Football for Peace International (F4P)

Co-existence Through Sport

 

www.football4peace.eu - a University of Brighton project.

Football 4 Peace (F4P) and Rugby 4 Peace (R4P) are activity-based community relations and reconciliation initiatives.  Sport coaches, community leaders and volunteers, train and work alongside each other bringing differing communities together through sport and aspects of outdoor education. 

The project first began in 2001 bringing together Jewish and Arab communities in Israel using football.  Today F4P & R4P run programmes of work in the UK and work with partners overseas to deliver training and programmes to children and young people using the values based curriculum in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Germany, England, Jordan, South Korea, Ghana, South Africa and The Gambia.

In all projects, young people enjoy learning and playing together in non-threatening settings.  The activities and coaching methodology devised by the initiative promotes intimate interaction, allowing longer-term relationships and cross-community understanding to flourish.  The aims are fourfold:

1. - Provide opportunities for social contact across community boundaries;
2. - Promote mutual understanding;
3. - Engender in participants a desire for and commitment to peaceful coexistence;
4. - Enhance sport skills and technical knowledge