Share this
Mister Wong
Digg
Del.icio.us
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Googlize this
Blinklist
Facebook
Wikio
Hear this text
Print
E-mail
Tags
Uniting people in the name of sportHe is president of the Jordanian Olympic Committee, the chair of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and holds the rank of lieutenant general in the Jordanian Armed Forces. To top off a very busy agenda, Prince Faisal bin al-Hussein, the brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan, has embarked on a noble mission: to help and create a more peaceful world by using sport as a vehicle.
Sport is much more than kicking a soccer ball or hitting a cricket ball across a field. It is not merely a game – it is a matter of life and death.
This, at least, has been the standpoint of Prince Faisal. “I believe that sport has the power to bring people living in divided communities, war zones and conflict countries together,” he said.
“Sport is one of the few languages everyone understands, no matter where you are from and regardless of your race, religion, tribe, caste, or socio-economic background.
“It teaches participants and supporters tolerance, self-respect, respect for other people, and team play among other things. These elements are crucial in unifying divided communities and creating more peaceful societies.”
Sport can therefore also promote good leadership in the long run, Prince Faisal noted, as to rebuild conflict zones the presence of good leaders is a prerequisite. “A good leader is a person who can get extraordinary performance, in the broadest sense of the word, out of ordinary people,” he said.
Two years ago, after discussing the link between peace-building and sport with his brother, King Abdullah II, Prince Faisal decided that it was time to walk the talk.
He began with the establishment of the Peace Through Sport Committee, a working group that falls under the OCA and aims to promote peace-building across Asia.
Being aware that religious, ethnic and political conflicts are not confined to the Asian continent alone, he founded his own organisation: Generations For Peace. This international institution trains youth workers from conflict zones around the world, from Africa to Asia and from the Middle East to Latin America, to use sport as a vehicle to unify youths at grassroots level.
The reason why Generations For Peace focuses on children is very simple, Prince Faisal explained. “Children in general are more flexible than adults. They are not as fixed in their mindsets, and tend to focus more on similarities instead of on differences. So it is easier to work with them than with grown-ups.
“We foresee that, by playing together and with each other, children slowly but surely will learn to see each other as equals, as individuals, as teammates, as friends – not as ‘the other ones’ or the enemy.
“This mindset will hopefully be passed on to their children and grandchildren. As a result, we can build stronger future generations that are less influenced by prejudice,” he added.
According to Prince Faisal, focusing on children and bringing them together through sport may also have a positive impact on their parents.
“A nice detail is that sport competitions between children sometimes lead to greater interaction between the adults who are cheering for their sons and daughters. Of course, we realise that there will always be families that are not willing to overcome their prejudices. That does not mean one should stop trying.”
To reach youths from troubled and war-torn countries, Generations For Peace recruits youth workers from divided communities around the world. “These youth workers or Peace Pioneers are recruited through non-governmental organisations such as Unicef or Regional Olympic committees,” Prince
Faisal noted.
“These organisations usually have a good idea of people working with children in their own communities.”
After completing a strict selection process, which comprises several interviews that are crosschecked, the chosen youth workers are invited to a Peace Camp. These week-long gatherings are organised several times per year, of which the most recent took place in Abu Dhabi in March this year.
“One of the main pillars of these camps is an intensive practical and theoretical training programme that touches on various subjects such as peace-building, conflict resolution and management, skills that deal with discriminatory behaviour, child protection, sportsmanship and, of course, sports coaching,” explained Prince Faisal.
“Of course, there is a strong focus on leadership, which is an important skill when working with traumatised, brainwashed and scarred children and youths.”
After completing the curriculum, the Peace Pioneers are expected to set up their own grassroots organisations back home and in their own communities. “Their projects and programmes should focus on the link between peace-building and sport,” Prince Faisal said.
“We support them by providing funding, training, assistance in drafting their project and budget plans, and support in running their projects. We, at all times, maintain ongoing contact with them, monitor their progress and evaluate the programmes and the work that has been done.”
Apart from working with children directly, the youth workers are expected to share their knowledge with other members of their communities and to train 20 youth workers a year. “Our aim with the ‘train the trainer’ programme is to get as many people involved in peace-building as possible,” Prince Faisal added.
The strategy of Generations For Peace seems to work, despite the fact that the organisation is barely two years old. “We have had quite a few success stories. In 2007, for instance, after our first Peace Camp, a group of Sudanese delegates established a peace-through-sport working group within their national Olympic Committee,” Prince Faisal recalls.
“Shortly afterwards, as part of the third anniversary celebrations of the Sudanese peace treaty, they arranged for a women’s basketball team from the north to play with the women’s basketball team from the south. It was the first time in 22 years that these women played against each other.
“The event took place in a big stadium and was witnessed by thousands of supporters from both sides. It was a huge success. Something like this used to be considered impossible.”
When asked why he embarked on this mission to bring together youths through sport, Prince Faisal replied: “Yes, we are not the only organisation that works with children and uses sport as a tool. We are one of many.
“So yes, people do ask me regularly why I am doing this. I actually believe that we don’t have enough such projects,” he said.
“I think that any initiative which brings people together and promotes peace-building, understanding and tolerance is necessary. Especially in this day and age in which you only have to switch on your TV to see all the violence in the world.
“Besides the fact that we are one of many peace-building organisations, I do believe we make a real difference, simply because of the way we operate. The key difference between Generations For Peace and other organisations is the cascading effect,” he said.
“Take our ‘train the trainer’ programme, for example. It means that you might start off with one person working with children and teach them about sport and peace, but that you will end up with 20 trainers in a year’s time.”
He added: “We are also a very sustainable organisation. We do not dish out money and leave the grassroots projects that are to be established on their own. We remain involved, always.”
Prince Faisal foresees a greater need for peace-building initiatives in the world. “I predict that the global economic turmoil will fuel more violence and aggression.
“Usually, when the going gets tough, people tend to blame their problems on everyone else.
“Over time, people become less tolerant, less respectful. This often results in tension. That is why we need to double our efforts to combat this trend and that is exactly why we need to get far more people involved in making the world a better place by promoting peace.
“Together we can make a difference. Eventually we will get there. We just start with one child and youth worker at a time.”
