Football: Making a difference

For the world’s youth who live in refugee encampments, each new day is yet another trial of confronting a life marginalized by violence, crime, and conflict. Since their families and communities have very limited resources, these youth typically lack access to the educational programs and social experiences they need to thrive as individuals and as members of an organized society. Among the many obstacles they face in acclimating to their new communities are language barriers, protocol differences, and knowledge gaps in the skills needed to obtain stable employment.
To help some of these youth, there are many soccer foundations who organize football programs , programs which use the global language of football to help youth living as refugees learn how to discuss and resolve the challenges each participant individually confront each day. It teaches them alternative approaches for establishing and nurturing cross-cultural dialogues. It also helps them understand human rights in general, and child rights in particular.  

These youth learn how to use their common interest to discover and employ their personal and collective voices as tools for resolving conflict, recovering from trauma, and acting as catalysts for social change and community transformation.
There are many organisations and foundations today helping poor children in conflict-affected countries like including Colombia, Myanmar, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,and many other areas of the African continent.

One of such foundations is the Youth Development through Football foundation (YDF)

                                                                          


Using football as a tool, Youth Development through Football (YDF) strives to overcome discrimination, improve health and combat disease, promote gender equality, fight violence and secure environmental sustainability. Thus, the project contributes actively and sustainably to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

YDF fosters youth development and peace with the emphasis on mutual understanding, fairness and tolerance, using football as a catalyst. To reach this target, YDF supports existing youth development initiatives and assists in establishing new ones in up to 10 African countries. It combines football education and training with development measures for thousands of young people.

The Project
Just like in any other region of the world, girls and boys from disadvantaged communities face complex problems in South Africa. They often come from difficult social backgrounds with many families living below the poverty threshold. Due to poor education, many youths lack skills making it difficult for them to find employment. They are exposed to health risks, alcoholism and drugs. Girls and young women especially face violence and crime, more than a few are discriminated and excluded from social life. This is where Youth Development through Football (YDF) comes into play.

The project recognizes the potential that football can unleash when systematically included in processes of social change. Football especially has the power to unite people and cultures all over the world. As a team sport it promotes fairness and tolerance, leapfrogs gender boundaries and fosters mutual understanding, thereby contributing to the positive development of personality and character. YDF started in 2007 and runs until 2012. It is implemented in ten African countries by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Government in partnership with the South African Department of Sport and Recreation. The project is part of the South African - German Development Cooperation and is co-funded by the European Union.

Formal education systems hardly ensure equal opportunities for girls and boys with different social, economic and cultural backgrounds. Often, the social environment determines the individual performance of learners in a way that is beyond the reach of formal education. Although a world-wide challenge, disparities are often more pronounced in the developing world. The number of girls and boys at risk is huge and suited to pose a major threat to social stability. Here, football as a sport can yield its potential. Educational topics can either be integrated into training sessions or single exercises as add-ons.

Football is referred to as "The World's Game" since it is played, viewed, and enjoyed by people all over the world. But football also has the capacity to improve lives, especially for underprivileged children who might not have as many options as we do. These individuals benefit not only physically, but socially and emotionally as well from the World's Game. By participating in group play, children are able to build social and communication skills amongst their peers while forgetting about their day to day stresses during engaged play.

By helping these children to participate in the beautiful game of football, it help them to stay away from the negative aspects which they may experience on a daily basis. In some cases, these organisations  work firsthand with street children and have seen the direct impact that by being involved in the game, they are able to flourish and reach their potential which they may have not have been able to do otherwise. It is evident that football can give these children a positive pathway to follow in which they can not only develop as people on the field but also off of it.
                                        
Author:

-Rohan K Gaikwad

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