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lately have they received international recog- nition through initiatives like Sport for Social Change, Beyond Sport Changemakers, Spor- tAccord, UNICEF or other international sports awards. However, these projects are conduct- ed mostly by civil society organisations and volunteers, and often in countries of the glob- al south, whereas funding generally comes from the global north. At the community level, sport can be seen as a vehicle to provide ways of creating a conducive environment where people can come together , interact, work towards the same goals, share and exchange experiences and resources and get to know each other bet- ter. These factors are crucial to support peace- building processes, tolerance, understanding and creating a peaceful coexistence. In this section, Sport and Peace projects from the global south, from South Africa, will be presented. Sport has played an important role in the country’s history to overcome Apart- heid. South Africa managed to have a peaceful transition into democracy under Nelson Man- dela and has been working hard on issues of transformation, reconciliation and social in- clusion using sport as a tool since its first democratic election in 1994. Recently, South Africa has been elected to chair the United Na- tions Working Group on Sport and Peace in Geneva in 2011. In terms of NGO work and grassroots Good Practise of Sport and Peace: The case of South Africa

across racial divides (www. peacenetworkwc. org). The Kicking for Peace initiative received the 2011 Beyond Sport Award for best Interna- tional project in the field of Conflict transfor- mation and Sport. What is special about the project is that it is a locally developed and driven initiative. The AMANDLA EduFootball e.V. initia- tive addresses one of the globally most press- ing problems of youth violence in high den- sity areas in South Africa’s largest single township, Khayelitsha. According to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, South Africa has the world’s second highest assault and mur- der rate with Khayelitsha having the highest rates within the country. In response to these problems AMANDLA established the Safe Hub concept. A Safe Hub is a physically and emotionally safe space where young people find support from strong role models and ac- cess to information on health and safety. Through providing regular and on-going ho- listic football activities in a Safe Hub, AMAN- DLA is able to contribute to dealing with the problem of high levels of violence amongst youth in the area (www.edufootball.org). AMANDLA EduFootball e.V. is also a member of the Western Cape Network and is on the short list for the 2012 Conflict Resolution Award. These are two practical examples of pro­ jects which have an impact on the youth at grassroots level. There are many more inter- nationally, such as Open Fun Football Schools (OFFS) in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

projects two examples of civil society projects in the Western Cape of South Africa in the field of sport and conflict will be briefly pre- sented, both being recognised internationally by Beyond Sport: Kicking for Peace and AMANDLA EduFootball. The Kicking for Peace initiative is a pro- gramme of the Western Cape Network for Community Peace and Development. The Net- work is a unique collaboration of NGOs, local communities and the University of the West- ern Cape (UWC). Since its initiation in 2005 the Network has grown from strength to strength and consists today of over 30 NGO’s all working in the field of conflict resolution, youth, women, community development and peace-building and sport. The Western Cape Network for Commu- nity Peace and Development helps youth de- velop skills and attitudes needed to build a harmonious society. The Kicking for Peace initiative uses soccer as a vehicle for social transformation, conf lict prevention and peace-building. It brings together boys and girls from volatile, formerly segregated com- munities in South Africa to share the joys of soccer and learn life skills that transform them into citizens equipped to live together peaceably and for all to participate in the peaceful development of its nation. Through soccer, the programme teaches communica- tion, problem-solving, leadership and conflict transformation to youth from various cultural backgrounds, some being refugees from other African countries, thus building bridges

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