Friends and Alumni of the George Washington University Sport Philanthropy Executive Certificate program gathered to celebrate International Day of Sport for Development and Peace in Washington, DC. It was great to share initiatives being done in the Washington, DC area from the 8 professional sport teams, to Special Olympics International, Peace Players International, US Soccer Foundation, and so many more. The George Washington University Sport Philanthropy Executive Certificate is the first educational program to help increase the efficiency and effectiveness of organizations and corporate sponsors leveraging the power of sport for social good. For eight years, GW has worked with 200+ students to increase their personal and professional impact from after-school programs to the Super Bowl. The program covers board governance, strategic planning, partnerships, grant writing and fund raising, measurement and evaluation, communications, and programming. Each student works on a capstone project related to their cause or initiative.
Apr 6, 2022 (Tel Aviv) – Thirteen sports organizations committed to social change across Israel and representing 25,000 youth in 384 locations, came together at the Daniel Rowing Center on the banks of Tel Aviv’s Yarkon River to launch the national Sports for Social Change Coalition between Jews and Arabs in Israel and celebrate the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace.
The event marks the power of sport to bring people together, to bridge differences and to promote a shared society. The sports for social change organizations reflect the diversity of Israeli society – Jewish, Arab, religious, secular, Ultra-Orthodox. They rowed together in Dragon boats on the Yarkon River. The Dragon boats symbolize collaboration, rowing in unison towards a shared goal.
Following the rowing competition, the members met to launch working groups as a first step in their effort to harness sport to address complex social issues in Israeli society, such as divisions and tensions between different communities, at-risk youth, and gender inequality. The working groups focused on government relations, volunteers, resource development, marketing and social media, and knowledge sharing.
About the Sports for Social Change Coalition
The wave of Israeli-Palestinian and internal Jewish and Arab strife in Israel in May 2021 and the impact of Covid-19 on grassroots organizations have led to unprecedented collaboration, including the launch of the first Sports for Social Change Coalition on a national scale.
The Sports for Social Change Coalition, a growing movement of organizations, currently representing 25,000 youth in 384 locations in Israel, is identifying the needs of the field and finding new solutions for all stakeholders (organizations, funders, government and corporate sectors, academia and community) for greater collective impact.
El proyecto “Ven y Juega”: deporte para la protección de niños, niñas y adolescentes, financiado por el Comité Olímpico Internacional-COI, se articula a la estrategia “Positive Youth Development” del ACNUR para promover la inclusión social y mitigación de la xenofobia, la cohesión social para el fortalecimiento comunitario y el bienestar psicosocial de los niños, niñas y adolescentes refugiados y migrantes venezolanos, así como desplazados internos y de comunidades de acogida de los municipios de Mocoa y Puerto Asís en Putumayo.
El proyecto tiene cinco propósitos complementarios: 1. Promover prácticas deportivas que contribuyan al bienestar físico y emocional de los participantes, y permita la identificación y el impulso de habilidades deportivas. 2. Fomentar la inclusión social mediante la participación diferencial con un enfoque de EGD para la erradicación de la xenofobia, la discriminación y la promoción de la convivencia. 3. Promoción de la cohesión social desde una perspectiva de liderazgo juvenil para la transformación social. 4. Fomento de habilidades para la vida en los NNAJ participantes y 5. Rehabilitación de infraestructuras deportivas para fortalecer entornos protectores, la coexistencia pacífica y la integración. Todo esta accionar sin duda alguna aporta a la construcción de paz en los territorios.
Ball To All will make its largest delivery of soccer balls to kids who can not afford them. Ivo Mapunda will lead the event in Tanzania.
Ball To All is a non-profit (501c3) organization that was founded with a simple premise: keep kids playing – it will help them grow healthier, happier and at the same time, keep them out of trouble.
The mission is simple and captured in the slogan: Every Kid Can Have A Ball.
Ball To All and Celebrity Goalie Ivo Mapunda deliver soccer balls to kids who can not them in Tanzania. Promoting sports, equality and world peace. We are all raising a #WhiteCard in support of April6.org
Imagine kids who have nothing, and nothing to do…
Is the risk of them getting into trouble greater?
Is the risk of them feeling that “no one cares” greater?
Is the risk of them being swayed by extremism greater?
We all want “World Peace”, yet many children around the world do not have the basic means to grow up happy and joyous…
Neeraj Chopra is an Indian javelin thrower born in 1997. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj won the gold medal by reaching a distance of 87.58m, a victory that will go down in Indian history.
In an interview with a newspaper, Neraaj explained that he had to hurry up for one of his throws as he had to ask his fellow Pakistani, Arshad Nadeem, for his javelin. A video of the moment went viral on the internet and triggered a lot of virulent comments. Neraaj then shared a video of himself on Twitter to calm the situation and put the video in context. He also expressed his opposition to certain messages that used his comments as a propaganda tool in the tensions between Pakistan and India and he wanted to promote sport for its unifying values.
Story:
“Sport is a great tool that allows us to go beyond social, ethnic and religious differences. Sport teaches us to be together and united. That’s why it should not be used to propagate political ideologies.”
Mahdi Khawari was one of the K1 coaches of the association Yoga and Sport with Refugees, which works on the island of Lesvos, in Greece.
Mahdi spent about two years in the refugee camps of Lesvos, where he joined the association for a year to share his knowledge in the practice of K1 with other residents.
He is now living in Berlin where he continues to box regularly.
Story:
“When I work out, I get rid of the negative energy. Afterwards, even if there is fighting, drinking, drugs, or noise at the camp when I’m trying to sleep, my body is so relaxed.
This is my family. People come together to keep up their motivation and energy.
My team stays in touch even though they’ve left the island. We follow each other on Instagram and send pictures on Whatsapp. Wherever they go, they send pictures and ask how things are at the camp. We talk about how nice it would be to practice together. We’re friends for life.”
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