Bringing humanitarian values to life RED CROSS RED CRESCENT & SPORTS focusing on YOUTH

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1 Bringing humanitarian values to life RED CROSS RED CRESCENT & SPORTS focusing on YOUTH Foreword There are many valuable examples showing how sports can bring humanitarian values alive. Recently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) created the Youth Olympic Games in 2010 which was held in Singapore to educate children and young people in the Olympic values. In 2010 European Football Championship in Poland and Ukraine campaigned for respect as an important value. The IFRC and IOC partnership dates back to 2003 when they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim promoting common values like peace and respect through partnerships and program relationships using sports as vehicle to address humanitarian challenges and reach out to vulnerable people. There are many partnerships between National Societies and sport organizations, government and corporate sector. We hope this paper will promote sports as an avenue to engage youth in meeting humanitarian needs of their communities in building a culture of peace. Special recognition and appreciation is extended to Chris Lamb, Volunteer Consultant with the IFRC and Special Advisor of Australian Red Cross for the development of this paper. Purpose The message that sport empowers all people young people, old people, people with disabilities, people living in the shadows outside normal legal systems, everyone, can be shared by all partners. It reaches people in national government, people in local communities, people in the armed forces and people in non-state armed groups. Sport is a great unifier, and one of the tasks for the Red Cross Red Crescent is to understand how that unifier can be brought forward as a key component in the mobilisation of communities which is so important to the achievement of all Red Cross and Red Crescent objectives. This documentation-, information- and motivation paper aims to point out the important and attractive role of sports in bringing humanitarian and social values alive and opens the space for your own creative ideas. National Societies, Networks and other partners are invited to participate to use the inspiring content and to send us their comments, ideas and feedback this paper will continue to evolve with more examples. You can directly respond by to youth@ifrc.org The development of the IFRC Youth Strategy and a Plan of Action brings attention to the opportunities that youth and sports can generate in addressing humanitarian challenges, and opportunities for greater involvement of the regional networks to facilitate efforts. Sport as a theme for development work, provides an opportunity as reflected in this paper for meeting current humanitarian as well as emerging challenges through an innovative and creative lens. That means that this paper is also an excellent paper for substance development on the Global Youth Conference Page 1

2 Content table Executive Summary...3 Context...3 Partnerships...4 Program Relationships...7 Priorities...10 RCRC Globally, Regionally and nationally at all levels...11 Suggested Program Indicators...13 Conclusions and Recommendations...14 Page 2

3 Executive Summary Sport, generically, and the Red Cross Red Crescent share many common community characteristics and objectives. Both are built from their communities at the grassroots level. Both involve teamwork, not only through teams acting together but through teams supporting the work of individuals. Both are inspired by similar values and promote social inclusion and community harmony. Both commonly unite their local actions at the national level, and both have representation at the international level through umbrella organisations. Very importantly, both depend on volunteer support for their activities. These characteristics inspired the signature in 2003 of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). That MoU is designed both for work between the organisations at international level and to support opportunities for work at the national level, including between National RCRC Societies and sports bodies affiliated with the National Olympic Committee. It is timely to take this framework to a stronger operational level. There is much evidence of what can be done, but not enough of what has been done in an institutionalised sense. A degree of institutionalisation, involving not only RCRC Societies as such but specifically their youth volunteers and members, are now needed to take the opportunities to a real stage of action. This will require each National Society and partner organisation to meet, share and discuss common objectives and determine what they can each do to maximise their opportunities to achieve those objectives through a form of partnership relevant to the situation and the needs of their country s most vulnerable people. Partnerships established through such a sharing should be enhanced by a relevant media strategy. This should include media not commonly addressed by the RCRC but widely read in all countries the sports media. The strategy should be developed to the extent possible by youth and should include those media commonly used by youth including social media and YouTube. Recommendations at the end of this paper look at what National Societies might do to initiate partnerships with national sports bodies. The stress should be on enabling youth to lead the partnership work, and to do so with sufficient empowerment to make the programs real for the youth themselves. It should also be noted that while the paper does not allocate responsibility for the energising of the partnerships, in most cases the drive will come from the RCRC Society. Sports organisations have a history of developing programs relevant to their own communities, and will not always see the issue of vulnerability in the same way as the RCRC Society from its broader national base. Context Sport, either in the form of contests or as a framework for the achievement of physical excellence, has existed throughout human history. In modern times, with the establishment of the International Olympic Committee in 1894 and the start of the intergovernmental community as we now know it, sport has come to be recognised as a vital component in work for development, peace, community harmony and interpersonal relationships. Page 3

4 As early as 1922, the IOC established its first institutional cooperation with an intergovernmental body, ILO, through an exchange of letters with objectives related to recreation but also to decent working conditions. Various forms of cooperation were developed with other international organisations through the years, but the main accelerator of recognition of the part sport could play in support of peace came through UN General Assembly 48/11 of 25 October This historic resolution established the Olympic Truce and commended the IOC and National Olympic Committees for their efforts to mobilise the youth of the world in the cause of peace. Many initiatives linking sport to peace have been launched since then. The scope of the initiatives broadened significantly after the adoption of the UN s Millennium Development Goals in Both IOC and IFRC have affirmed their support for the MDGs to the UN and other institutions, often speaking of the way they work together in this context 1. The partnership between IOC and IFRC encourages National Societies and National Olympic Committees to work together to identify activities they could pursue together for the benefit of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. The partnership created many opportunities for IFRC and IOC to plan activities which they could pursue either jointly or separately in close consultation. This has led to the two organisations forming a close working relationship between the headquarters, but joint work at the national level has been harder to build, mainly because of uncertainty of the resources required and its sustainability. It is timely to further define the partnership between IFRC and IOC and arrive at concrete initiatives to be led by youth in addressing humanitarian challenges through sports in their communities. Currently, efforts have been ad hoc. After all, many contexts link the components of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to sport and to organisations, institutions and individuals dedicated to the principles of sport as a vital component of life itself. This paper aims to address these general points, exploring also how it might be transported to relationships between the RCRC Movement and other sports organisations, and how this fits into youth strategies as well as those for volunteers and other human environments where sport and the RCRC share common experiences and objectives. Partnerships In recent years many different organisations and agencies have recognised the power of sport as a tool for taking their message to a wide variety of different target groups. The main concentration has been on what might be called youth targets, but in fact the groups cover all age groups. Sport empowers people young people, old people, people with disabilities, people living in the shadows outside normal legal systems, everyone. One thing the messages have in common is a recognition of the way sport empowers people young people, old people, people with disabilities, people living in the 1 See, for example Page 4

5 shadows outside normal legal systems, everyone. It reaches people in national government, people in local communities, people in the armed forces and people in non-state armed groups. Sport is a great unifier, and one of the tasks for the Red Cross Red Crescent is to understand how that unifier can be brought forward as a key component in the mobilisation of communities which is so important to the achievement of all Red Cross and Red Crescent objectives. This is clear, of course, to sports organisations. FIFA and UEFA are well tuned to the value of sport as a unifier for development and community harmony. Most other sports federations understand the point well. It is also something well recognised by the ICRC, which has from time to time supported sport for peace activities in countries emerging from armed conflict. It is well recognised by UNHCR, which knows well the value of sport as an instrument for building something approaching reasonable conditions for youth and others in refugee camps. This work deserves much better RCRC support. The Red Cross Red Crescent is very well understood at local levels, particularly in areas where the National Society provides first aid or complementary services at local or school sporting events. Schools are also well understood as places where humanitarian messages can be disseminated effectively. The ICRC s Exploring Humanitarian Law program is a case in point; many National Societies have developed good relationships with their countries Ministries of Education with this objective. A growing number of government development assistance agencies have come to recognise the value of sport as a tool for development, harmony and peace. These include DfID, AusAID, SDC, USAID, the European Commission and even NATO through its Partnerships for Peace program, as well many others. There is also a good understanding of the point in agencies like the British Council. The IOC holds an annual meeting on Sport and Development which IFRC has attended regularly since the signing of the MoU, and from this has built a relationship with UN representatives as well as with relevant National Olympic Committees and their regional associates. It is important that this level of contact is strengthened, with the inclusion in the IFRC team of National Society youth responsible for actions in their own environments. Sports organisations and the RCRC share a mutual interest protection and growth of the volunteer environment. in the This work needs to be further developed in the future, and should also include the views and aspirations of youth, the core of modern volunteer action. The adoption of UNGA resolution 48/11 in 1993 has inspired a great deal of action in the international organisations community. Prominent, as might be expected, are organisations like UNICEF and UNESCO but there are many others with their own special interests in youth and sport as a means of reaching the most vulnerable. This is where the interests of the organisations and the RCRC coincide, and the point is very direct in the case of UNODC (Office on Drugs and Crime) and its work to highlight best policy practice for governments seeking to address issues surrounding youth and drugs, or juvenile offenders. Both these topics are central vulnerability questions for many National Societies, and there is much to be explored. IFRC s work with UNODC at the international level highlights the parallel importance of National Societies understanding that an important sponsor and supporter of their Page 5

6 work with vulnerable people through sport can be the police force. There are many examples of this working in practice, especially at the local level where police often manage youth clubs and institutions of that kind where sport is part of the deal. One such is the Reconciliation Action Plan of the Essendon Football Club in Australia, which was set up in 2009 to address serious issues relevant to indigenous Australians and has since grown to be a multi-million dollar multi-pronged action with relevance in many parts of Australia. It is seen by many other sports clubs in Australia as a good example of how to develop such a plan 2. The Essendon RAP has support from a number of governmental agencies and private companies. Significantly, both the Australian Federal Police and the Victoria Police are among the sponsors, a point which has built trust and understanding in an area where there was a serious need for action. The same point applies, with force, to work for and with migrant communities and refugee populations. UNHCR has already been mentioned, but it is important to note the work of some National Societies, sometimes on their own and sometimes with partners in support. The British Red Cross ran a conference on migration and conflict in 2011 in London. It did not involve sport as it s commonly understood, but was a teamwork exercise in which young people aged between 13 and 17 competed through a series of exercises and workshops to build wider understanding of a range of social issues emerging from migration. 15 EU National Societies took part in the conference, as well as the ICRC and experts from outside the Movement 3. Another is the work of the Turkmenistan Red Crescent, which ran a project with support from the Danish Red Cross in 2011 entitled Volunteer Mentor Service for children and youth at risk. The project included sports events as a means of bringing the children within the learning, and with youth themselves empowered to work with the children it stands as another good example of a National Society making use of sport in the management of its humanitarian program. Action by the Swiss Red Cross youth in 2011, bringing together year old Swiss youth and youth from migrant communities with sport as the agent of bonding was also well received by the communities and is to be repeated 4. In September 2011, the Lebanese Red Cross Youth Department, in collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Culture, organised and launched a multi-day Peace Festival, employing a series of nonconventional creative activities to spread the message of peace and humanitarian values to youth and children including the "Run for Peace" Race which took off for 4 kilometers around Beirut Downtown. The private sector provides a large number of potential partners for National Societies keen to develop the potential of sport as part of their humanitarian programming. The Olympic Games are well-known for the way they have attracted major sponsors, but so are sports events in capital cities all over the world. National Societies are in a position to use their humanitarian diplomacy skills to link to the work of national sports details available from Images/Sharing-learning 4 Project of the Zurich Branch of the Swiss Red Cross Page 6

7 federations in the expectation that there will be areas of common purpose which might attract good levels of sponsorship. There are also an infinite number of NGOs, foundations, institutes and other entities around the world which would make good discussion or operational partners for National Societies. National Societies should know what is available in their country, and should arrange to meet them and share experience and knowledge. As an example, the Policy Centre for Roma and Minorities in Romania, funded by the European Commission, the Netherlands Government, Bucharest embassies and some other sources, would seem a very useful contact point both for the Romanian Red Cross and for other National Societies wrestling with the problem described by the Policy Centre as anti-gypsyism 5. It is also useful to look at the coverage of sports events by major media and consider whether it would be practical to envisage that media using a sports event to support a humanitarian cause. One example, but there are many, is the way the International Cricket Council (ICC) launched a worldwide appeal for countries affected by the tsunamis in December Just three weeks after the tsunamis struck, the ICC was able to mobilise a cricket match involving most of the world s best players. The match was held in Melbourne, was televised around the world and raised over $11 million. The proceeds from the cricket match went to World Vision. RCRC should position itself so that it can in future be the charity of choice for such actions but this will require some work within the Movement, especially on the ownership of the funds. This cricket fundraising point applies to most major sport events as a source of funds. IFRC may need to give new attention to this, especially as the world is now increasingly borderless with respect to the movement of money and fundraising in the Web. Other forms of engagement with the public are available through many different vehicles. It is important to look beyond traditional media to connect to the public, and to find ways of reaching audiences beyond those normally reached through Red Cross Red Crescent channels. One which illustrates this point is the opportunity afforded by FICTS, Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs. FICTS has an annual festival of sports films. In 2012 one of the films selected for the festival (which will conclude with awards in Milan in December) is Tackling Peace, a film made about an Australian Rules football team composed equally of Israelis and Palestinians which competed for an international cup in a competition which takes place every three years in Australia 7. It is a remarkable story about the way sport is an active and effective ingredient in the building of trust between communities divided by conflict but united by heritage 8. The film Invictus produced in 2009 also provides a powerful example of how rugby through the encouragement of Nelson Mandela had changed South Africa and the minds and hearts of a nation. 5 is a good example of work which coincides with the subject matter of this paper. The Center s annual sports wrap-up report for 2011 is at See 7 A snapshot description of the film, and a trailer, is at 8 The schedule for the FICTS challenge in 2012 is at option=com_content&view=article&id=2674%3aworld-ficts-challenge-2012&catid=139%3aworld-fictschallenge&lang=en. Page 7

8 These points underline the importance of bringing sports media into the equation. In all countries the sports pages of newspapers and other sports media have a wide audience, and one which includes many people who would not normally read the standard news and opinion pages in which RCRC information is more likely to appear. Programme Relationships Sport is a tool for the building and strengthening of relationships between organisations which often have different end objectives but which are able to relate those objectives to each other at the implementation level which they each move forward towards different but consistent goals. One such is the work done in Kibera, Kenya, by a number of different local, national and international organisations to help the residents of this poverty-stricken community break out of poverty and build development opportunities and prosperity for themselves. Kibera has welcomed the support of local organisations like its Youth Development through Sport Camp, national organisations like the Kenya Red Cross Society and international organisations like UN-Habitat. These are just some of very many which have been involved, but sport has played a key role in imparting key athletic/intellectual skills and social skills, with a focus on empowerment and also specific objectives related to HIV/AIDS 9. Work in Kibera has also been the subject of important films, through which many people and organisations elsewhere in the world have been sensitised to the work done in Kibera by its own people with assistance from elsewhere, on a wide range of poverty-related topics. One such topic is the challenge of rapid urbanisation, a challenge in most countries but of particular relevance in parts of the developing world where local infrastructure cannot cope with urban growth. A good film on the topic was produced in 2010 by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and distributed world-wide as well as to National Societies in the RCRC 10. Some sports organisations have their own sports-related reasons for pursuing programmes which benefit peace and harmony in their communities and that in turn brings support from other organisations helps build a community of interest to the Red Cross Red Crescent. Sometimes these take place in countries which have a governmental interest in the building of relationships between migrant communities and the host population. One such is the program held in Australia under the aegis of the Unity Cup, an Australian Rules football competition staged in Melbourne. The Unity Cup basically involves teams from migrant communities playing in a competition which brings the youth of those communities together within the fabric of a very popular but essentially local football code. It has wide corporate sponsorship, but is also sponsored by the Government of Victoria, the Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police and a number of national league football clubs. The Reconciliation Action Plan mentioned above is sponsored by the same groups, and runs alongside this program, but the target groups are a little different. The Unity Cup has proved very successful for each of the sponsors, although their ultimate objectives might be different. The football clubs have improved their membership and audience, the police force has been able to work in ways which build 9 See, for example, Page 8

9 confidence in their work among communities which have had little trust in the police in their own countries in the past, the commercial sponsors have been able to meet their own diversity and market objectives, and the government has been gratified by the ability of sport to build community harmony and increase cooperation and tolerance among populations with no good history of togetherness 11. It has many specific objectives and strives to overcome discrimination, improve health and combat disease, to promote gender equality, fight violence and secure environmental sustainability. The YDF (Youth Development through Football) initiative started in 2007 as an African supranational program established with funding from the German Government and cofunding from the European Union. It operates in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia. The project is targeted at girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 20, and sees football as a tool for education, participation and inclusion. It has many specific objectives and strives to overcome discrimination, improve health and combat disease, to promote gender equality, fight violence and secure environmental sustainability. It engages disadvantaged and disabled youth, empowering them with the skills to develop their personalities and characters positively. The project has private sector support 12, it also has an official theme song sung by a prominent Namibian singer and band, and local designers have created an YDF fashion line. The International NGO CARE has an initiative Sport for Social Change which uses sports as a vehicle for minimising the effects of poverty on marginalised youth and young adult populations. Its website 13 gives information on its objectives and activities, and it appears to be a good model for cooperation with the private sector on the achievements of strong objectives in work for vulnerable populations in a wide range of countries. It is currently in action in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Ghana and Brazil. At the international level, the Sport and Development Platform 14 hosted by the Swiss Academy for Development in Bienne is of special interest. It brings together a wide range of governmental stakeholders including development organisations and sports commissions as well as non-governmental organisations like the International Alliance for Youth Sports and some Olympic-related bodies. IFRC took part in some of its work in its early days, and this is something which should be reactivated, even if only to provide information and advice to National Societies about contributions to the Platform from their countries. The relationship of sport and peace is actively studied by a large number of organisations, too many to be listed in this paper. One, however, which IFRC met through contact established at the IOC, is the Organisation for Peace and Sport, headquartered in Monaco. Its objective is the building of sustainable peace through 11 A good snapshot of the Unity Cup and its stakeholders is at april/fourth-annual-unity-cup-family-day-celebrations-in-melbourne.aspx, in the website of the Australian Federal Police lists the partners and a lot more information is available on this project from the website Page 9

10 sport, and its activities have attracted widespread interest and praise. Its last forum, in 2011, attracted participants from over 100 countries including five Heads of State, and it deserves continuing attention from IFRC, as in the past in conjunction with the Monaco Red Cross Society. The report of the 2011 forum included a number of points which fit comfortably with RCRC objectives, including a commitment to recognise the legitimacy of young people as agents for change. The 2011 forum was the first at which young people were invited to speak 15. Many National Societies have seen sports as an important component in their Youth programs. Youth camps commonly have sports programs, and where such programs reach out to the wider community in their country they can incorporate other goals 16. Especially at the branch and local level, the association of the Red Cross Red Crescent with sports organisation is part of their normal life. The provision of first aid, or medical support, or sports medicine, or training for grandstand or crowd safety is something done in various forms by many National Societies in all cultures 17. It frequently involves youth, and provides an important leadership role for young people throughout the year. An increasing number of National Societies make use of social media, including YouTube, to link their youth work to sports actions with a specific National Society objective. The Malaysian Red Crescent, for example uses Facebook for a first aid purpose, generating a series of participatory comments from some young people on the value of the program and from others on the fact that they hold Basic First Aid or CPR certificates 18 and which they use in connection with voluntary service at sports events. At a different level, and to show the range of activities which are of importance with respect to youth, children and RCRC priorities, IFRC took part in the World Congress of Family Law in 2002, opening a possibility for National Societies to provide awarenessraising to family court judges around the world confronted with the question of how best to resolve cases where divorce cases raised complicated child custody questions when one or more of the divorcing parents was living with HIV/AIDS. Judges were grateful for this opportunity, recognising that HIV/AIDS introduced an entirely new dimension to the issue of determining the best interests of the child in such situations. The discussions gave rise to opportunities for IFRC and National Societies to learn more about such vulnerabilities from NGOs 19. More research into the range of program linkages should be commissioned, and there should be much more National Society sharing of experience in this field, and much more IFRC priority attached to obtaining the information and publishing it in a suitable knowledge-sharing format There are many possible examples, but shows how the youth clubs of the Egyptian Red Crescent provide sports activities to attract young people to environments where they can be involved in first aid and disaster preparedness actions. 17 See for example American Red Cross Sport Safety Training provided under an agreement with the US Olympic Committee: vgnextoid=821a46a80f2bb110vgnvcm f0870arcrd&vgnextchannel=aea70c45f663b110vgnvcm f0870aRCRD One such is ACHE, Action on Child Exploitation: Page 10

11 Priorities The priorities for IFRC and National Society work on youth issues have been comprehensively addressed in recent years. The work done around the 150 th anniversary of the Battle of Solferino, at the battlefield, and the resultant Declaration is a good example of the way youth from around the world have come together under the aegis of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to set objectives and ways of working. The Youth Declaration adopted at Solferino in June 2009 sets out a powerful agenda for youth in the modern world, aligned with Strategy 2020 it challenges National Society leadership to support the determination of Red Cross Red Crescent youth to do more, do better, and reach further. An IFRC flagship initiative Youth as Agents of Behavioural Change (YABC) empowers youth to take up a leadership role in inspiring a positive transformation of mindsets, attitudes and behaviours within themselves and their communities. Rooted in an experiential learning approach, using a non-cognitive methodology, and relying on non-formal peer education, the YABC program has had strong impact and results. For example, young volunteers actively engaged in the IFRC regional YABC program in North Africa organized a football match mixing young migrants and youth from local communities to encourage cooperation, challenge stereotypes and prejudices, and thereby foster respect for diversity and intercultural dialogue. Young sports personalities are volunteering and acting as role models and ambassadors in promoting a culture of non-violence and peace. This sits alongside work done by many sports clubs around the world to stress ethical behaviour for the team members and supporters, and to use sports ambassadors to help make a difference for vulnerable youth in troubled circumstances, as well as creating a culture of peace, non-discrimination and harmony throughout the world. Sports Ambassadors have been identified and brought into many different aspects of the humanitarian environment over the years. The manner varies from country to country in accordance with local needs and traditions, but a good snapshot of possibilities is available from the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP). Its website 20 currently includes 100 women and men from everywhere in the world and from virtually all major sports. The largest number have been identified by UNICEF, but the list of accrediting organisations also includes WFP, UNHCR, STOP-TB, UNAIDS and many more. There is a full list of accrediting UN organisations in the website which is well worth examining to see the range of activities the sports personalities undertake. Many National Societies have used sports ambassadors of one kind or another to advance issues of importance. Some involve spectacular events 21, others involve celebrity appearances 22 and there are many more examples Such as the Australian Red Cross sponsorship of a runner who has just completed a run from the North to South poles to fund RC projects in Timor Leste, also raising money for the American and Canadian RC Societies. More on this is at 22 Such as the Chinese/Singaporean athlete and film star Jet Li: Page 11

12 Celebrity ambassador roles are not a function which should be treated as easy to arrange or manage. It would be useful if IFRC could arrange information and experience-sharing on the way these are best organised, if at all. Priorities set for the RCRC from the Solferino Youth Declaration have been tested by National Societies and further conclusions about prioritisation and action have been refined at regional and global meetings convened by IFRC. The Global Volunteer Conference convened by IFRC and UN Volunteers in Budapest in September 2011 also highlighted sports as an enabler for promoting for volunteering and community building. More directly, the focus of sports and volunteering strengthened the connection of volunteers to youth, and to sport (footnote 21). The Conference declaration included a commitment by the participants to bring it to the attention of relevant international fora, including the 31 st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in With the view to building respect for diversity, nonviolence and social inclusion through the use of sports, arts and other creative methodologies reaching out to children, youth and the community at large, the IOC and the IFRC introduced a joint pledge at the 31 st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent calling on partnerships and collaboration of organisations and governments to achieve these aims. The International Alliance for Youth Sports conference under the slogan Game On! which also has a program for youth ambassadors but mainly in the field of sport itself also actively promotes youth action among young people throughout the world 23. RCRC Globally, Regionally and Nationally at all levels It is important first to note that the general subject of youth: including youth involvement in governance and management, youth empowerment, youth as volunteers, programs for youth, programs with youth, programs by youth, and more has been the subject of discussion and resolutions by the Movement s highest bodies and by the governance of all National Societies since the earliest days of decisionmaking. The Movement s early decisions, as reflected in the work of the League of Red Cross Societies in the 1920s, aimed at encouraging the creation of Youth Red Cross Societies in each country. Over time, this energy moved to search for ways to integrate youth in the decision-making processes and management of the National Society as a whole. One reason for that was the view in some countries that are far from giving youth a real voice, the Youth Societies tended to marginalise youth ideas and energy. Finding a way best to bring the minds and energies of young people into the leadership zone in National Societies and IFRC is a continuing process. IFRC s Youth Commission has been revitalised in recent years and now has a significantly heightened status, with its Chair holding a seat on the IFRC Governing Board. The Commission also has an agenda which regularly covers issues brought forward by youth and which are relevant to the priorities of the Movement and its institutions. Many National Societies now have positions in their governance reserved for youth and in many countries RCRC youth play an important role in arrangements set up by or for youth. The organisational traditions of many National Societies have had difficulty adapting to the rapid explosion of the internet and other means of electronic communication in recent years, with the result that in many National Societies youth groups have set up their own mechanisms for contact with colleagues and partners Page 12

13 These mechanisms, perhaps especially Facebook, provide an easy means for youth to link their interests in the RCRC, their National Societies priorities and sporting organisations or activities. Facebook also enables youth to share ideas and experience very quickly, to get feedback or fresh ideas from other people in their own and other countries, and to build the collaborative strength from which their ideas obtain power. This is true in many countries, and at many levels. It also works easily across cultures, and helps link people in diaspora communities to their friends and relatives in their countries of origin. Sports organisations and clubs make extensive use of Facebook, and this might be a good vehicle for partnering which youth can easily access. International organisations at all levels recognise the value of sport in programs for peace, development and community harmony. An important contribution is made to such programs by the scientific approach adopted by the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), which enjoys a relationship with IFRC and with a number of National Societies. It enables internationally gleaned experience to be translated into locally valuable ideas, and there is much to be gained from strengthening links with ICSSPE 24. IFRC has led a strong process aiming to build governmental and National Society commitment to Youth and Sport programs and others related to these actions. The Pledge introduced at the 31 st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2011 by IOC and IFRC on strengthening local humanitarian action, with a specific commitment concerning youth and sports pledge has so far been signed by 57 National Societies and 2 Governments and 4 observer organisations (including the International Olympic Committee) 25. Efforts by both organisations will be made to encourage more to sign on to this pledge. Olympic cooperation reached a new height in 2010 at the first Youth Olympic Games were held in Singapore. IFRC with the support of the Singapore Red Cross Society and Asia Pacific Zone Office, IFRC provided significant resources and skills to the humanitarian heart of the Games, with a pavilion, volunteers, and experts on humanitarian issues identified by the Games organisers 26. The first Youth Winter Olympics was held in Innsbruck, Austria in It was a great success. The IFRC together with the Austrian Red Cross organised a series of interactive and educational activities around the topics of HIV and AIDS awareness, first aid, promotion of blood donation, healthy lifestyles and positive images in relation to migrant people. These programmes addressed young athletes as well as children and youth from local schools. These initiatives provided a valuable link of introducing young athletes and volunteering opportunities with the Red Cross Red Crescent when they returned home. Work with the IOC has led to a change in perception in many RCRC of the outcomes which such cooperation should produce. In the first days of work under the IOC MoU, 24 A good example of this value is available from an ICSSPE seminar on Sport in Disaster Management conducted in Berlin in 2007 and co-produced by the German Red Cross and several other partners. index_ff1ee35b.php.html has some details action=opendocument&documentid=5644a68c5367ef72c f Page 13

14 a common question was how much money will this produce? Later, however, RCRC people came to understand the operational value which comes from cooperation between IFRC and IOC as peak organisations functioning as umbrellas for the biggest volunteer networks in the world, and with many shared interests including in the empowerment of youth. The same general spirit has yet to be as clearly identified in work with other peak sports bodies, and it is important that IFRC should build strong relationships with an operational focus in such sports as football (all codes football is the name given to codes other than soccer in some countries) and all others which have a wide international audience and participation. This is not the same as seeking to be named as the charity of choice for an event or a sport, but there can be links between the two. National Societies should remain alert to opportunities to be named the charity of choice for a sports event or team, and IFRC should stimulate these opportunities through its own relationships with peak bodies at global or regional levels. The link comes through very clearly from the place of the Uganda Red Cross Society as the charity of choice for what is billed as the country s biggest sporting event, the Kampala Marathon. The event is sponsored by MTN, a South African multinational communications and network company operating in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. A quick idea of what the partnership means for operational and resource purposes is clear from the newsletter of a Chinese company working with fitness equipment in Uganda and other countries it provides a fine case example of the MTN Marathon s support for the needs of pregnant women in IDP camps in northern Uganda, all through a scheme conceived by the Uganda Red Cross 28. The MTN example is one which should be available to National Societies in the other countries served by the company. Work at the regional level is often very productive. A good example is the work of the RCRC Centre for Cooperation in the Mediterranean, which organised a programme, entitled Atlantis VII in Tunisia in July 2011 at which young volunteers from the regional countries could meet, share experience and contribute to their empowerment. Sport was part of the discussion and was distinctly mentioned by the Egyptian Red Crescent 29. There are many other examples, but the Mediterranean is useful for its spread across several different cultures and lifestyles. The IFRC Youth Development Plan for brings attention to the opportunities that youth and sports can generate in addressing humanitarian challenges, and opportunities for greater involvement of the regional networks to facilitate efforts. Sport as a theme for development work, provides an opportunity as reflected in this paper for meeting current humanitarian as well as emerging challenges through an innovative and creative lens. It is pleasing that the International Conference emphasis on Youth and on Sports alongside Strategy 2020 has led to a new examination of possibilities. The fact that the representative of the President of the International Olympic Committee at the International RCRC Conference in 2011 used the language of Strategy 2020 when endorsing the IFRC Skills and Values based education pledge augurs very well for the future in this important field All documentation including the report at _pageid=174, ,174_ &_dad=portal30&_schema=portal30 Page 14

15 Suggested Programme Indicators a) % of partnerships with organisations, including academic institutions utilising sports as a vehicle for addressing humanitarian challenges; b) % of increase in awareness and advocacy around youth and sport, i.e. websites and social media including YouTube, etc. c) increase in number of youth volunteers engaged, i.e. new volunteers recruited as well as existing ones involved in programmes related to youth and sport as a vehicle for change. d) % of governance and decision-making presence of youth in National Societies and IFRC in furthering youth-led programme initiatives. Conclusions and Recommendations To recognise the potential that sports can unleash when systematically included in processes of social change this topic should be high up in the RCRC agenda in general and for youth especially. Using sports as a tool for education, participation and inclusion, the [Youth & Sports] project strives to overcome discrimination, improve health and combat disease, to promote gender equality, fight violence and secure environmental sustainability. It engages disadvantaged and disabled people, empowering them with the skills to develop their personalities and characters positively. (see YDF, Youth Development through football, South Africa, The above points represent the viewpoint of RCRC Movement and should be at least agreed on eventually signed by ourselves and included in our agenda. Conclusions 1. Values like respect, fairness, health, peace, are RCRC- and also Sports - values. Sport is a brilliant chance to bring these values to live and make them accessible for many human beings in a very authentic, passionate and sustainable way. 2. Intergenerational: Sports, from Youth to Senior citizens, is an intergenerational topic. Most listed sport-initiatives (projects etc.) with the RCRC and outside of it definitively involve people of different ages. They are the actors and in most cases act as a team with a valuable spirit. Page 15

16 3. National Society experiences: There are a lot of experience and examples of Youth and Sports and RCRC and Sports in the National Societies. Some of these initiatives, projects and activities we get to know, there are also many we are unaware of. The partnership of implementing activities should be between the National Olympic Committees and National Societies. 4. Possible Categories of RCRC (Youth) and Sport activities (Overview) a. RCRC-cooperation with sport organisations and sport clubs at all levels b. RCRC-sport activities together with other Voluntary organizations e.g. refugee organisation (sports and migration) c. Fundraising cooperations on Sports and Sports-Charity-Events for RCRC projects d. Internal sports activities for RCRC to strengthen the team spirit of RCRC- Teams (staff and volunteers) 5. Strategy 2020: Strategy 2020 tackles the whole topic especially Strategic aim 2, Strategic aim 3 and Enabling Action 1. Recommendations 1.RCRC and Sports: The general topic should be Red Cross Red Crescent and Sports (including all components of the Movement) because as mentioned above this cooperation is an inter-generational business. Especially in the European Year of active Aging and Inter-generational Dialogue 2012 we should promote intergenerational projects. Youth and sports is a part of it and a focal point of this wider topic of synergies and co-operations. 2.RCRC Values: The RCRC-Value-Profile has to be sharpened on the basis of the Fundamental principles. We have to figure out what are the special RCRC-values we want to highlight and bring into Sports, what is the unique RCRC approach and the unique RCRC-profile we want to make visible in cooperation with sports. 3.Health: One of the most important values of RCRC in the context with sports will be health. Aligning with Strategy 2020 (strategic aim 2) RCRC & Sports could promote a healthy life style among young people and preventing NCD (non communicable diseases). It will be important that these actions should already be implemented in school education. 4.Strategic guidance: A strategic partnership will be developed with concrete deliveries. The topic Youth and Sports should be a part of the IFRC Global Youth Strategy we will start to develop in 2012 together with the IFRC Youth Commission, the youth leaders of National Societies, Youth Networks and partner organisations. Furthermore Youth and sports also will be a topic at the Global Youth Conference 2012 in Vienna. 5.RCRC & Partners: A partnership will facilitate a greater impact in serving vulnerable communities and meet collective humanitarian causes. Through a sustainable partnership we will be able to have high visibility of our joint humanitarian initiatives at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games 2014 in Nanjing (China) and 2016 in Lillehamer (Norway), as well as the main Olympic Games. So we have to prepare. Page 16