demonstrated increased support for more equitable gender roles and relationships. The school coaches and mentors became less likely to justify men's control over their wife's behaviour. The school coaches and mentors increased their understanding of women's and girls' perspectives around sexual violence. The female relatives of the coaches and mentors noted improvements in men's gender-related attitudes and behaviours.
32 | MAIDANMAGAZINE This positive shift was supported by qualitative data from the coaches/mentors. According to one coach, “The programme helped me think how as men and women we are all equal. Earlier I used to think that men are always powerful and they can do anything that they want. But now I think in a different way”. Another coach noted, “Indeed, it has been beneficial......first of all it has brought a change in me. My wife says what happened to you? Earlier I did not do anything at home but now I understand that it is really important to do household chores. Since women do all the hard work I always use to think that's what they should be doing and never considered their work as work at all. But now I see her doing so much for everyone at home without even expecting anything in return. All we do is sit at ease and order tea, food and so on but it is everyone's responsibility to understand these things. It is not easy! She also need support and rest.” Findings from this study suggest that training and ongoing support can equip coaches and mentors to deliver an innovative programme to young male athletes which can improve the athletes' gender related attitudes and behaviours. Participation in the programme also can transform the perspectives and practices of the coaches and mentors, as well.
photo courtesy: Daniel Berehulak
For more information, please contact: Parivartan Website: www.icrw.org/where-we-work/parivartancoaching-boys-men Facebook: www.facebook.com/ICRWDC Twitter: www.twitter.com/icrw
NETBALL DEVELOPMENT TRUST How to Make a Difference through Netball! It all started when Monica Thandi, who was volunteering for the Tag Rugby Trust in the summer of 2009, encountered a group of children playing an impromptu game of netball with a patched up netball in Mbale, Uganda. Monica was intrigued to see the passion and energy that the children had for the game they had very little knowledge about. She had always wanted to return something to the sport that she has played since she was 12. Upon her return to London, she decided to set up the Netball Development Trust (NDT), a programme that now aims to reach crucial grassroots levels to develop the game. She returned to Uganda the following year with a club team mate and one young leader from England Netball and teamed up with local coaches from Uganda to form our very first tour. The results were amazing: over 350 children in 3 schools received coaching – and so NDT was born. In 2011, the programme expanded with our return to Uganda and our first tour to Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. In India, we introduced netball and donated kit and equipment to over 550 boys and girls in 4 schools. One of these school is the Kalinga Institute of Social Studies (KISS), a school that is home to over 15000 tribal students! Our UK coaches were joined by local volunteers from the NAZ Foundation, to help run the programme. A new output from this tour were our “Train the Trainer” workshops – which created 15 young NDT leaders who learnt how to coach, umpire and run a tournament. We believe this is vital to ensure the continuance of our programme year around. In less than two years we have coached over 1500 children! We have also had the opportunity, with the support of IFNA and England Netball, to be at the 2010 and 2011 World Netball Series in Liverpool, and last year’s World Championships held in Singapore, where we met thousands of netball fans who have encouraged us with their support and donations.
Netball is generally considered a girls’ game. At NDT we use netball to encourage both boys and girls to play together on the same team, thereby encouraging them to interact and work as a unit. On tournament day, all the school teams must have an equal numbers of both girls and boys. It is our intention to go beyond social and gender barriers and create a culture of inclusion through sport. This year we will return to Uganda and India, and in 2013 we aim to expand our tour to include more countries in Asia and Africa. Our plans for the future include expanding the netball academy we resurrected in Uganda last year and eventually creating one in India. We believe it is essential for us to tap into the talent pool at a young age and offer both boys and girls equal opportunities to improve their lives through sport. Volunteering opportunities Anyone can come on tour and be a volunteer for the Trust. No prior experience of coaching is required – we only ask that our volunteers are willing to work hard, enjoy working with children and that they enjoy experiencing new cultures and travelling. An NDT tour is a ‘back to basics’ experience. We camp together, we eat local food and most importantly, we work as a cohesive unit to ‘make a difference through netball’ for the children we work with. In the words of one of our UK volunteers ‘it was an experience of a lifetime, I can’t wait to return!’ For more information, please contact: Netball Development Trust Email: netballtrust@hotmail.com Tel: +44 77375 12145 Website: www.netballtrust.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/netballtrust Pictures © Netball Development Trust
35 | MAIDANMAGAZINE
A QUESTION OF CO-OPERATION
Interviews by the Maidan Editorial Board
Kalyani Subramanyam: National Coordinator Goal Programme, Naz Foundation (India) Trust
Rati Misra: Director - Resource Mobilisation, Special Olympics Bharat
Of 16 years in the development sector, Kalyani has spent the last nine ye a rs wo r k i n g w i t h t h e N a z Foundation (India) Trust, a Delhi based NGO that has endeavoured to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS and address sexual health issues since 1994, providing advocacy, care and support for those at risk. dsdsd
Energetic and highly skilled, with over ten years' experience in strategic planning, management consulting and training in fundraising and communication, Rati has helped raise well over thirty million rupees for Indian NGOs. She joined Special Olympics Bharat (SOB) to tell the organisation's remarkable story to philanthropists with the wherewithal, will and capacity to make a difference.
During the past five years, Kalyani led the implementation of Goal, a programme which uses netball as a platform to transform the lives of young disadvantaged girls from urban slum communities in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. Trained coach-mentors facilitate personal and economic empowerment, by complementing the development of athletic skills with a comprehensive life skills education curriculum that helps build the social and livelihood competencies that allow adolescent girls to live safer, more productive lives. Naz has established international credibility as an impactful and effective Sport for Development organisation and sees itself as a nodal advocate for women's rights and gender equity through sport in the Asian region. Since training is now a core competency, Naz intends to implement its trainthe-trainer model to assist other agencies, schools and institutions to systematically implement sports based developmental programmes and benefit from their experience. Email: naz.goal@gmail.com Website: www.nazindia.org/
SOB is founded on the belief that people with intellectual disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy and benefit from participation in individual and team activity, as a catalyst to transform their lives. SOB facilitates the participation of people with intellectual (and physical) disabilities in sport and physical activity and creates inclusive spaces for people with disabilities to coexist and compete with dignity and independence. Various sports activities are organised to create platforms for competitive enjoyment that draw those with disability out, building their skills and self-esteem, while recognising and showcasing hard work, talent and skill. Established in every region, with a volunteer base of over 50,000 trained coaches and mentors, SOB reaches a million athletes in the far corners of India and conducts 12,000 competitions every year. Under Project Unify, a new international initiative, SOB works with mainstream schools to bring disabled children and those without disability together on a common platform that fosters understanding, sensitivity, tolerance and patience in both. Email: rati@specialolympicsbharat.org
Getting to know you ... What brought you into the development world? K.S.: When I was in school I knew that I wanted to become a social worker. With that aspiration, I pursued my Masters degree in social work and have been working in the development sector ever since. As an avid sports enthusiast, I am particularly interested in the use of sport as a tool to empower young people through mentored activities that enhance life skills and employability. R.M.: Though originally from the corporate sector, I realised that I was happiest in the company of passionate people who actually made change happen through their efforts. This led me to specialise in servicing the greatest need for most NGOs – resource mobilisation and communication and I am privileged to have contributed to raising funds for myriad organisations, cutting across causes and geographies for the greater good.
36 | MAIDANMAGAZINE Did your previous experience and educational qualifications matter much? K.S.: My social work degree gave me a strong theoretical background that helped ease my entry into the social sector. However, it was the experience of working with several different NGOs that gave me a broader, more practical perspective and taught me to think outside the box to design innovative strategies that were both sensitive and responsive to local issues and prevailing social conditions. R.M.: The pressures of a corporate life taught me to stretch myself to the limit – which helps me to cope with the constant time demands of an under-resourced organisation. However I don't think educational qualifications matter as much as interest, attitude, passion, values and social skills. What are the most important things you learned on the job? K.S.: My job taught me the value of working with teams and how each person can contribute and bring unique skills. I learnt that perseverance, hard work and team effort are critical to success. I also learned the importance of planning and strategy. R.M.: The need to be multi-skilled and develop the capacity to multi-task efficiently. I developed complementary skills perforce – communication, programme planning and implemention, budgeting, administration, fund raising – and the capacity to handle many different things simultaneously. What kept you on in the development world? K.S.: Work in the development world has shown me that with a little help and encouragement, people can actually be empowered to bring in change, take charge and make a life for themselves. It is extremely motivating to see the change we bring about through interventions we implement. This has reinforced my commitment to working with marginalised youth and helping them develop and grow. R.M.: The change I see happening – the impact we are able to make on the lives of people. How would you interpret the word 'cooperation'? K.S.: Cooperation means working together amicably. It is more collaboration than cooperation, as I see it, when two strong organisations come together for a common purpose. R.M.: Cooperation is a voluntary arrangement in which two or more individuals/ organisations engage in a mutually beneficial exchange instead of competing – effectively leveraging the skills and advantages each has to offer, for mutual benefit.
On cooperation ... How does your organisation cooperate with other organisations? K.S.: Naz has been working very closely with many other organisations across the country. Naz is a part of many alliances, including Action Plus, ASOP, Childline and INFOSEM. Since Naz was one of the pioneers in the field of training on issues of sexuality and HIV, we have conducted train-the-trainer sessions on HIV and sexuality to help other CBOs/NGOs to mainstream and address issues of HIV and AIDS. Since partnerships also allow for wider scaling-up of programmes, the combined efforts of all the organisations involved lead to a much larger collective impact. R.M.: We usually offer our technical expertise and support to the organisations we work with and offer their communities an opportunity to avail of the training and competitive platforms we organise at different levels. We also provide manpower support wherever necessary. What made you realise that there was benefit to be gained by working with other organisations? K.S.: Every time we worked with another organisation, there was something unique to learn. Once we realised that we also had unique skills to offer, we began to look forward to interaction and two-way resource sharing with other organisations pursuing similar goals. We have certainly grown intellectually, and not only do we contribute knowledge to others, but we also have the pleasure of spreading netball – the sport we love to love. R.M.: Working with ASOP we realised that each partner organisation had unique skill areas that we could imbibe and incorporate into our programmes. We are able to leverage the skills of other organisations to improve our work while our programme influences theirs. This maximises impact with minimal investment. For example, through Naz, we realised the need to incorporate gender, sexual rights and other elements from the Naz life skills curriculum in our training curriculum to benefit our female athletes. Their trainers will train our trainers. With Naz's help, we will also introduce netball for the disabled.
34 | MAIDANMAGAZINE Which organisations do you cooperate most closely with? K.S.: Naz works closely with health organisations, child care organisations, CBOs, government and international agencies concerned with HIV and AIDS, sexual issues and grass roots sport. R.M.: We work with various stakeholders – the government, donors, NGOs working with people with intellectual disabilities, special schools, mainstream schools, sports federations and bodies, product suppliers and so on. I am happy to say that so many cooperate with us. Under what conditions is cooperation successful in achieving mutual benefit? K.S.: Each organisation has its own philosophy, so working with another organisation surely has its challenges. While initiating a cooperative effort, organisations must respect each other to start with. Cooperation is only successful when two organisations trust each other and are prepared to make adjustments. It also calls for a common/shared vision and clear partnership objectives to be agreed and defined. Finally, the two organisations need to invest and engage and communicate on an equal footing. R.M.:If egos can be set aside and each organisation understands and appreciates the equity the other partners bring to the table, irrespective of the size of the organisation. Similarly, the partnership objectives and deliverables need to be clearly defined. What are the pros and cons of such cooperation? K.S.: A collaborative effort, if effectively implemented, could lead to a highly successful intervention and it will help the two organisations build a strong coalition. However, there is a risk of fallout and a souring of the relationship if expectations are not met or if there are disagreements over roles and responsibilities that lead to a loss of face for one party. A falling out between two agencies could permanently negate the prospect of such collaboration in the future. R.M.: The only con is in case the relationship does not work out – the sector is small and we all work for the common good of our constituencies – any bad blood can do more damage than good. The pros are many – we are able to leverage each other's strengths and reach out to a much wider community with a larger basket of services and skills through such collaboration. How would you differentiate between short and long-term cooperation? K.S.: Short term cooperation would imply that organisations work together for a specified project over a specified period of time. Long term cooperation is when organisations work together for a number of years, sharing ideas, resources and working together for a common cause that gives them mutual benefit. Long term cooperation is not restricted by the availability of funding. R.M.: I think short term cooperation would be a partnership to share some skill and add value for a particular programme/project which is time bound but long term cooperation would be a more holistic alignment based on shared strategic interests. What sort of cooperation are Naz and SO Bharat planning? K.S: Naz India sees immense value in training its coaches on understanding issues of children with disability. Through a partnership with SO Bharat, Naz would like to: ŸOrient and build the capacity of Naz's coaches to understand and recognise children with disability and to tailor-make their sports programmes to make them more inclusive; ŸBuild the capacity of SO Bharat trainers to understand common gender, sex and sexuality issues and how they might impact children with disability; ŸEnable the inclusion of netball amongst the sports offered by the Special Olympics movement. R.M.: We are planning to work with Naz India to incorporate their gender training into our programmes that involve female athletes with intellectual disabilities, their families and coaches. We also plan to work with Naz Foundation to train their netball coaches on disability issues – from identification of girls with a disability from the communities, to mainstreaming them in their regular sports activities and employing our 'unified sports' concept.
ImageThink graphic recorders listen and synthesize main ideas and themes into drawings using a combination of images and words. Find out more about the summit on www.espn.go.com/espnw/summit/ .
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