The International Platform on Sport and Development contains info on how some of sport's key values, like sportsmanship, can be used for broader social goals.
Buzz around the growth of a “sport for development and peace” movement has been growing for some time now, with experts noticing a substantial expansion of the number of organizations using sport to accomplish social goals as early as 2007. Today, the positive effects that sport can have – when programs are structured carefully, monitored rigorously, and conducted in a sustainable manner – is all but taken for granted.
But, like international development generally, the “sport for development and peace” field is a diverse and some times chaotic one. There’s no shortage of approaches, philosophies and practitioners, each one trying in his or her own way to bring the power of sport to bear on societies’ biggest problems today. Given that eclecticism, it’s hard to get a handle on just what’s out there.
That’s why PeacePlayers International would like to take a minute to highlight what should be the first resource for anyone looking to learn more about sport’s use as a tool for social goals (besides From the Field, obviously) – the International Platform for Sport and Development.
Hosted by the Swiss Academy for Development and governed by an international steering Board of 11 representatives of prominent international sport-for development organizations (including the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a major PPI partner), the Platform provides all the introductory information you need to get started learning about sport’s potential impact on society. In addition to its vast directory of organizations and practitioners, the Platform includes short issue briefs on specific topics like sport and peacebuilding and sport and gender, as well as a toolkit for those interested in entering the field. The “News and Views” section features recent highlights of member organizations, and the monthly newsletter brings those highlights straight to your inbox.
So if you’re interested in what PPI does and want to learn more about the context in which it operates, be sure to visit the International Platform on Sport and Development and have look around. Want to know more about what other information sources are available? Just leave a comment below!
You’re right. Thanks a lot for this post. I didn’t know that and I found your blog very interesting. I’m adding it to my RSS reader, and I will be back