Sports for Development

and Peace
psychosocial Intervention for Post conflict situations
Introduction
• Sport is a common language for many people. It is one of the highest-
profile characteristics of most countries with football, netball, rugby
and many other games often dominated by many countries.

• Sport for Development and Peace can be described as the intentional

use of sport to achieve development objectives such as increasing
access to education, tackling youth unemployment issues, or raising
awareness around HIV and AIDS, psychosocial wellbeing among many
others.
Advancing Development through
Sport
• Sports for Development and Peace has the opportunity to:
• Convey core principles that are important in a democracy, such as
tolerance, solidarity, co-operation and respect.
• Foster inclusion for individuals and populations otherwise marginalised
by social, ethnic, cultural or religious barriers.
• Allow individuals to experience equality, freedom and empowerment.
• More than one billion people in the Commonwealth are under the age
of 30 and are classified as ‘young people’.
• Sport’s inherent appeal to many young people makes it a valuable tool
in engaging youth in a broad range of development objectives.
Psychosocial attributes of sports
Priority areas to which sports can
contribute
Priority areas to which sports can
contribute
 Barriers and challenges related to
participation and delivery of sport

• Socio-cultural barriers such as a lack of understanding of the importance

of sport among families: Sport is seen as dangerous and inappropriate
for girls, resulting in gender inequality where girls’ participation rates are
lower than boys’.
• Access barriers relating to language, facilities and transport.
• Resource barriers related to poverty and time due to family and work
commitments and finances, such as the high registration and
membership fees of clubs and facilities.
• Additionally, women aged 16–40 face barriers such as gender
roles ,Community/traditional expectations and being occupied by
community responsibilities
The potential impacts of sport on development goals
• Direct and indirect contributions to physical and mental health and
well-being:
Regular physical activity;
Health education and messaging;
Potential to empower and improve the health of the elderly.
Direct and indirect contributions of sport as an engagement and mobilization
tool to:
Engage participants, particularly young people, in wider development
programmes, such as those related to developing life skills, education, health
and gender empowerment.
Build social relations in contexts where these are important forms of social
support, such as teacher–student and other adult–youth relationships for young
people with limited parental/family networks, and connectivity across some
socio-cultural divides.
The potential impacts of sport on development
goals
• Direct and indirect contributions of sport to personal and community
development and inclusion, including:

 Developing ‘life’ skills that can transfer to non-sport contexts, for instance when decision-
making and communication developed in team sports transfer to classroom behaviour
 Delivering beneficial impacts that extend beyond the individuals who actively participate in
sport programmes – for example, young people discuss with their peers what they learn from
HIV/AIDS education delivered through sport and girls relay to their parents and extended
family the health, hygiene and fertility lessons delivered through girls’ gender empowerment
programmes.
 working with excluded and vulnerable groups who do not engage with other institutions–
e.g. those who do not attend school including addressing gender inequalities and improving
the lives of girls and young women through physical empowerment, which increases their
confidence, physical fitness, skill development, leadership capabilities, social networks and
education levels.
 Providing a safe social space that can be used in conflict situations as a neutral platform for
dialogue and interaction.
Why is it important to advocate
for sport as a tool for
development and peace?
• Sport contributes to the healthy and holistic development of its
participants, as well as entire communities because
• It makes a difference; Despite the increasing amount of evidence
proving its benefits, people will
• often ask, ‘Why sport?’ It can be difficult for government decision-
makers to understand the value of sport, especially when there is also
a need for food, clean water, education or medical services.
• This lack of understanding is one of the key reasons why advocacy for
access to sport is so essential.
Advocating for Sports for
Development and Peace
• Young leaders can do this in three different ways
• Advocating for the use of sport as a tool for development and peace
at sport and non-sport platforms
• Demonstrating to young people the power of using sport as a tool for
development and peace by highlighting examples using social media
engagement and creating a network of stakeholders in the SDP sector.
• Educating young people and policy-makers about what the benefits of
using sport as a tool for development and peace are, through tools
such as the Advocacy Toolkit and the Youth Engagement Advice Sheet
Why youth should advocate
The long-term benefits of advocacy
• Advocacy often allows you to address the origin/cause of a problem;
• It brings to the fore issues that may not otherwise receive publicity or
notice;
• By educating through advocacy, you can change mindsets and
influence policy
• Advocacy allows for accountability
• It brings community cohesion as a result of positive social change.
Important things to note about
advocacy
• An important point to remember is that to become a true agent of
change, you cannot work alone.
• Involving a variety of stakeholders such as influential individuals,
groups and networks, is an effective way to increase the awareness
and credibility of your efforts.
• Building connections strategically and planning your advocacy steps
and activities thoughtfully will be essential to the success of your
advocacy work.
Important things to note about
advocacy
• it is important to work in
partnership with all stakeholders.
• When advocating at a local level, it
is most important to focus on
people in their environments, the
settings where they live, work, play
and study.
• When advocating at all levels, the
key is using multiple strategies, at
multiple levels, involving multiple
sectors and in partnership with all
stakeholders.
Advocacy Methods
How to start your advocacy plan
Step One: Identifying the issue
• A vital part of advocating – especially if you are representing or
speaking on behalf of a group of people.
• Consult the group to hear their experiences, what their objectives are
and what they think will solve the problems that they or their
communities face.
• You need to understand more about the different issues and
challenges you are facing.
• This requires you to ask questions about how these issues came
about, why they are still happening and what can be done to improve
the situation.
1a) Mapping your context
• At all levels of advocacy, you will need to consider the approach that
will have the greatest impact on your issue and which specific
problems you have the capacity to influence or change. Some key
questions to consider are
Is it the right time to be advocating on this issue?
Are there formal opportunities for you to effect change on this issue (e.g., to
consult with government or other decision-makers)?
Is there potential to work with other organisations?
What is the likelihood of success in your advocacy efforts?
How many people does this issue impact?
Are there any major events or opportunities you can leverage off?
1 b) Community asset mapping

• Community asset mapping is a positive approach to community

development and social change that maps out the resources available
to community members – these resources are referred to as ‘assets’.
• A community asset is anything that can be used to improve the
quality of community life, and can include
physical structures buildings, sports grounds
 community services such as government offices, local newspaper
sports agencies, facilities
sports clubs, businesses or people
Notice boards
Political context

• Do you understand the process through which leaders are chosen?

• Are you familiar with the current political groups and their agendas?
• Are you familiar with accepted forms of dialogue around policy
change and protocol for approaching policy-makers and influential
stakeholders in your community or country?
• Are you familiar with key political debates in your community or
country and who represents each side of the debate?
• What are the current key policy concerns at the community or
national levels?
• Are there any opportunities for public engagement with the
government?
Government priorities

• What are the most pressing issues in your community and country?

• What are the national development priorities of your country?

• What international obligations and commitments has your government

made?

• What are the priorities of the government ministries (Ministry of Sport,

Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Gender Labour and Social
Development etc.)?
SDP LANDSCAPE

• How does SDP align with your government’s priorities?

• Is the concept of SDP well known in your country?
• Are there specific policies, ministries, offices or individuals who deal
with SDP?
• Are any funds directed to SDP from any government office or ministry?
• Can your programme or message fit across different portfolios?
• Can you identify significant SDP organisations in your community?
• Is the link between your goal and SDP likely to be immediately evident
to all?
Risk assessment and management

• Are there cultural norms or traditional practices that will change your
advocacy efforts?
• Are there any issues that will invoke strong opposition or pose risks
of violence?
• What are the greatest risks and challenges in conducting advocacy
work in your community or country?
• Is it feasible to overcome these risk and challenges?
• Have you spoken to others who may be able to give guidance?
Mapping your stakeholders
• Stakeholder mapping is helpful for thinking critically about stakeholders and
their level of influence on your advocacy efforts.
• Types of stakeholders in the process of advocating for policy change –
primary and secondary
• primary stakeholders, such as international organisations or local and
national government agencies, will have a direct influence over the policy
changes you are trying to achieve.
• secondary stakeholders, such as civil society or businesses, have an indirect
influence on policy change through their relationships with decision-makers.
• The most effective advocacy efforts target both primary and secondary
stakeholders.
The basic steps for stakeholder mapping

• Identify the stakeholders who can influence the issue on which you are advocating.

• These actors can be local government, national government, international or local

organisations, the UN etc..
• The private sector (businesses), or civil society and local community stakeholders.

• Make sure to identify which stakeholders are primary and which ones are secondary.

• Research the stakeholders’ roles, responsibilities and priorities in the work that they do.
• Understand the levels of influence of these stakeholders, as well as their connection to, and
position on, your advocacy efforts.
Stake holders
Stake holder Mapping chart
Step two: Your advocacy objectives
• Advocacy can be a long process. Planning small, defined objectives
helps you keep on track, see progress and stay motivated.
• Identify your short-term advocacy objectives using the ‘SMART’
principle, which will lay the foundation for developing your action
plan.
• Objectives should always be linked to available resources. This is part
of determining the achievability of the objective. It could be that a
short-term objective is to advocate for access to more resources to
enable you to achieve your goal.
SMART objectives
The message
• A message is the overall driving force behind how you are perceived
by an audience.
• The most effective messages build on the information your audience
already has on a certain issue.
• Understanding your audience is essential for knowing what
information they already have and what new information you need to
bring to their attention.
• A good message is simple and direct.
• It is important to communicate what you do in a clear, concise and
convincing manner in less than one minute, otherwise you may lose
the person’s attention, interest or support.
The message
• Once you get attention, you will have plenty of opportunities to explain your cause in more detail.

• Tips for developing your messages

• Define your goal (already identified in the previous chapter)
• Identify and understand your audience based on your stakeholder analysis
• Back up the importance of the issue you are advocating for, using research and evidence – use facts and
figures
• Avoid jargon and acronyms – speak to people in a language that they understand and be clear and
• concise
• Use success stories and case studies
• Include the people you are advocating for in the process of designing the message
• Make a personal connection – people will be more inclined to get involved with your problem if they can
connect to it on a personal level
• Develop an action plan and communication strategy to get your message out
Developing the message
• Developing a strong message isn’t easy and the opportunity to
present it to whomever you are trying to target is sometimes hard to
get.
• However, if you can build a strong enough message and target the
right audience, the more success you are likely to have.
• Your one-minute message should be EPIC to ensure that you capture
essential information.
An EPIC message
• ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE (Get your listener's attention with a dramatic fact
or short statement. Keep this opening statement to one sentence if possible.)
• STATE THE PROBLEM (Present causes of the problem you introduced in the
first section. How widespread or serious is the problem?)
• INFORM ON THE SOLUTION (Inform the listener about a solution to the
problem you just presented.)
• CALL TO ACTION (Once you've engaged your listener, presented the problem
and told them about a solution, be specific about what you want them to do.
This enables you to follow up to learn if they've taken this action. Present this
action in the form of a ‘yes or no’ question.) e.g. Will you support this
campaign and help promote tribal harmony?
The delivery
• Now that you have identified your target audience, mapped your
stakeholders’ level of influence and power, and developed your
objectives and your key messages, you need to ‘get it out there’.
• To do this, you need to plan your communication strategy and choose
the best method of delivery for the appropriate audience.
• TIMING IS IMPORTANT. Delivering your message around major
international sporting and nonsporting events and campaigns can be
helpful, i.e. independence day, inter-regional games, International
Women’s Day etc.
Choosing the best method of
communication
• Think about the following to guide your selection:
• What are the audience’s primary sources of information? Who or what do they
listen to? What do they read? What do they watch? What appeals to them?
• What are the audience’s characteristics (age, gender, class, employment, race
etc.)?
• Where do they live? Work? What languages do they speak? Do they read? Do
they have access to television and the internet? Do they listen to the radio?
• What are the internal skills, capacities and resources required to work with the
selected medium? If they are not available internally, how can they be
resourced?
Take action
• Now it is time to put it all together into an action plan
Develop your action plan

The activities that will be carried out

Set timelines for each activity to be completed.

Outline and allocate appropriate stakeholders for specific roles and

responsibilities
 Specify the inputs or resources required to complete the activity.

Additionally it is crucial to set out your budget

Action plan chart
Measuring your outcomes
• Measuring the outcomes of your advocacy strategy is essential to
evaluating your successes and understanding the areas in which you
can improve.
• Measuring your outcomes should always refer back to your action
plan to ensure that you are measuring the direct results of your own
activities.
• Monitoring is the collection of information about a project over time. It seeks
to understand what is happening.
• Evaluation is an assessment of the project at one point in time, including the
successes and failures. It seeks to understand why what happened, happened
Importance for monitoring and evaluation
So what should you monitor and
evaluate?
What kind of monitoring indicators
are there?
• There is a vast array of indicators that you could use to measure your
advocacy work around using sport as a tool for development and
peace.

• The ones you choose will invariably depend on the advocacy methods
you use, your environment and even the sport you are advocating on

• Indicators can either be quantitative or qualitative.

In conclusion………………
• Sport is a powerful tool that can be used to
• Youth development by building social capital, positive role modelling,
decision making, promote self concept and uplift their cultural values
• Convey democracy principles, such as tolerance, solidarity, co-
operation and respect, foster inclusion for individuals and populations
marginalised by social, ethnic, cultural or religious barriers and allow
individuals to experience equality, freedom and empowerment.
• It can also lead to improvement in health especially non-
communicable diseases (NCD’s), improve in education and gender
equality
Questions?
Thank you