SPORT 1913 - 2013

part one_CHAPTER 3

to be integrated in the existing develop- ment and peace efforts.

societies. The growing research indicates that programs may contribute to the inclusion of children and youth from different backgrounds in schools and community organizations, especially in post-conflict societies; school retention, academic achievement and school safety; character-building, including ethical be- haviour, empathy, and leadership, espe- cially among girls and women; reduced youth crime, with its devastat- ing long-term consequences, through diversionary rehabilitation and gateway programs. There is evidence that sports programs are particularly effective in reaching young peo- ple who are not attracted by other programs, and in building inter-generational trust and cooperation, particularly within families. While difficult to measure, these outcomes contribute to many of the MDGs, especially poverty reduction, basic education and gender equality (Coalter 2007). Yet the research also argues for caution. My colleague Peter Donnelly and I (2007) con- cluded from a meta-review of the literature that

teur sport is really to deliver on the promises of ‘sport for good’ it has historically made, it has to become much more intentional and connected. Of the UN’s five priorities for interven- tion, sport for peace-building is the most un- der-studied and controversial. One the one hand, in a world where war and violent con- flict seem on the increase, killing, maiming and traumatizing millions of civilians, espe- cially women and children, as well as military personnel, it is easy to understand why so many idealistic sportspersons, imbued in the culture of fair play, want to bring sport to the urgent tasks of peace. When sport helps for- mer child combatants re-integrate into West African society, or brings children together from all sides of the complex religious divides in the Middle East or Ireland, or gives families in refugee camps facing an uncertain future something to cheer about, it seems to bear out the promise of sport for peace. But on the oth- er hand, there are real limits to what sport can achieve in conflict situations. Sport seems to have little effect in averting war and simply becomes too dangerous with the outbreak of war. It is only when a ceasefire has been ob- tained and some other agency is there to en- force it that sport may contribute to peace- building, through the integration of combatants into society and the re-building of social relationships. Sport may provide a seemingly neutral site for people to come to- gether despite historic differences. Given that sport is a collective cultural creation, it may

In other words, sports are a necessary but not a sufficient condition for social development. What is necessary to make SDP effective? The research suggests that participants must feel it’s ‘their program’, i.e. have been involved in the planning process, and dispose of a gen- uine access, including to equipment and transportation. Participants must feel safe, valued, socially connected, morally and eco- nomically supported, personally and politi- cally empowered; and hopeful about the fu- ture, i.e. there needs to be a supportive social context. In particular, it is essential that sports programs be free from and openly address gender violence. Trained, committed administrators, coaches and vol- unteers are key. Programs should be inten- tionally planned to realize specific develop- mental outcomes, and should be part of a multi-agency approach, linked to education, employment, and access to health informa- tion and services. Moreover, in societies with tremendous inequality, sports programs must explicitly address such inequality. As Doug Hartmann has written, ‘the idea is not to inte- grate within status quo but help youth change it.’ Finally, programs must be sustained to have a lasting impact. These are difficult les- sons for amateur sports groups, where most leaders join up because they love sport them- selves, not because they have a burning ambi- tion to contribute to development. But if ama-

The evident benefits appear to be an indirect outcome of the context and so- cial interaction that is possible in sport rather than a direct outcome of partici- pating in sport. … To fully utilize the development potential of sport, it needs

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