Playing for Prosperity - Maidan Magazine by Magic Bus

Maidan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Sport for Development magazine

CONTENTS

Section 01 MAIDAN MOMENTS – S4D NEWS & EVENTS Beyond football: celebrating the power of football for change – 08

Section 02 MAIDAN HEROES Minnesotan in Jharkhand: Girl power through football – 10 Changing for the better with Parivartan – 14

Section 03 MAIDAN INSIGHTS: sport@work The link between Sports, Skills and Standards – 16 When both teams win: creating partnerships ... – 18 In search of heroes… – 24 Power Play: India at the forefront of Sport for Development – 25 British Council: Educating through Sport – 30

Section 04 MAIDAN PROFILES

The Satya Bharti way-Engaging the body ... – 34 Transforming Lives Through Life Skills – 36 Let me win…but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt – 38 Celebrating sport for development successes through partnerships – 40 Under lifesavers and Rescue India 2011 – 42 AYUSH-Isha tribal pilot project – 44 Unleashing Potential via Running and Living – 46 Youthful Nation – 47 “Knowledge is the way, to becoming Malamaal everyday!” – 48 Many Times Teachers... – 50

Publisher Matthew Spacie

Editor Vivek Ramchandani

Deputy Editor Rekha Dey

Editors Nivedita Samanta Rishi Vashistha Deepika Srivastava Amrita Choudhari

Section 05

Acknowledgements

MAIDAN VOICES I am better because of Khelshala – 53 The Tug of a Gender War – 54 Harnessing talent from the grass roots: creating champions – 55

02 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

FOREWORD

03 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

By Mr. Wilfried Lemke Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace

Sport is indisputably one of the world’s most popular leisure activities and it describes a fascinating phenomenon: people from all over the world play, attend, watch, listen to, talk about, experience and even feel sport at all levels of performance. Sport is often described as a language which everyone in the world can understand and speak, and which is able to emotionally combine and unite groups. On an individual level, sport has the capacity to develop people’s strengths and faculties. That is why the UN family, governments, NGOs, development agencies, sports federations and social entrepreneurs have increasingly been harnessing the power of sport as a low-cost and high-impact tool in their humanitarian, development and peacebuilding efforts. The deliberate use of sport, physical activity and play as delivery mechanisms in social and humanitarian work has experienced a significant increase in scope and recognition over the past decade or so. In September 2000, the UN Millennium Summit brought together the largest gathering of world leaders in history. In the summit’s final declaration, signed by 189 countries, the international community committed to eight objectives, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In 2003, the UN Inter-agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace published their report entitled “Sport for Development and Peace: Towards Achieving the Millennium Development Goals.” The report explicitly stated that “well-designed sport-based initiatives are practical and cost-effective tools to achieve objectives in development and peace” and that “sport is a

powerful vehicle that should be increasingly considered by the United Nations as complementary to existing activities.”

3 of “promoting gender equality and empowering women” & no. 6 of “combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases.”

Today, sport can no longer be considered a luxury within any society but rather it is an important investment in the present and the future, particularly in developing countries. Sport and play are fundamental rights that must be respected and promoted worldwide.

Over and above this, sport has the power to attract large audiences and can play a major role in communicating positive awareness messages on key issues and thus driving social change. The ‘Think Wise’ campaign, a joint initiative by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), uses the power of cricket to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. The project uses key sporting events and cricket stars to raise the awareness and implement communitybased cricket initiatives to provide young people with important life skills.

Since I was appointed as the UN SecretaryGeneral’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace in March 2008, I have been visiting a number of developing countries and communities, and witnessed first-hand how sport-fordevelopment projects are used to bridge divides and attract youth for education and development. In Sri Lanka for instance, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing the country-wide project ‘Sports for Peace (S4P)’. This project uses sports to bring different ethnic communities: Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim to play, connect and celebrate together, thus overcoming political, cultural and linguistic boundaries. The programme also works towards the training of sports coaches to develop their skills and strengthen their roles as active mentors for the Sri Lankan youth. Another project in the slum of Mathare in Nairobi, Kenya, which has benefited thousands of young girls and women, uses football to create awareness about harmful diseases and teach important life skills of leadership, in a effort to make them responsible citizens of society and thus helping to achieve the MDG no.

To conclude, I would like to congratulate the Magic Bus India Foundation on their commendable initiative in connecting SDP practitioners and supporting the dialogue among them. On behalf of the United Nations, let me encourage all the actors in the Sport for Development and Peace movement to keep harnessing the unique power of sport and using it to further the push towards sustainable international development.

About UNOSDP The United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), based in Geneva and supported by a Liaison Office in New York, provides the entry point to the United Nations system with regard to Sport for Development and Peace, bringing the worlds of sport and development closer together. The Office assists the Special Adviser to the United Nations SecretaryGeneral on Sport for Development and Peace in his worldwide activities as an advocate, facilitator and representative of sports’ social impact in a development context.

For more information, please visit: www.un.org/sport Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Facebook: www.facebook.com/unosdp Twitter: www.twitter.com/unosdp

04 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

MESSAGE From the Australian High Commissioner

05 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

EDITORIAL S4D: A new mantra for India Vivek Ramchandani, Coordinator Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP)India

HE Peter N Varghese, AO, Australian High Commissioner to India Australian High CommissionNew Delhi

Australia is known as a sporting nation. Our track-record in elite sports, such as cricket and hockey, is well-publicised in India but it is perhaps less recognised that we also have a strong culture of public participation in sport. The Australian mantra ‘to have a go’ leads many Australians to become involved in sport at some point in their lives, which has a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the nation. Sport is fun. It promotes physical fitness and social interaction; develops leadership abilities and teamwork; and builds confidence. In an ideal world, everyone would have the opportunity to participate in sport, but access and inclusion is easier for some than others. In October 2012, the Australian Government committed AU$5 million (around 20 crore rupees) to fund the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP) in India. Implemented over five years, ASOP is working with local organisations and individuals to build their capacity to

offer quality sport programmes, creating pathways for grass roots participation in sport. We are proud to partner with local organisations such as Magic Bus, the Naz Foundation (India) Trust GOAL programme, the Rashtriya Life Saving Society, the Goa Football Association, the International Award for Young People and Special Olympics Bharat to deliver sport for development programmes.

Through ASOP funding, these partner organisations receive technical advice and support from Australian counterparts to assist in designing programmes, which also builds people-to-people links between our nations. With our sporting history, Australia has expertise to offer, and we are committed to making a tangible impact on the lives of young people from disadvantaged communities and for people with disabilities in India.

During assembly at school, one particular prayer read out by the Headmaster never failed to stir a chord in our hearts, as we gave thanks ‘... for physical joy, for the ecstasy of swift motion, for deep water to swim in, for the smell of rain on dry ground, for hills to climb, and hard work to do, for all skills of hand and eye, for music that lifts our hearts in one breath to heaven, and for the handgrasp of a friend ...’ From the time we were children running races in wild exhilaration, to those occasional sublime moments in the sports arena, those of us blessed with able bodies have experienced the ‘ecstasy of swift motion’ at some time in our lives. Truly, nothing compares and the prospect of giving a single disadvantaged child the opportunity to experience and cherish this ‘physical joy’, is, in itself, a reward. And yet, statistics indicate that over 500 million children and youth at the grass roots in India are at a disadvantage – they do not have any access to organised sport. This is primarily due to lack of (a) safe play spaces and infrastructure; (b) trained coaches; and (c) sports equipment, compounded by the community apathy and prevailing social attitudes which ascribe little value to children’s participation in sport, particularly that of girls. Thankfully, in 2007, the Government of India launched the Panchayat Yuva Khel aur Krida Abhiyan (PYKKA) in mission mode, with the aim of reaching 640 districts and achieving sports-for-all by 2018. But like the Millennium Development Goals, this is will turn out to be a tall order unless civil society

chips in to do its bit. In the same year, the city of London won its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and launched International Inspiration (II), which had the ambitious goal of promoting sport in 20 developing countries, as part of its legacy plan. This was fortuitous for India and a £5 million pilot was launched under an MoU with our Government, catalysing considerable interest in the concept of sport for development (S4D). UNICEF partnered with Magic Bus, an S4D pioneer working in the Mumbai slums since 1999, and embarked on the development of participatory models to support PYKKA implementation and facilitate community development through sport at the grass roots level. Simultaneously, the British Council teamed up with the CBSE to improve the delivery of physical education (PE) in elementary schools, resulting in the development of a series of Physical Education Cards (PEC) which have since been adopted by the CBSE. In 2010, the Maidan Summit, India’s first national sport for development conference held in Mumbai was widely attended by the burgeoning S4D fraternity, from Government representatives to as many as 40 NGOs using sport-based interventions to promote social development. Sport for development had officially arrived. As International Inspiration drew to a close in 2010, the baton was taken up by the Australian Government, which launched the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP) to continue the good work through the

06 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

provision of funding and technical support to several established S4D organisations. Sport has proven to be a viable and economical tool and carries the convening power to produce quick results on the most pressing development priorities. Maidan Summit 2011 marks a conscious effort to facilitate convergence between sectors, reflect collectively on health and education priorities and work collaboratively to address other cross-sectoral issues such as gender, social inclusion and poverty reduction. In addition to the Maidan Summit, which consists of an annual conference and workshop series, the Maidan platform, which aims to support the sport for development fraternity in India, now also includes a dedicated website (www.maidan.in), which you are encouraged to visit and register on. It is hoped that in time, with regular input from the Indian S4D fraternity, the website will grow to be an exhaustive clearinghouse

What is Sport for Development (S4D)? So, how exactly is sport used to promote development? How can the power of sport be harnessed to transform and enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities, especially those from the most disadvantaged sections of society? S4D initiatives aim not only to develop sport in society but also to develop society through sport and generally cover two categories:

of S4D resource materials and serve as the hub for an interactive practitioner forum and network. The launch of this first issue of ‘Maidan – the sport for development magazine’, to coincide with the Maidan Summit 2011 is the result of a long-felt need to connect the fraternity and highlight the remarkable work that is taking place across the country. This is your magazine and it is you who will give it shape as our content and structure evolves to address your needs. Clearly, there is much to be learned from each other and we invite you to write in with information, features, news and case stories so we can collectively celebrate and be inspired by the unsung heroes who toil selflessly on in every ‘maidan’, that exists in this remarkable country. In conclusion, a debt of gratitude is owed to Magic Bus, for making the Maidan Platform a reality for all of us.

a) sport-plus: interventions that focus on fulfilling children’s right to play – increasing participation, enhancing physical health and sporting skills, while building self-esteem, social and leadership skills; and b) plus-sport: interventions that use sport as a means to an end – i.e. to support goals in education and health and address issues such as poverty reduction; social inclusion and gender equity It is accepted that regular exercise is essential for proper physical, mental and social development in children and adolescents, but apart from physical fitness, stamina and good health, sport also helps to develop other life skills and attributes, such as confidence & self-esteem; teamwork & cooperation; social interaction & interpersonal communication; tolerance & conflict resolution. In addition, the sports

07 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

arena is a positive psycho-social outlet and forum for self-expression, which helps to build awareness, emotional resilience, and respect for both oneself and for others. Well-designed school sports and PE programmes have been shown to support core education development outcomes, such as higher enrolment and retention and enhanced learning achievements. Communication through sport programmes has long-term effects well beyond events. Messages taught to children and adolescents during sports practice tend to endure due to coach mentoring, role modelling and peer-to-peer concept

reinforcement. Trained community coaches can instil good sanitation, health & hygiene habits and convey social messages about HIV and AIDS prevention, child protection, gender equity, environment protection, education and literacy. Sport also offers victims of conflict, refugees and children in disturbed areas a sense of normalcy and security. It supports the process of dispute resolution and confidence-building between communities, while building tolerance and bridging ethnic divides.

vramchandani@gmail.com

08 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

SECTION 01 Maidan Moments

S4d News & Events Beyond football: celebrating the power of football for change

The inaugural Beyond Football event took place on December 5, 2011 in Cape Town (South Africa) as part of the opening day of the Beyond Sport Summit, a four-day event designed to celebrate, promote and drive forward sport-led social change. Beyond Football brings together those who use football as a vehicle for social change, with influencers from the world of business, government and organised football. In December 2011, a new event took place in Cape Town, South Africa that focuses on the unique potential of football to change the world. As a sport which commands immense global passion and investment, football has a responsibility to be at the cutting edge of social change through sport and this is why streetfootballworld and Beyond Sport have come together to create ‘Beyond Football’, a new, annual event designed to advance the field of Development through Football. For its 2011 edition, Beyond Football will focus on creating the ‘perfect partnership’ between investors and practitioners. It’s about getting to know “the other side”: What is the most important thing donors look for in a partner? What projects do they support and why? What do they expect from their partners? How do they define their role in a project, and what processes happen on “their side” when an NGO approaches them for support? 100 selected participants have been invited to attend the event, among them some of the biggest donors in Development through Football, new partners who want to get involved in the field, and outstanding NGOs working with football. Major players like adidas, Sony, Barclay’s Bank and UNICEF have already confirmed their attendance. Co-organised by streetfootballworld and Beyond Sport, the event is supported by Adidas and Impact International. The social profit organisation streetfootballworld supports a worldwide network of organisations that use football as a tool to empower young people by engaging private and public partners to create social change. Beyond Sport Limited is a social entrepreneurship and is responsible for the creation, development and logistical delivery of the Beyond Sport online community, Awards and Summit.

09 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

10 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

SECTION 02 Maidan Heroes

Minnesotan in Jharkhand: Girl Power through Football Focus on Yuwa

t 29, Franz Gastler found himself living in a farmer’s mud hut in Jharkhand searching for a solution to alleviate poverty. A young girl’s desire to learn how to play football led to the discovery that teamwork could be used to forge gender equality, confidence, and opportunity and encouraged him to found Yuwa, an unlikely NGO model based on team sport. Yuwa uses football as a platform to empower girls in Jharkhand villages, with a focus on health, education and livelihoods. When a girl is born in Jharkhand, her life has usually already been planned out for her: She is isolated—if she is not seen working, she is harassed. She is illiterate—more than six in ten women here can’t read. She is married off—Jharkhand leads Indian states in child marriages. She remains vulnerable—an estimated 30,000 girls from Jharkhand are trafficked every year, making it one of the top sources for human trafficking in the world. She gets pregnant. The cycle continues.

11 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Yuwa brings these girls out of isolation and into a positive team environment through sport. Daily football practice and a team platform allows reach to large numbers of at-risk girls, and helps identify the reasons why the girls are not taking advantage of available opportunities in health, education, and livelihood. Yuwa tries to find a creative solution to any impediments and create an environment of positive peer pressure (through team leaders, coaches, etc.). In Jharkhand, teamwork is a powerful force to combat young women’s vulnerability. A girl who joins one of Yuwa’s teams quickly gains confidence, a sense of camaraderie and a unique experience of gender equity. Her confidence allows her to challenge the social script of gender inequality. “What makes Yuwa different is that all of us on the India Team, from coaches to executive director, live in the same villages as our players,” says Franz Gastler, Yuwa co-founder and executive director. “Too often with NGOs ‘local participation’ just means getting out of the way of the Bolero.” The ultimate difference lies in the fact that Yuwa girls have absolute ownership of the programme, making it their own. From the very beginning, the players are put in charge. They find their own fields, buy their own footballs and set their own practice schedules. However, ‘sweat equity’ and time are not enough—they contribute financially as well. For a girl whose parents have never given her more than a few rupees, this demands both creativity and drive; but practice is the best part of her day. It’s where her friends cheer her, where her coaches encourage her, and where she’s part of a team. So she finds a way. This ownership also leads to one of the most unique parts of a practice at Yuwa, and makes for one of the strongest components of Yuwa’s practices—peer-to-peer coaching. After completing coaches’ training at the Baichung Bhutia Football Schools in Delhi, seven girls from Yuwa’s first team are now leading practices all of the teams in the programme. Some of the girls are even coaching a young boys’ team. “Coaches here have three rules,” says Franz. “First, don’t talk too much; second is show, don’t tell; and third is positive reinforcement—always. In Yuwa, there are no laps, no lines, no lectures. The coach is the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage.” High-quality football programme and a unique coaching system are producing three more important results. First is a soaring growth in players—from 15 girls in a single hamlet organised by one girl, Yuwa has grown past 200 girls in ten villages practicing daily, with more girls coming every couple of weeks with new team lists. Second is high attendance—half of Yuwa’s players are practicing four or more times in a week. Third is that most girls who have joined haven’t left. Instead of leaving after a few months, their level of commitment and engagement has deepened. Today, Yuwa aims to build a cadre of 100-plus female community sports leaders, who will be coaching 2,000 – 3,000 girls in three years time. “We are moving into more and more remote villages, mostly through organic growth—girls simply coming to us saying they want to make teams.” Yuwa is in the early stages of developing a high-quality girls football hub (with funding from a Nike – Architecture for Humanity Gamechangers grant), with a classrooms for tutoring sessions and English lessons. In January 2012, Yuwa will host a 10-day football camp led by two professional women football players from the US and England. With many rising stars emerging from Yuwa, one thing is for sure – the future looks bright for the state of Jharkhand when it comes to women’s football.

12 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

13 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

About Franz Gastler and how it all started

What Yuwa needs

• Franz is from the USA, but has been living in a village in Jharkhand (near Ranchi) for over 3 years now – building Yuwa on a shoestring budget.

• Good nutrition for the girls – the girl who made it to the national team and got nutrition became significantly larger than her sisters (older sisters!). Girls in Jharkhand are undernourished. The cost of quality nutrition $0.5 - 1 per day per girl.

• Yuwa was started with a net corpus of Rs 6 Lakh (co-invested by Franz and a friend). Franz is from Minnesota (USA) and has a BA and Masters from the University Professors programme at the Boston University, and is a graduate of the Programme on Negotiation at the Harvard Law School. • Franz first came to India to work with the CII on corporate CSR models. After a year, Franz left the CII to get a more real on-the-ground experience, and found himself working with an NGO in Jharkhand. Eventually, he quit the NGO to do something more meaningful for the young people he had begun working with.

What Yuwa does • Yuwa uses football as a mechanism to empower girls in the poorest of communities in Jharkhand – a unique model that has worked with demonstrated results for 3 years. • Yuwa gives the girls an outlet, a forum for self-expression and something to look forward to. It makes the girls more confident, brings them out into a community and creates a model for self improvement. • Also, Yuwa has enhanced the status of girls in their own household – now it brings social status to be a part of Yuwa’s league. For miles around, the only people who have traveled across India or been on an airplane are Yuwa girls who travel for football matches. • Yuwa builds the community – girls meet and discuss life, school, aspirations and grades. Yuwa girls attend school a lot more than they earlier did.

Significant Achievements till date • 1 girl from the Yuwa programme made it to Indian National Team for girls in 2009 and 2010, and is now one of its top players, scoring 6 goals in just 5 games at the AFC Cup in Sri Lanka, helping India to be crowned Champions. •

18 have made it onto Jharkhand State teams

•

Jharkhand is now ranked 4th in the nation (up from 20th)

•

Attendance of these girls in school has increased sharply

• 7 girls from the programme have now become coaches – a sustainable culturally sound model for the development of communities • NIKE has chosen Yuwa among 10 winners in its worldwide GAMECHANGERS competition, and is giving a $25,000 grant for the development of the football fields and infrastructure. Nike’s global Football head visited the Yuwa fields in October, 2011.

•

Football boots and kits

•

Financial support – Basic money to keep the programme going.

• Land – the NIKE grant cannot be used to acquire land – Yuwa needs land to set up the football fields. • Awareness: any initiative to highlight the cause and get public support would be much appreciated. Also, featured girls would become role models for the others in the community.

yuwa@yuwa-india.org

14 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Changing for the better with Parivartan By Gillian Gaynair, International Center for Research on Women’s (ICRW)

wo young men stand before their peers on a veranda that faces lush greenery and, in the distance, the sea. They play out a scene in which one of them sweet-talks the other – who acts as a girl – for a kiss.

She’s not interested. The audience, a group of Indian men ages 18 to 35, watches while sitting barefoot on a thin purple rug under a sloping corrugated tin roof. They raucously egg on the suitor with suggestions of how to woo the girl and verbally nudge her on how she should respond. An instructor eventually uses the theatre to spark a discussion about respect, saying that when a girl says ‘no’ or doesn’t respond, it doesn’t mean ‘yes’ – a common misperception. He later stresses that there is no excuse for pressure, intimidation or abuse in any relationship. It’s a lesson that will transfer to a place that means more to these young men than any roleplaying exercise: the cricket field. The men in a training workshop on this Sunday afternoon, more than an hour’s drive from their homes – are part of the International Center for Research on Women’s (ICRW) “Parivartan” programme. Parivartan, which means “change for the better,” helps boys and young men see women and girls as equals, and treat them with respect. The programme draws in its participants by using the popular sport of cricket to teach a real-life lesson: Aggressive, violent behaviour doesn’t make them ‘real men’ – nor does it help win cricket matches. Launched in March in 2009 and modelled in part after the U.S.-based programme “Coaching Boys Into Men”, Parivartan reflects a growing recognition that efforts to advance gender equality and reduce violence against women must involve men and boys. Parivartan essentially challenges them to question traditional notions of manhood that are present in many societies, including India.

Parivartan, which means “change for the better,” helps boys and young men see woman and girls as equals, and treat them with respect.

The impact of these norms plays out in several ways here: Many parents deny their daughters an education in favour of marriage. Men often believe it is within their right to physically or verbally abuse their wives if, for instance, dinner isn’t prepared properly. Some husbands feel entitled to dictate the length of their wives’ hair, the clothing they wear and how much makeup they use. And it’s a society in which some brothers feel that only their sisters must handle household chores, and where sexually harassing women on the street is treated almost like an acceptable boys’ sport. Oftentimes, men’s respect for women is only reserved for their mothers and sisters and does not go beyond that. In most cases, respecting women and girls turns out to be controlling them. Restricting women’s and girls’ movement is seen as taking care of them, safe-guarding them from harm and protecting their bodies. Experts say that men exercise this power often and see it as

15 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

their right. And it’s true across every class and education category; the only difference is in its magnitude and visibility. ICRW hopes to change that through Parivartan. With its partners, including the non-profit Apnalaya, ICRW recruited 25 professional coaches from Mumbai schools and 16 ‘informal coaches’ – known as mentors – from a slum community. Both groups were trained to recognize ‘teachable moments’ on the cricket field to address respect and non-violence. The coaches and mentors were trained over a period of four months. Following these, they applied these Parivartan principles with their teams which consist of boys of ages 10 to 16. The programme encourages coaches, mentors and young athletes to adopt different values about what it means to be men. This is done by exploring notions about gender roles, masculinity and relationships in a space where they feel comfortable sharing their perspectives. Parivartan participants face the challenge of learning a new way to view women, as well as their roles as men. And as they try to practice these ideals in their own lives, they must learn how to manoeuvre the pressure of strong social messages that say otherwise. Many mentors say they already feel a transformation taking place within themselves. Because of the programme, they say they are treating women and girls – and their male peers – with more respect. They’re trying to handle conflicts without using fists or harsh words. And they’re gaining the confidence to intervene when they see others mistreating women. Nasir Shaikh is one of them. The serious-looking 32-year-old says that his lens has changed because of the issues that Parivartan raises. He now realizes the ‘many ways in which women suffer’ and how men are often given more opportunities. A father of two girls, Shaikh says he’s realized that women ‘are also human beings’ – they, too, feel pain when disrespected; they, too, have desires to pursue their own interests and the right to express their opinions. For another mentor, Rajesh Jadhav, Parivartan has given him a place to understand how to address the differences he says he always noticed between women and men. “Through the programme, I’ve learned how to be polite, how to talk, how to be respectful to girls and women,” says 20-year-old Jadhav, who leads a cricket team called the New Generation Sports Club. “I’ve learned that controlling is not a way to love a girl, but (the way to love) is to give her space in her life.” Other coaches and mentors expressed a similar sentiment after completing the training programme, telling ICRW that prior to Parivartan, they didn’t think the way they behaved and talked with women was ‘controlling, suppressing and disrespectful’. Now, they said, they think – and act – differently. For more information on how to partner with ICRW, visit www.icrw.org Gillian Gaynair is ICRW’s senior writer and editor. Dr. Madhumita Das, an ICRW senior technical specialist who manages the Parivartan programme, contributed to this story.

16 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

SECTION 03 MAIDAN INSIGHTS: sport@work The link between Sports, Skills and Standards By Giovanni di Cola, Deputy Director of the Office of the Carribbean, International Labour Organisation (ILO)

he organisation of sport events in general is articulated around two things; professions directly related to the sports sector (athletes, trainers, referees) and other types of occupations “non sport-driven” (drivers, builders, cooks, doctors, gardeners, civil nurses, therapists, civil protection volunteers). In the European Union for a sport professional there are ten volunteers working on any given sports event. This means that there is a wealth of skills available that is generated by these sport events. This pattern is not only European. It is actually a recognized world pattern determined by the standardisation of the events and by the rules and regulations enforced by the international and national sports federations.

17 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

For countries like Switzerland, for example, where recreational sports are also qualitatively branded in accordance with given standards, sports contribute to achieving healthy life styles and better working conditions and eventually higher productivity at the enterprise level. In other countries different cultural patterns may be detected but the development of skills through sports still remains a common denominator for all.

Skills and standards for sports events Skills are required to fulfil job tasks, facilitate recruiting, training and appointment of qualified personnel in the right positions, in compliance with standards and policy requirements. That is the case for the sports sector – likewise any other economic sector. In this respect, the focus of organisations such as Swiss Olympics on “quality training for the managers of professional sports clubs” and associations can be seen as a good model. In fact, while a sports event represents an opportunity for practising sports in a safe environment, its organisation may represent a challenge for the local communities where those practices of sports exist. Skills and good management are therefore required to achieve safety, environmental, quality and labour standards. There is an interesting correlation to be noted which is: “the more skills are developed through sport events the more standards move up to higher levels”. Take the example of a local sports event; its success is dependent on the quality of the services provided (safety, security, logistics). In a local cycling event recently held in the Caribbean, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) was present to monitor the event and to indicate what standards the event was in compliance with and those that were not. All the above were necessary to maintain the UCI certification which brings along global sponsors who look for potential small but “gold mine” events. This is to say that there is a need to maintain and upgrade the skills which are necessary to organise sport events and that local territorial synergies are fostered around sports organisers, sports federations and local public and private services which deliver quality standards for the public, the participants and the athletes.

Conclusions The link between standards and sports is two pronged; on one side the sport discipline (which is a quality product) constitutes an opportunity to create and develop skills that are necessary to organise events. On the other side sports events are categorized and labelled according to quality standards. The above link should be further extended in view of: a) upgrading sports events; b) improving healthy life and working conditions c) developing skills for the labour market and for sport events in particular; d) creating local territorial synergies and e) branding the events for marketing and quality standards.

18 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

When both teams win: creating partnerships between sport and development The link between Sports, Skills and Standards By Kylie Bates, Sport for Development Advisor, ASOP India

Most partnerships are initiated in a spirit of goodwill and opportunity. However it does not take many hours around the negotiation table to realize that while ambitions may be similar, the ways of getting there are different. Or, while the intent might be equity in decision making between partners, the group that holds the money is really holding much more power. Or, the activities under the partnership only use a very small amount of the potential the partners collectively bring. In this article, we aim to discuss some of the factors that hold agencies back from developing genuine partnerships and some ways to help agencies to achieve common goals together, cooperatively and successfully. Sport, as a tool for community development, naturally brings the development and sport sectors together. Sport convenes and connects people making it a powerful communications platform. The universal popularity of sport and its potential to inspire, empower and motivate creates a powerful brand that is attractive for corporate and development agencies* . The sports sector and the agencies that specialize in using sport as a development tool see benefit in using the networks, delivery systems, innovation, marketing skills and resources of the corporate and development sectors. In addition, most of the agencies involved in the sport for development industry value partnerships because they uphold the development principles outlined in the Paris Declaration for Aid Effectiveness - ownership, alignment, harmonization, results and mutual accountability.

19 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Box 1 Nine reasons agencies start a partnership Opportunities that attract agencies to partnerships include: 1.

Get leverage from a partner organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capacity, credibility or visibility in a particular field or amongst a target audience.

Share knowledge and generate learning opportunities that result in developing new ways of addressing old issues and complex challenges

Expand or enhance delivery systems, especially in rural areas

Connect directly with new audiences

Maximise impact whilst not using resources unnecessarily

Attract new funders or access new funding streams

Promoting organisational agendas (for example, a rights based, inclusive approach to working with communities and / or innovative, fast moving business development approach) among more organisations

Draw on a wider pool of specialists, technical expertise, experience, skills and networks

Improve programme stability by decreasing reliance on a single resource source, increasing impact and creating a profile in government and civil society.

Box 2 Nine reasons agencies leave a partnership

Getting in the Game - Why agencies start and leave partnerships

Some of the reasons agencies leave partnerships include:

While partnerships provide a vehicle for achieving an impact that an agency cannot achieve alone, they also require effort, resources and often, compromise.

1. Partners are unable to establish a culture of trust due to lack of transparency, competing organisational cultures and values or unclear shared objectives.

Along with resources for a shared activity, agencies bring their own values, culture, politics and idiosyncrasies. While some partnerships dissolve in a deliberate way that opens up new opportunities, breakdowns or limitations on the success of the partnership are often due to the failure to resolve conflicts or for the partnership to meet expectations.

2. Partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s organisational priorities result in the focus shifting to incompatible areas which exclude the shared partnership objectives.

Some reasons why agencies start and leave partnership are outlined in boxes 1 and 2:

3. Partners are focused on what they can gain from the other agency (for example funds or branding) rather than considering the value proposition the partnership brings to both agencies. 4. Management, comfort with risk and accountability practices, including the speed with which processes take place, are not compatible. 5. Partners have relationships with other agencies that have practices that do not align with new partners.

*Right to Play on behalf of the Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (2008) Harnessing the Power of Sport for Development and Peace: Recommendations to Governments

20 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

21 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

where the dominant party determines the work plan and obligations for services.

6. Partners address issues that are a high priority to the other partner in an inauthentic or token way.

While the ‘receiving’ agency may contribute to this process, they have limited opportunity to assert terms and conditions. At the other end of the spectrum, a transformational partnership is characterized by a work plan shared by all parties, reciprocal obligations, and partners that work closely together and prioritise the principles of equity, transparency and mutual benefit.

7. Partners fail to involve people at all levels of an organisation’s hierarchy in the partnership. 8. The activity undertaken as part of the partnership is complete and there is no reason to continue working together.

Principles of Partnerships

9. The partnership has opened up new opportunities for the programme and the existing partnership is no longer required.

Rules of sport are established to promote a shared understanding of what people are doing on the field and for every player to have a fair chance for success. In a similar way principles such as the three developed by The Partnering Initiative 3 , guide the development and implementation of successful good partnerships:

Understanding the Rules – Structure and Principles for Partnerships Structure of a Partnership A partnership should be structured in a way that best supports the achievement of its objectives. One type of partnership is not judged on being more effective than another; rather partners should have the opportunity to identify the kind of collaboration that best meets their organisational goals, and their shared objectives1 .

EQUITY

Because it leads to

RESPECT

TRANSPARENCY

Because it leads to

TRUST

MUTUAL BENEFIT

Because it leads to

SUSTAINABILITY

The structure of partnerships falls along on a spectrum identified by The Partnering Initiative as The Relationship Spectrum Tool (diagram 1)2 . Diagram 1 – The Relationship Spectrum Tool A transactional collaboration is characterized by a one-on-one ‘principal-agent’ relationship

The Relationship Spectrum Transactional Partnership

Transformational Partnership

One party decides One party purchases (or donates) a specific resource Inflexible expectations and contract decided at beginning Limited interest in buy-in from partners beyond the contractual agreement Transparency not necessary Risk and reward individually mitigated Relationship must fulfil contractual obligation; Equity not needed

Co-generation of programme Partners bring together a range of complementary resources and competencies Ongoing discussions with organic deliverables adapted to local and changing realities or unexpected events Transparency essential Risk and reward shared Equity core to vision

1 Bobenrieth, M. E., Stibbe, D, Changing Trends in Business-NGO Partnerships. A Netherlands Perspective. The Partnering Initiative and SOS Kinderdorpen, July 2010 2

Viewed online: http://www.thepartneringinitiative.org/

Online: http://www.thepartneringinitiative.org/about_us.jsp Viewed: 20 June 2011

22 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

This section explores the application of these principles for establishing partnerships that use sport as a tool for development.

From Pre-Game Preparation to Post-Game Analysis Process for developing effective partnerships Pre-Game Preparation Knowing your team: Assessing Capacity and Compatibility

opportunities. The capacity for monitoring, reviewing and adapting the partnership, not simply the activities undertaken as part of the partnership, needs to be included in all agreement types. Typically documents included an overarching partnership agreement which outlines the long term values and objectives of the partnerships and a shorter term work plan which can be easily revised and adjusted. The nature of partnerships can range from a relatively informal relationship between the parties, to a more formal agreement that involves transfer of resources and many relationships with a partner organisation will change over time and in reaction to a specific situation.

Post-Game Analysis - Scaling up, transforming or moving on

Whether the partnership is set up by an outside party or the agencies are going through a process of exploring mutual benefit, agencies should identify both, what they bring to the partnership and what they need from the partnership. The type of information that should be shared includes*:

Disbanding or changing aspects of a partnership is not always an indication of failure. Often, it is actually an indication of success as it means a task has been completed or opportunities have opened up to explore new possibilities.

•

What is the vision you would you like to see the partnership contributing to?

Opportunities for scaling up, transforming or moving on can be identified by:

•

What is your organisation’s core business?

1. Trialling activities for a 6 to 12 months and then meeting to review the effectiveness of the partnership and make the required adaptations before continuing the partnership.

•

What values guide the work of your organisation? 2. Bringing the organisations together regularly to reflect on the activities, share lessons and decide on the course of future activities

•

What are the strengths of your organisation?

•

What resources will your organisation bring to the relationship (e.g. money, knowledge, networks, influence or labour)?

•

What limits the ability of your organisation to achieve the vision outlined above?

•

What are the benefits to your organisation of us working together?

•

What are the risks to your organisation of us working together?

After sharing this information, partners should assess their compatibility and decide on the most important types of activities for the partnership to work on first. Having a Game Plan - Developing Shared Objectives Most partnerships start because organisations believe they could achieve more if they worked with another agency. For the agencies to enter into a partnership that is likely to be successful, they need to be able to agree on a shared purpose for the partnership and have full commitment to it. While this shared purpose may relate directly or only indirectly to the partners’ core business, it is essential that each partner is fully committed to the partnership objectives. Ensuring adequate investment in the exploration phase to establish if this is the case is crucial. Keeping score: Documenting and adjusting the partnership

*Adapted from: Australian Agency for International Development, Pacific Leadership Program, Partnering Handbook, Version 2, January 2009

23 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Documentation needs to reflect the dialogue and agreements that take place. The level of detail in the documentation should allow partners to understand their responsibilities and be accountable for undertaking tasks. It should also take into the account the evolving nature of the partnership and be flexible enough to allow for change and maximising emerging

Summary Sport for development initiatives rarely succeed without partnerships and neither do partnerships that are not built on a base of transparency, equity and mutual benefit. Transparency, equity and mutual can only be established if there has been clear communication about each organisation’s values and reasons for entering the partnership. Like most things in development, partnerships should be changing and evolving.

24 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

In search of heroes…

25 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

soon, in a movie on national TV children realize the hero is ‘inside of me’ and they go out to play. Because they saw it in a story, and so they knew, it must be true.

...when you don’t have the success stories needed to inspire the change we want to see.

lisa@goingtoschool.com

By Lisa Heydlauff, Founder-Director, Going to School

Stories make us believe in possibility, sometimes so strongly, that we change the direction of our lives. Stories for children can inspire them to realize their potential to change the way things are. When children believe in stories, they begin to ‘imagine’ differently and to ‘make what they imagine come true’. To believe is a very powerful gift! In India, we have over 440 million children, who I think it’s safe to say, love stories. Stories that are movies, books, fables, illustrated, told - stories about villages, identities, how things used to be, how things could be. Indeed, the key to changing the way things are may just be wrapped up in the greatest, most audacious, practical story we can dare to tell to children. In India, when it comes to telling stories for social change, stories to inspire people to change the way things are, there are two kinds of stories: those that are real, and those that are not. Stories for development begin and end with the real story: they are called ‘success stories’. We believe that the success story of someone from the same background as the child who is reading it, the same community, facing the same problems, can truly inspire change.

Power Play: India at the forefront of Sport for Development With sport being increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for development, the climate to promote children’s right to play has never been better. Well-crafted, quality, sport for development (S4D) programming can promote health, gender equity and social integration, among numerous other societal goals. By Maria Bobenrieth – Executive Director, Women Win and member of Technical Advisory Group, ASOP India

However, these stories can be negated for the very same reason. Children can also say, ‘it’s about a city and I live in a village; it’s about a boy and I am a girl; that organisation – they don’t work here, so how can I do that?’ While many of these stories move us, they have limits, they show what has been done, not what ‘can’ be done. So what happens when you don’t have the hero stories you need to change the world? Perhaps, audaciously, you create them. We’ve spent the past three years talking to children about the heroes they’d like to see. Based on what they have told us, we’ve sketched stories children recognize as their own. These new heroes are aged 18-25, they live in slums and villages, they take on a big problem, and follow a hero’s journey to solve it – and they take everyone along with them; that is their friends, communities and India as a whole.

Sport is particularly effective with youth and can support, enhance or complement a large spectrum of development programs at individual, community, national and international levels. As we acknowledge the invaluable role sport can play as a development vehicle, what remain crucial are children’s safety and the equitable inclusion of girls. In fact, it needs to be upfront in the design, development and implementation of programmes. Moreover, even with our best intentions, as S4D organisations, we need to be fully aware that our programmes can increase children’s vulnerabilities. There is an intentional, unique, power dynamic between coaches (and other duty bearers) and the players under their supervision. At its best, these adults play critical roles as mentors and role models. Therefore, we have to be aware that young people are particularly committed to and often idealize them. Investing in coaches, volunteers, and other role models, is an important and often under - resourced responsibility requiring thoughtful screening and investment on the part of the organisations ensuring that a ‘safe and inclusive space’ is created and modelled: this means a space where girls and boys can thrive in an environment free of any type of abuse, and as has been acknowledged, girls are particularly vulnerable to this type of abuse. Beyond the ‘absence of bad’, a truly safe space provides an environment where sport can be maximized as a tool for personal and community development.

There is room for this story in sport for development. To find these stories we need to begin by asking children, and then spend time with artists, designers and filmmakers to make who children see as heroes come true, so that one day very

Beyond India, in the global S4D sector, the concept of or actual ‘abuse’ —whether in the form of pressure, manipulation, physical or sexual violence, etc. — is reluctantly acknowledged. But too often, it is ignored as incidental, or at worst dismissed as trivial. Moreover, in India,

26 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

27 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

beyond S4D, abuse is often not recognized or discussed; it has no name, no words, and no universal understanding. While India’s laws are incredibly advanced, they are not implemented or understood, perhaps most importantly by the children themselves. This is a real challenge for Indian S4D organisations on account of the widely recognized significant barriers facing the growth of sport in India related to socio-cultural norms and attitudes.

meaning by creating their own set of standards and to feel real ownership for both preventing abuse and including girls while playing sports. Women Win, Going to School and ASOP believe there is much greater chance of sustainable success in protecting children and facilitating gender inclusion if children feel empowered to participate in the creation of codes of conduct and implementing procedures.

A study recently undertaken through the Australian Sports Outreach Programme (ASOP) indicated that currently, sport is not seen as safe or being played in safe spaces. Furthermore, sport is not perceived as safe for girls and this is often used as a reason to exclude them. Because S4D is nascent in India, we have the opportunity not only to change this perception, but also to take an authentic leadership position within the entire development sector and demonstrate what ‘good’ can truly look like. However, first, we must believe this is a ‘competition’ that is worth winning.

Vivek Ramchandani, the ASOP India Coordinator, is enthusiastic about the potential, “This project, to develop and pilot child protection and inclusion standards based on children’s own perceptions, represents a unique collaboration between a multifaceted and responsible group of agencies responding to a long felt need to translate child rights rhetoric into tangible action on the ground. The ‘Drawing the Line’ tool-box and model standards will, in the long term, benefit every conscientious organisation that works with children by sensitizing well-meaning adults to the psychological damage they unwittingly inflict on children and provide a simple yardstick to assess and systematically improve their own organisational practices.”

So, as opportunities for sports increase in India and greater numbers of girls are encouraged to join (which is a really positive outcome), the country is faced both with a formidable challenge and a great opportunity – to ensure that all Indian children involved or aspiring to be involved in sports programmes are safe and included. Fortunately India has proven itself able to leapfrog nominal practices in the field and spearhead a global movement for child protection and gender inclusion in sport for development. The six leading ASOP organisations (Rashtriya Life Saving Society, Naz Foundation, Special Olympics, Goa Football Association, Magic Bus and the Award Programme Foundation), which aim to increase the participation of marginalized youth in sports, are in an powerful position to increase protection for their participants and as such, serve as role models in catalyzing an evolution among organisations within and outside India. One inventive way India can become a leader in child protection through sport is by developing and embracing an innovative child-centric approach––one that we at Women Win, a rights-based sport organisation, suggest has been critically absent. While a few organisations have advocated for child protection, they have almost always articulated top-down legal policies, codes, and practices that are devoid of children’s leadership. Women Win believe that children, and girls in particular, must be given a voice within such programmes and empowered to drive the agenda by determining the meaning of protection in their context and in their sport. This approach would be novel and pioneering. Women Win is currently partnering with Going to School in India to grow this approach and develop a child protection toolbox with ASOP India. Lisa Heydlauff, Founder of Going to School, maintains that children possess the clearest insights into their predicament and ultimately, are the solution to their challenges. Heydlauff says, “Girls in particular and children in general have a lot to say about how they see the world…as a listener you have the ability to work with them to put their answers into a format, a business plan, series of steps, a process – to enable the wider world of adults and policymakers to understand them and enable what they see to come true.” The Drawing the Line toolbox aims to help children understand their rights and address the barriers girls face through honest, open dialogue, thus allowing for the opportunities and benefits of gender equity. It is designed to be non-threatening and enable children to discover what’s right by playing a game. It will also help children have a real say in creating understandable and enforceable guidelines and help organisations implement practical solutions. Perhaps most importantly, the toolbox aspires to inspire children to add their own

There is no doubt that India is at the crossroad of a very exciting opportunity to become an innovative global hub of promising practices for both child protection and gender inclusion in S4D. As a world power, it has continually proven its ability to leapfrog in technology and many other areas of development. Now it has the chance to pioneer the next generation of S4D strategies as well. Moreover, through a child-centric approach, it can lead the way in demonstrating that young people are not the problem but the solution to the challenges they face, much as the difference between a good athlete and truly great one is – the former can quickly get to where the ball is, while the latter goes to where the ball will be…

m.bobenrieth@womenwin.org

34 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

30 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

31 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

British Council: Educating through Sport

PHYSICAL EDUCATION CARDS: A PEDAGOGICAL TOOL TO ENGAGE ALL CHILDREN IN SPORTS & GAMES

By Mona Shipley

Physical Education Cards (PEC) constitute a set of resources based on innovative pedagogical methods to support the delivery of physical education in fun but meaningful ways in Indian schools. Although Health and Physical Education has been an integral part of school curriculum in India since 1978, its delivery in schools is yet to attain the envisaged level. In actual practice, Physical Education (PE) is not delivered effectively in a very large number of the Indian schools. And wherever it is done, the quality of the teaching and learning for this curriculum area does not often lead to strong educational outcomes. Or, students are engaged in games and sports as an extra-curricular activity rather than as part of the school curriculum.

The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. Its purpose is to build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide. It seeks to achieve its aims by working in Education, English, Society, Arts and Sports. Sport and physical education are global phenomena that transcend language, religion and culture. They have a role to play in generating and supporting that exchange of knowledge and ideas – whether it be exchanges between policy makers; teacher trainers; teachers; coach educators; coaches; fans; players etc. The British Council is working on a number of projects relating to Cultural and Education legacies to London Olympics 2012. International Inspiration sits within that context. International Inspiration was developed from the London 2012 bid team’s promise to ‘reach young people of all abilities around the world in school and communities to enrich their lives through the power of high-quality and inclusive physical education, sport and play’. To achieve the programme’s vision, British Council along with partners UNICEF and UK Sport worked to develop (at a strategic level) the provision of high quality physical education (PE), sport and play for young people through sustainable models. It worked with sport coaches, teachers, youth and community leaders and associated organisations (practitioners) to create links, provide training in, share best practice of and change attitudes towards PE, sport and play. Together these approaches worked to create long-term, transformational change for young people through and beyond International Inspiration and the Games in 2012. It is against this backdrop that the Governments of India and the United Kingdom embarked on a collaborative initiative within which they shared expertise and ideas in the areas of physical education, sport and sport development to come out with a strategy that would lead to an effective transaction of this curricular area. Physical Education Cards (PEC) as a set of resources is the outcome of this initiative operationalised by the British Council with their delivery partners, UK Sport, Youth Sport Trust of UK, UNICEF, the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India, together with key national and state institutions. In India, PEC India was developed as part of the International Inspiration programme through collaboration between experts from India and the UK. PEC supports teachers not only to deliver the Physical Education curriculum more effectively but also links the teaching of PE to languages, science and numeracy. The cards have been designed taking into consideration the existing NCERT and CBSE curriculum requirements, trialled and tested with teachers through a pilot phase and then launched as a national programme.

PEC Strategy PEC Cards are a competent tool for providing inclusive and interesting experiences to children at the primary school stage and facilitating the process of engaging them intensively in games and activities. Each Card is devoted to a particular set of activities aimed at agility, balance and coordination for classes I-III; and agility, balance, coordination, speed and strength for classes IV and V. The following features make this teaching-aid material special and have convinced the stakeholders in India that if these Cards are used effectively, the delivery of physical education will result in strong learning outcomes: • Each Card is aimed at providing the essential information needed for engaging all students of the concerned class in the selected game/activity. • The PEC Cards are organised to provide vertical coverage and horizontal comprehensiveness to the entire curriculum of physical education meant for a particular stage – in the present case this is the primary stage. • In the form of these Cards, the teachers as well as students have materials that can be very conveniently handled and used for a longer time and in a better way than material in the form of a book. • The layout and visual format of the Cards make these a more attractive material which both teachers and students enjoy using. • The pictorial depiction of each set of activities and the process to be observed on each Card facilitates better organisation of PE activities by making it easy to follow the required method in a much simpler way. • The Cards not only facilitate the organisation of activities but also make it easier for teachers and students to comprehend the vocabulary and the pedagogical tools contained in the Cards.

PEC STRATEGY: VALIDATED BY FIELD TESTING The field testing of this strategy has proved its effectiveness. The transaction of physical education through this methodology and by using these resources has infused visible enthusiasm in schools for physical education. The basic premise of this strategy that ‘every child matters’ has been proved and schools are realising that games and sports can

32 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

develop observation skills, analytical skills, evaluation skills, leadership and teamwork skills, communication skills, emotional and intrapersonal intelligence and motor skills. To ensure inclusiveness, a set of PEC Ability Cards have been developed in partnership with Special Olympics Bharat. In view of these positive outcomes, the PEC strategy is being extended to upper primary and secondary stages.

33 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

The development of PEC and PEC Ability cards gives the Indian education system a new approach to teaching Physical Education. It gives structure to the lessons and allows for both fun and core learning to take place through PE. The legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games is to see more young people participating in sports; and PEC has demonstrated this in no small measure, contributing to the credo that ‘healthy bodies and healthy minds lead to a healthy nation’.

monashipley@in.britishcouncil.in

The pilot provided demonstrable evidence that PEC • facilitates qualitative transaction of physical education in schools and helps to ensure the participation of all students in physical activities, games and sports; • enables more young people of all abilities (physical, academic, social) to take part in quality and inclusive PE; •

supports other outcomes within the curriculum such as mathematics and English

•

helps to improve pupil attendance, concentration and motivation.

This has resulted in: • formal endorsement by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), by incorporating PEC in CBSE affiliated schools and India’s flagship quality universal education programme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). • PEC being formally adopted by the Central Board of Secondary Education for implementation across 10,000 CBSE schools, supported by the necessary teacher training. CBSE has also directed schools to ensure 30-40 minutes of PE every day, from class 1-10, during which teachers will use PEC Cards to deliver 30 minutes of PE per day. This will result in 2.8 million teachers using the programme, benefitting 22 million children across India. • LNUPE, the national PE training college is in the process of integrating PEC as a PE teaching methodology within their pre-service teacher training. • MHRD through the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), has integrated PEC as one of the teaching methodologies for Health and PE in the national curriculum resources that are under development. • Special Olympics Bharat, now recognized as a sports federation, has integrated the PEC methodology within their community coach training programme. • UNICEF has adopted PEC to support capacity building of teachers and trainers through the SSA programme. • PEC can also be integrated within the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Panchayat Yuva Khel aur Krida Abhiyan (PYKKA), its grass roots community sport mission, to promote ‘sport for all’ and as a tool for social, cultural and economic development.

34 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

SECTION 04 MAIDAN PROFILES

The Satya Bharti way-Engaging the body and mind for holistic development Profile of the Satya Bharti School Programme

he Satya Bharti School Programme is the flagship rural educational initiative of the Bharti Foundation. It is one of the largest end-to-end education programmes undertaken by a corporate house in India. Currently 242 Satya Bharti Primary Schools and five Satya Bharti Senior Secondary Schools are operational across six states of the country, reaching out to more than 30,000 underprivileged young people. The programme aims to deliver free quality education to underprivileged young people across rural India. The aim of this large scale programme is to create a replicable, scalable and holistic model of quality education in the country.

Objectives of Physical Education in Curriculum • To offer support by introducing new teaching approaches and activities in physical education lessons for primary young people. • To provide a new range of educational resources for Physical Education. • To help young people and teachers connect physical education and mainstream curricular learning. • To assist schools to deliver elements of the Physical Education curricula in an integrated manner. • To cater to holistic development of young people by focusing on Physical Education, often a neglected domain.

The Satya Bharti Schools use a custom made curriculum which is activity based. It aims to provide each young person with experiential learning with relevance and usage in real life. Designed to provide young people with opportunities to explore and learn about all facets of life, teachers are trained to conduct engaging, young person-centric activities that help students obtain an authentic understanding of concepts. With help from multi-media aided technology and more than 50% of learning done outside as opposed to textbook-based learning, young people get access to holistic development opportunities. The classrooms are also designed as youth-friendly to stimulate a young person ’s mind and inculcate love for learning.

PEC- Joyful Learning through Games Physical Education in Curriculum or PEC has been developed by CBSE in collaboration with The British Council with a view to encourage games in order to build a healthy and fit generation of young people. Originating as an idea in London when the city was bidding for the 2012 Olympics, the PEC aims to help young people learn team spirit, endurance and fair play from an early age.

Addressing the Needs of Holistic Development Introduced in all Satya Bharti Schools in July 2010, the PEC or Physical Education in Curriculum has become an integral part of our school curriculum. The PEC programme provides structured age-appropriate games and activities to aid holistic development of young people. By providing activities that are developmentally appropriate, the PEC programme makes sports more enjoyable and relevant. Since it is linked to the mainstream curriculum, it also allows young people with a high kinaesthetic intelligence an opportunity to meaningfully engage in lessons. The Satya Bharti School curriculum seeks to give young people an opportunity to participate in a wide variety of experiences, inside as well as outside the classroom. The teaching methodology incorporates group work, discussions, role-plays that facilitate social and emotional development of young people. The PEC programme offers a definite structure in which physical education classes can be conducted in the schools. It helps young people

35 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

engage in fun- filled yet meaningful exercises that aid their physical and cognitive development.

The PEC Kit The PEC Programme is conducted through a PEC kit comprising of around 200 cards and a host of simple equipment like various types of balls, bats, skipping ropes, hoola hoops, marker cones and a rubber tennikoit ring. Each card has details of a game, the learning expected from it and its curricular connection and the equipment to be used alongside safety measures. These bilingual cards are connected to the English, Mathematics and Environmental Studies curriculum and have sufficient activities for a 40 minute PE lesson including a warm up, a main activity, a cool down activity and a recap of the lesson. Apart from these, teachers are also provided a Teacher’s manual which functions as a guide book. The focus of activities and tasks for young people are demarcated according to their classes. From classes I- III the focus is on movement - development and fundamentals of movement learning like agility, balance and coordination. In class 4 and 5 young people are challenged to use the skills developed so far through complex games and activities. Cross-curricular connections ensure that young people learn while playing. For instance a simple walking on toes and heels activity in class 1 is linked to the topic of shapes in Math and to the topic of me in language/ EVS. Young people also learn new vocabulary related to human body through this activity. In class 4, a high jump and long jump activity helps young people to understand the concept of measurement of distances.

The Impact of the PEC The PEC programme has changed the way in which young people of the Satya Bharti Schools play games not only during school but after school as well. It has been extremely well received and is a favourite among most students. Teachers have help in the form of detailed instructions cards and are not required to think of new activities to engage the young people meaningfully. The Satya Bharti Schools in Jodhpur, Rajasthan incorporated some of the PEC games like the Zig-Zag race with the ball & stick (a game for class I and II) as a new event in their Sports Day. By incorporating the PEC Programme in the Satya Bharti School curriculum we hope that the young people will embrace and enjoy exercise and understand its relevance thereby making it a part of their daily routine as they grow older. We also hope that this programme will help us identify a few bright sparks who show a leaning towards sports and who, with the right training and guidance will be able to take up sports as a vocation later on in life.

‘Before PEC, students were playing traditional games like cricket etc. during the sports period in which the participation of all the students is not possible. Students also get bored playing the same game over and over again. After implementing PEC in our school the students have started showing interest in games due to variety and scope of full participation. This is also being reflected in the improved daily attendance...’ Balraj Singh, Head Teacher Satya Bharti School, Bhilowal Kacha, Amritsar, Punjab

36 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Transforming Lives Through Life Skills By Vishal Talreja, Director, Dream a Dream

“I was not at all playing correctly at beginning stage. But my coach instead of scolding me or punishing me, he encouraged me a lot. That encouragement and support of my coach and my parents gave me a will power in playing football.” Girish, 17-years old.

37 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Dream A Dream solution – completing education for vulnerable children by developing life skills The Dream Life Skills Development Programme supplements regular schooling. Long-term, sustainable and consistent exposure to programmes such as sports, creative arts, mentoring, computer education and outdoor experiential camps intrinsically lend to an interactive process of teaching and learning. Such a learning environment enables learners to acquire knowledge and to develop attitudes and skills that support the adoption of healthy behaviour. Also, by providing the children with a chance to enjoy themselves and socialize, we generate instantaneous motivation to attend our programmes for the long haul. The Dream Programme curricula ensures that children use the learning space to explore interests, gain self - awareness, develop self-confidence and healthy self-esteem, assume leadership roles, develop critical thought and other life coping skills that are necessary for success in a dynamic world, but often fall outside the pale of the conventional schooling system. These interventions provide vulnerable children with the ‘tools’ necessary for them to ‘engage with life’ in a wholesome manner.

For 17-year-old Girish, the encouragement from the Life-skills Facilitator was the beginning of his positive interaction with an adult and learning to form healthy interpersonal relationships. It emphasizes the need for children to have a space to grow and learn positive, healthy behaviour. Recently, Girish participated in the Homeless World Cup in Paris and said that, he was able to make a lot of friends and had no inhibitions of talking to new people – testimony to the impact of the Life Skills Development programmes of Dream A Dream.

UNICEF refers to life skills as ‘a large group of psycho-social and interpersonal skills which can help people make informed decisions, communicate effectively, and develop coping and selfmanagement skills that help them lead a healthy and productive life’. The 5 life skills focused upon in Dream Programmes are: 1.

Ability to interact with one another

The Need

Ability to take initiative

We at Dream A Dream believe education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. It’s crucial for children to be equipped with literacy, numeric skills and life skills. It is these skills and abilities, inculcated in childhood, that make us successful as adults. They help people build a meaningful life for themselves and become productive members of society.

Ability to manage conflict

Ability to overcome difficulties and solve problems

Ability to understand instructions and follow-through

In India however, due to widespread poverty , children with the misfortune of being born poor are trapped in the cycle of poverty. They do not have access to the learning environment that prepares them for a bright future. Many of these children do not even get an opportunity to attend school, while children already in schools do not receive a complete education and are thus drawn away from academic pursuits. The schooling system for children from vulnerable backgrounds typically focuses on academics (rote learning) neglecting, along the way, the building of psycho-social and life skills. The development of the emotional and intellectual maturity required to make difficult life-choices are ignored in school, while homes and community environments are unable to compensate for this crucial shortcoming. *

If education is to be a route to eradicate poverty and create conditions of true and substantive equity, we need to change the schooling system and make school learning spaces that address the complete needs of the vulnerable child as a learner.

* Poverty in India is widespread; a third of the global poor now reside in India. The World Bank estimates that 456 million Indians (41.6% of the total Indian population) now live under the global poverty line. In the UN Human Development Index, India is positioned at 132nd place in 2007-08. It is the lowest rank for the country in over 10 years suggesting that on non-pecuniary dimensions such as health, education and access to infrastructure the poor are badly hit.

Our experience is that Dream A Dream interventions make a difference in building the ‘prerequisites’ to learning & preparing children for life ahead, supporting not only school achievement, but long-term competencies and success as well. The following narratives highlight the role that the intervention is playing in helping girls overcome personal and social barriers and show to each other and the community just how strong they can be. − For 13-year-old Naiza, attending the All Girls’ Outdoor Experiential Camp was a discovery of her strength. This is what she has to say about her experience, “Everyone thinks only men can survive hard physical work and activities that require courage… we have proven that is not true... we can do whatever we set our mind on... it just needs a little effort”.

38 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

− Mamtha’s story of empowerment after she joined the Dream Rugby Programme: “(In the) beginning I was not interested in playing Rugby… but when the boys got selected for Delhi tournament, that time onwards I focused on my practice… I got the chance to play with the Bangalore team. A lot of changes took place in my life because of the Rugby game…I got an opportunity to show my talent, I now get a high position in my class and everyone respects me. Seeing my certificate…my parents…encouraged me to reach my goal. They don’t really know why I got the certificate but they feel I am doing something good with my life. I want to say ‘thank you’ to all who worked to bring about this change in my life” The Dream Football Programme has had girls since 2007. A significant improvement is observed in girls’ self esteem, self-confidence, and sense of competence after entering the program. Initially it was a big challenge for the Dream A Dream staff to convince the girls and their families to allow the girls to play a ‘boys’ game’, dress in shorts and jerseys and play with boys. Today all football sessions have an almost equal ratio of girls and boys playing together. Children graduating from Dream programmes are now managing many programmes at their own centres. This desire of beneficiaries to give back to the programme indicates their belief in the programmes and its benefits. 19-year old Revanna takes the initiative to show children inspiring sports related movies. 18year old Manjunath, has become a football coach to boys from the shelter home he grew up in. 19-year old Pavithra, manages the computer programme at Dream A Dream. She is an inspiration to girls growing up in her community and an entire batch from mainstream college to become changemakers by saying, “if I can change things, so can you.” Dream A Dream’s Dream Life Skills Development Programme provides quality education to vulnerable children with the outcome of developing critical life skills required to make life choices. In the last 11 years, we have impacted the lives of over 8000 children. Currently, the Programme impacts the lives of 3000 children per year. In the next three years, our estimated outreach is 240,000 children from vulnerable backgrounds.

To get more details, visit www.dreamadream.org or write to us at info@dreamadream.org

“Let me win…but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt” Profile of Special Olympics Bharat Over the past 43 years, the Special Olympics has grown from a modest programme serving local athletes to become the world’s largest movement dedicated to promoting respect, acceptance, inclusion and human dignity for people with intellectual disabilities, through sports. With sports at the core, the Special Olympics has grown to be a volunteer-driven movement that is not just about the largest disability population in the world, but about all of us. Sport is a universal language which unites people on and off the field of play, cutting across the lines of race, ethnicity,

39 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

education level, social status and economic background. Special Olympics Bharat is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, of the Government of India, as the National Sports Federation for the Intellectually Disabled. In India, the programme has so far drawn over volunteer 50,000 coaches to work with over 800,000 athletes across 35 States and Union Territories. It has organised more than 15,000 competitions per year. India is designated as a Priority Nation by the Special Olympics International, and the goal is to extend the Special Olympics programme throughout the country and reach over 1,250,000 people with Intellectual Disability by the end of 2012. Special Olympics Bharat provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with Intellectual Disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families and other Special Olympics athletes and the community. The Special Olympics provides a catalyst for social change and building communities and empowering athletes with intellectual disabilities to be leaders in society by providing them with opportunities to learn skills that transcend the playing field. Our athletes hold jobs, go to school, and are active members of their communities. Our vision is to change the lives of underprivileged children and adults, mainstream them in society and totally eliminate discrimination and social exclusion.

specialolympicsbharat.org

40 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Celebrating sport for development successes through partnerships A profile of PE and sport in Deepalaya schools

Every moment spent with young people is special and it is only in surroundings of love and joy that a young person can open his/her mind wholesomely and dream. Sport provides the perfect environment to trigger a release of the best potential in young people. Deepalaya is a social development organisation engaged in educating and building awareness and capacity among the poor. It works with communities in the slums of Delhi and the marginalised villages of Mewat. Deepalaya runs schools in the neighborhood of several disadvantaged communities, where sports facilities are virtually non-existent. Deepalaya has always emphasized the role of sports in the school curriculum and encouraged students to play and take part in outdoor activities. All Deepalaya schools celebrate their sports day, no matter where they are located. The Naz Foundation’s Goal netball programme was introduced in Deepalaya in 2006 to foster empowerment for girls. In 2010 Magic Bus joined hands with Deepalaya and the two organisations have been working together since then to bring joy, self-esteem and empowerment to children in Deepalaya Schools.

41 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Anita, a student of class eight in DSSC, became the captain of her school’s netball team after showing great agility and competence at the game. Ever since, the DSSC team has been the undisputed winner of every match they play with any other school. Anita herself, as a result of playing sport is more confident and, more importantly, is improving in her studies. She secured the 3rd position in her class last year, having moved up from being an average student to a rank holder and it has not been easy for her. Her love for sports built her capacity for hard work and the partnerships she has developed with her peers and her teachers have contributed to her personal development. Anita also participates in class activities, joins group discussions and has demonstrated excellence in other areas, such as dance and music too. Deepalaya School, Gole Kuan is situated amongst a cluster of slums with matchbox sized compartments, but that does not deter it from providing quality education. With a dedicated principal who supports the right of young people to education and sport, young people get an audience from people living in their community, during the annual day and the annual sports day and this has helped in enrolling and retaining students in the school. “There is always something to go back to school for” says little Ravi, “Even after classes!” Sport is playing a great role in Deepalaya’s work in the far-flung district of Mewat, Haryana - a Muslim dominated area with very little access to education and sport particularly for young girls. Through its academic and sport curriculum, the school is rapidly bridging the prevailing gender, caste and religious divides. Today, girls in this school play netball, participate in races and also win prizes. This has helped bring a spark into their lives and led to happiness and confidence in these young people. Students of this school and also those from Deepalaya’s school at Kalkaji Extension, now compete at the Zonal level.

Excited students at Deepalaya use words, such as “excellent”, “fabulous” and “wonderful” to express their feelings about the Goal netball programme and Magic Bus’ sport for development program and refuse to allow withdrawal of these programmes from the school curriculum. This feedback is testament to how sport and play are such vital components in young people’s lives.

In 2011, young people from Deepalaya School, Gusbeti, Haryana won the gold in shot put; first, second and third prizes in the 400 metre race. They also won kabaddi, football and volley ball matches at the Block Level. One student, Jitender even won the gold medal at the 400 metre and 100 metre events at the District level.

Fun games with exotic names that appeal to children, such as ‘monkey’s tail’, ‘fire in the mountain’, ‘ball with wall’ and ‘current pass’ present structured recreational activities that contribute to the physical and the psycho-social development of all young people at Deepalaya. In addition, playing organised sport allows students to learn basic values and life skills, apart from hard work, discipline, teamwork, fairness and respect for others.

Access of sport to those with special abilities

Through sports the Goal and Magic Bus youth mentors have been able to contribute to physical fitness, mental well-being and social interaction: It doesn’t matter if play is for recreation, casual, organised or competitive and indigenous sports or games so long as they generate good values and prepare young people to meet challenges and take leadership roles in their communities. A few case studies Ms. Mithu, Principal of Deepalaya School, Sanjay Colony (DSSC) describes the impact of the games, “The students have become more active and energetic. Improvement is evident in their physical growth, learning abilities and in their awareness about health and hygiene.”

Young people with special abilities are not far behind either. Brijesh and Reena, both hearing impaired and economically deprived, represented India at the World Winter Games in 20082009, at Idaho City, USA. Through display of sheer grit and determination while competing, qualifying and preparing for the Games, Brijesh bagged the Silver in Snowboarding, while Reena picked up the Bronze in Alpine Skiing. Both of them have been with Deepalaya since early young personhood and have been mainstreamed into regular education. Sidhu, a student in Deepalaya’s Institutional Care program, won the IInd prize in the Airtime category at the World Paper Plane Flying Contest held at St Stephens College, Delhi in 2009 and qualified for the Nationals held in Bangalore. “I could never imagine that flying a paper plane would get me a chance to fly in a plane for real”, said Sidhu after his return from the Finals. Fun and Enjoyment with Magic Bus The students of Deepalaya Schools wait eagerly for the Magic Bus coaches to come to their

42 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

school. The fun activities they conduct help young people to shape their individual behavior, pursue their goals and respond appropriately to events in their own lives and in those of others. Way ahead for young people as Coaches and Mentors with GOAL and Magic Bus Five alumni students of Deepalaya are presently working for Magic Bus as coaches. Amongst them, three girls were GOAL champions earlier, while they were in school and participating in the GOAL programme. Allan, now a Magic Bus coach is a former Deepalaya alumnus, who works with about 280 young people in different areas, including beggars, rag pickers and drug addicts. He says, “It makes me feel happy when I see the kids I am working with quit drugs and commit to going to school. I feel I am doing something worthwhile and this gives me a great feeling of satisfaction” Sandhya another youth mentor from Deepalaya, who joined Magic Bus as a coach says, “If I am ever absent and cannot take a session, I am besieged the next day by young people who run to me asking – ‘Didi why didn’t you come yesterday’ and this gives me a really happy feeling.”

Under Lifesavers and Rescue India 2011 Rear Admiral PD Sharma (Retd.) provides a brief insight into the skill opportunities the Rashtriya Life Saving Society India (RLSSI) provides

Once a fighter pilot with the Indian Navy, I now promote awareness in skills to help a person in distress both on land and in water. The shift in priorities from honing skills to kill to saving lives came easily to me. I believe this is universal for soldiers across the globe! As might be expected, there was a trigger ... 29 very young lives were needlessly lost, 13 years ago on a November morning, when a school bus fell off the Wazirabad Bridge, Delhi into the river below. The children fished out lay helplessly on the banks of Yamuna dying, one after another, as there was a complete lack of trained adults to provide them with first aid or CPR. I was angry and resolved to make a difference. Since, then, RLSS (I) has trained over 75,000 people in lifesaving skills like CPR, first aid, lifesaving and lifeguarding. A man, woman or child drowns somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, making a total of more than 1 million people who die by drowning per year. In India we lose over 100,000 lives and most of the victims of drowning deaths are children. In the state of Kerala, where one rarely heard of deaths by drowning as children learnt to swim early in life at the hand of their indulgent parents, there have been cases of aquatic disasters at frighteningly regular intervals. Something has changed. The pressure of living in modern times with both parents having to work leaves children unattended, leading to an accidents and death. Half a million accidents occur every year in India, claiming over 340,000 mostly young lives. This is unacceptable and completely avoidable!

43 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

In Pune, RLSS (I) brought down deaths by drowning in swimming pools to zero by 2010 as the Society trained lifesavers and lifeguards to man most pools in the city. RLSS (I) personnel have been working diligently to erase the international tag that ‘life is cheap in India’ by directing their energies towards creating a huge bank of lifesavers ready to attend to an accident victim promptly and knowledgeably at the site of an accident. With a plan to train 1 million lifesavers over the next 10 years and by enhancing safety consciousness, the RLSS (I) team is determined to add value to life in India. Sport for development or S4D is a catch phrase these days. But with the aim to pull the young to the lifesaving movement and empower them to help accident victims no matter where they are takes the S4D cause a little further. Swimming is the only sport that has all the physical benefits of other sports with the additional value of being a ‘Good Samaritan’. Life Saving Sports are fascinating. They are played by qualified lifesavers only, replicating rescue and revival with equipment and methods used in lifesaving operations. Like any other sport it enhances the physical ability of an athlete but also empowers him or her with skills to help a person in distress. Ever heard of ‘Swimming’ as a sport for development? The case of Pirappancode, a nondescript village, 20 km out on the way to Kottayam from Thiruvananthapuram is unique. The Government of Kerala has built a swimming pool dedicated to the village. The contribution of the people of this village over the years to swimming in the country is, by itself, an amazing story. For, swimming has remained the lifeline of the people of this hamlet ever since the late N. Parameswaran Nair joined hands with his brothers and a few friends to form the Dolphin Club on November 1, 1953. At Rescue India 2011, RLSS (I)’s annual Lifesaving Sports Championships in August, all the 40 participants from Kerala came from Pirappancode. Boys, girls, their parents and guardians lent their support to the cause of greater awareness in swimming and aquatic safety in addition to promoting awareness in lifesaving skills and their relevance today at home, in transit and at work.

For more on learning life saving, please visit http://www.lifesavingindia.org/

44 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

45 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

AYUSH-Isha tribal pilot project K Sekar, Director, Isha Foundation Isha Foundation’s S4D project in the Kolli Hills of Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu

“Wanting to win, at the same time, willing to lose if need be: handling your victory gracefully; handling your failure gracefully; are things that sport inculcates into a human being” – Sadhguru To bring the spirit of sport and games back into the villages of Tamil Nadu, AYUSH-Isha – a pioneering initiative launched by Isha Outreach, Isha Foundation’s social development branch, in collaboration with the Government of India’s Health and Family Welfare Ministry’s AYUSH Department – started its pilot project in the Kolli Hills, in Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu. This tribal terrain offers virtually no facility for sports, and the culture of the tribal people discourages women from even looking out of their houses. Bound by such restrictions, for the people of Kolli Hills – especially the women – there hasn’t been any scope for sports and games. The biggest challenge the AYUSH-Isha team faced was earning the trust of the people, who were fearful of being misled or deceived. By approaching the villagers with a sense of inclusion and care, the AYUSH-Isha team was gradually able to dissolve the boundaries of unfamiliarity. The team then engaged with the women to convince them that sport is not just for entertainment but deeply connected with life. Most of the women recounted the joy of games in their own school days, but after early marriage and years of being housewives, this joy had been long forgotten. Ladies who first sat as shy spectators by the side of the sports pitch slowly gathered the courage to come onto the ground, and within a few days, they lost their shyness. Soon teams were organised and matches began to take place in a variety of games. Once mini-competitions had been held among the womens’ teams within the same village, the AYUSH-Isha team members began to organise competitions with the neighbouring villages and gradually block-wise tournaments were taking place. Soon enough, the womens’ group threw up coaching talent and the sporting standards continue to improve. The difference in their lives is tangible – the tribal women of Kolli Hills now have a new, bright, and enjoyable activity to share together in the village – they play, regularly! Involving the children in the Kolli Hills was a much easier task. After AYUSH-Isha got formal permission from the education department, they taught the rules, disciplines and techniques of Kabbadi and Kho-kho to the school children. As the schools were located far away from each other, the AYUSH-Isha team made transport arrangements and organised tournaments between schools. Teachers were thrilled to see their students’ display talent and skill in these games. AYUSH-Isha also teaches warm-up exercises to men and women to relieve muscle cramps and prepare for the games and for relaxing after their daily agricultural activities. Given the boundless enthusiasm of the villagers to participate in sport, the AYUSH-Isha team only has to play a facilitator’s role and assist in the provision of infrastructure, while the villages are now capable of organising their own coaches.

In August 2011, AYUSH-Isha conducted an archery contest attended by 32 participants ranging from the sub-junior to senior categories at the State Government’s ‘Valvil Ori Festival’. Palanisamy, a Kolli Hills resident, shares the positive transformation playing games has brought about in his life: “I am 35 years old with two children who are studying in a government school. My wife and I work as daily wage labourers. I used to regularly consume alcohol and also used to smoke. Now I have stopped both. I feel so much healthier and younger too!” In May, Palanisamy went through the yoga and fitness training program conducted by AYUSH-Isha. Now he practices yoga and plays volleyball regularly. He has found a new happiness and ease, both mentally and physically, and encourages other villagers to play volleyball with him in the evenings.

info@ishaoutreach.org

46 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Unleashing Potential via Running and Living Rahul Verghese, a passionate runner and an Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM-A) graduate with a marketing career spanning 25 years with Unilever, Nestle and Motorola shares input on making running a more popular sport.

Running has got to be the simplest and most egalitarian sport in the world, where the young and old, rich and poor, and people across gender, caste and whatever, mix together – bringing about that sense of equality, camaraderie, as everyone sweats and smiles together. In 70% of the runs that we do across North India at Running And Living Infotainment, which is free, this is what we see. At one of our 25 runs last year in Gurgaon, Running and Living group members collected old clothes and donated them to kids in a temporary settlement. We had called the kids to come to the finish line and many of them landed up. Rather than just gifting them the clothes that would have been ‘talking down’ to them, we organised a run for them and every finisher got something. Some of the elders of the settlement came to us ‘begging’ for clothes. We got them to run too, many initially against their will. The smiles on the faces of the children and even the elders, as they ran was electrifying – It brought a tear to many eyes to see how a simple thing like this could bring such happiness. Now whenever we pass that way, we are greeted by high fives and smiling happy faces. We are friends in a way. We had a Corbett Running And Living Half Marathon this year, where we got runners to donate old books and educational aids and toys which we would give to a nearby village. This was a paid run, so we did not have it open for participation on a free basis. We however invited the village elders to nominate up to 10 village residents per 5km, 10km and half marathons for free if they wanted. None came. However, the books went on to the village into the hands of the elders and we told them how this could be the corpus for the first library in that village – not necessarily out of a separate room, but out of 2 suitcases. Running has brought people and lives together. We hope to take it forward the next year. Some of the fun runs we have had in the outskirts of Gurgaon have included sapling plantation, where families bond together and plant saplings together. The bonding, after a high energy run, and the smiles on the faces and the diligence in planting the saplings – brings to the fore a different dimension that running as an activity could bring to other socially beneficial activities that succeed it. The great thing about running is that it is addictive and if people have fun on their first and second experiences, they are very likely to get hooked for life. Let’s get out and run, and change the world step by step. Rahul Verghese and his team at Running And Living Infotainment aim to get 200 million people up and running!

rahulverghese@runningandliving.com

47 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Youthful Nation Sandeep Dutt, National Director of the Award Programme Foundation brings out the excitement offered by the International Award for Young People and the bonds that award holders share for life.

A nation is always in transition and its future is its young. The young aspire for a better world and nations must evolve to satisfy the needs and aspirations of their youth. Youth development is really the crux of nation building. The country that takes care of its young people develops and goes on not only to become rich in wealth and culture but also evolves as a successful welfare state. India is amongst the youngest nations in the world and it is essential to ensure that we have a healthy and fit young populace. India’s rise in economic terms is closely linked to its youth power and all investments in building youth capital will sustain our progress. Education is often mistaken for and promoted as literacy, but we tend to focus only on the need to read and write and this is not enough. There is also a growing need for mentors to help the young, to empower them to live in harmony with nature, encourage them to develop skills and serve the community and to remain physically fit. Young people have to be continually challenged to achieve their true potential and there is no better means to sharpen them up than by promoting physical recreation in their lives. We need thinking, understanding, leadership and team spirit – all qualities that are borne of sport. Beyond just being an industrious activity, sport is the biggest catalyst in nation building, and is also arguably the best way to facilitate social inclusion and economic development. Physical recreation with its emphasis on both individual sport and team games is designed to build the sinews as well as team spirit. Learning to function together with one other to build a team is an invaluable art. Clearly there is a strong case to invest in youth through the promotion of sport for all and national fitness. India needs, therefore, to give the same regard to sport as it does to any of the other key economic activities that generate income for the state exchequer. Any nation that uses sport as a development plank not only has a healthy lifestyle, but is a youthful nation in itself. Nations that invest in their young are major economic powers today. The International Award for Young People (IAYP), is a tool to ‘equip for life’ young people in India and major components of the programme are targeted at using sport and outward bound activity as key enablers. The Award Programme is arguably the most adaptable and successful youth empowerment program in existence across the world. We have no religious, political or strategic affiliations. We have an established capacity for identifying hard issues and challenges associated with youth. Schools, youth organisations, community groups, correctional services, employers and government departments nationwide use the framework. Around the world, over 130 countries use this model for positive youth empowerment. We bring together and connect people, institutions and generations with the common purpose of youth development and inclusion. IAYP is the Programme of choice for over 9 million people in the world today. The prescription for a youthful nation is only one, challenge young people everywhere. The vision of any sport for development initiative should be to equip for life all young Indians and to help achieve their full potential. We see the possibility of a nation where every school offers young Indians the opportunity to be rewarded for challenging themselves, rewarded for

48 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

engaging with adult mentors, rewarded when finishing school, and rewarded for giving back to their communities. This really is the spirit for a youthful nation. We all need to ensure that we work to create the best ecosystem to enable our youth, and there is no better way to do this than making sport for development a key agenda in all our initiatives.

For more information please visit IAYP India website at www.iayp.in sandeep@dofe.in

“Knowledge is the way, to becoming Malamaal everyday!” Ms Uma Chatterjee, Executive Director, SANJOG. writes about a unique life skills edutainment board game which fosters team spirit through healthy competition and offers a non-hierarchical learning space for adults and children alike.

Malamaal, a life skills edutainment board game targeted at adolescents in the age group of 12 to 18 years, was designed and produced by SANJOG in 2006. The word ‘Malamaal’ indicates an individual who is wealthy in every aspect, not monetarily alone. In this light, the essence of the game lies in acquiring money and other benefits through an acquisition of information and heightened awarness levels about a variety of issues relevant to young people. In the last 2 years the game’s popularity has grown manifold and has now reached thousands of children and adolescents, social workers and parents, teachers and professionals across South Asia. The game draws on elements of financial education games viz. Monopoly, Business, etc and combines this with social education. It is played by 4 to 5 children at a time and is currently enjoyed by over 5000 children across different South Asian and Francophone countries. The game currently exists in the following languages – English, Hindi, Bengali (India and Bangladesh), Telegu, Nepali and French. The board game was designed with the intent of creating a much needed but heretofore absent edutainment tool for children which would serve the following functions: (a) Impart necessary life skills viz. information on health, hygiene, general knowledge (math, history, geography, science), (b)awareness on child rights and laws pertaining to children (c) impart money management skills e.g. methods of investing money in property, saving funds in banks, post offices (d) sensitise children to the role of professionals (teachers, social workers, doctors, police) in our society and highlight their importance in a child’s life (d) reinforce positive behaviour and admonish delinquent behaviour (e) address youth-centric issues viz. abuse, violence, substance abuse, peer pressure (f ) provide examples of the positive effects of socialising and group activity and (g) inculcate health seeking behaviour and a willingness to help others . The game, in its original form, was developed with feedback and input from street boys living on railway stations, under the care of Don Bosco Ashalayam, and adolescents from DIKSHA, an organisation led by children of sex workers who live in red light areas. Since then, subsequent content and design adaptations to the game have been made based on recommendations from social workers and peer leaders from regional organisations working on child rights all over South Asia. Since the year 2010, Malamaal has traversed great distances and has made its

49 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

way into the hearts and lives of adolescents from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds in Nepal and Bangladesh. In 2010, SANJOG’s introductory field testing event on Malamaal Nepal with over 50 peer leaders and social workers from two organisations working with street children in Nepal, was captured and televised nationally. 2011 witnessed the birth of Malamaal Bangladesh, and subsequent introductory events on the same were held with over 150 peer leaders and social workers from five organisations implementing anti-trafficking initiatives in Bangladesh. The game, which employs a simple Q & A format and has elements from quiz competitions popular with children of all ages, has the remarkable ability to adapt itself to myriad contexts yet retain its universal educational and entertainment value. It fosters a team spirit and a healthy spirit of competition and creates a non-hierarchical learning space for adults and children alike. In a nutshell, thus, the game which is all about the three Fs – Fun, Friends and Fundas, is proof that both learning and play are experiences that can bring young people together and help create a borderless world.

uma.chatterjee@gdsouthasia.org

50 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Many Times Teachers Snubbed Me. ‘You Are Just A Girl From The Fish Market. What Can You Achieve?’ I GREW up in the Vyasarpadi slum of North Chennai. Chennai is a big and posh city but my home was different. When others of my age from the richer neighbourhoods were in school, I was working in a fish shop breaking ice with my hands. I was six and the ice used to freeze my hands, it was so cold. I also cut my hand regularly because we were not given any gloves. The shop packaged and sold fish for export. But all the while when I was sorting the raw fish and breaking ice, gutting and cleaning, all I could dream about was football! The shop owner gave me Rs15 per day for six hours of work. In the remaining hours, I would hurry off home for a quick wash before heading to school and to play football. But in a few years, I was forced to drop out, so that I could earn more and our family could buy rice and vegetables to eat. My father could not find daily wage work regularly and my mother chipped

51 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

in by working as a domestic help. Football went out of my life and slowly I lost all hope. I used to work for up to 12 hours in a day, I felt that there was no way out for me. This was when I joined the Slum Children Sports Talent Education Development Society (SCSTEDS). SCSTEDS is supported by CRY – Child Rights and You partner. It is here that I understood about child rights. I got to play football every evening. Social workers from SCSTEDS convinced my parents to get me re-admitted to the Corporation School. Once mother and father realized that my lack of education would rob me of a chance to build a better future, they were all too keen to restart schooling. They also enrolled my brothers in school. SCSTEDS also helped with bus fare, my uniform, and rice for days when none was left at home. Many times the teachers snubbed me. “You are just a girl from the fish market. What can you achieve?” Beatings were considered normal. I decided from then on that I must study and show them my mettle. My football master spoke to my teachers and set things right. Gradually, as my talent in football grew, all the bullying melted away. In the past four years, I have played in both district and state level matches. Today, I am 19 I go to college – a dream those six years ago, I never believed would come true.

Jaganathan Shakti is 19 and studies at the Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College, Chennai. She plays football for the Chennai state team. She still lives in Vyasarpadi sangeeta.kapila@crymail.org

52 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

SECTION 05 Maidan Voices By Meyha Sud

I am better because of Khelshala A nationally ranked squash player from the USA shares her volunteering experiences with KHELSHALA By Meyha Sud, Khelshala volunteer

53 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

s a recent high school graduate, I decided to volunteer with a social organisation instead of going straight to University. I wanted to give back to the world what many of us take for granted. As I explored ways to do this I was introduced to Khelshala – an NGO dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged young people in India through squash, academics, and extra-curricular activities. I knew at once that Khelshala would be perfect for me to give back to the community in a unique and fun way. After two months of applying for a position, I went off to Village Attawa in Chandigarh to attend a 12-week social service and squash training programme. I knew this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Having never been to such an area, I was amazed. Hundreds of people in just one block; women selling samosas on the roadside; men working in the kind of shops I had never shopped in to make ends meet; young people running barefoot on rocky streets – these were sights I had never seen and could not have imagined. As I entered Khelshala for the first time, I saw 20 pairs of small shoes lined against the wall, and heard young voices whispering in the classrooms. The young people greeted me with “Goodmorning ma’am!” and “Good-morning didi!” without being told to do so. I was amazed at how respectful and manners-conscious they were, considering the limited extent of their education and their difficult circumstances. There was a slight language barrier, but that didn’t stop the young people from trying to learn about me, and life in the USA. They tried to speak to me in their broken English, and I tried to speak to them in my broken Hindi and we got on so well thanks to our common passion for sport. Their curiosity and eagerness to learn was apparent in their attitudes on and off the court with me. The young people constantly asked me to show them the proper techniques, how to hit certain shots, and how to move properly; they were taking the initiative to learn and be better. When someone could not understand what I was saying and another could, he/she would explain what I was trying to say and demonstrate. They were all eager to learn, actively listening and participating with spirit – I saw a leader in each one of them! If I were to summarise my time with Khelshala, it would be like this, “I have learned just as much from the young people at Khelshala as they learned from me. Not only did I learn to communicate and to listen, but also learnt more about myself than I could have possibly imagined.” I know that Khelshala has had a huge positive influence in the way these young people behave and how aware they are. Where they come from, the extent of their education, and their financial circumstances are no longer relevant because they have hope – they aspire to more – I know they will go far. If it weren’t for Khelshala, these bright youngsters wouldn’t have had the opportunity to excel athletically; or discover the joy of squash; or how to do advanced yoga poses; they wouldn’t have had help from inspiring tutors. Furthermore, they wouldn’t have the discipline, the respect, or the drive to aim at more for themselves. These young people are better off because of Khelshala and they know it. I know I’m certainly better off thanks to them.

msud11@gmail.com www.khelshala.in

54 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

The Tug of a Gender War Dr. Paramita Banerjee, Founder-Coordinator, Diksha Foundation

‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ is a cliché because it is so essentially, irrevocably and pervasively true – like all clichés worth their names. This, I believe, is the basis of concepts like edutainment – something that was earlier referred to simply as ‘learning through games and fun.’ It is little wonder, then, that activists and professionals in the development sector are creating innovative ways of using sports and games as a means to achieve positive behaviour change in the communities they work with. A firm believer in the cliché quoted above and having been a keen sportsperson, I have also learnt from personal experiences, the value of sports and games in challenging established gender paradigms. I would like to share in this space one incident that proved the validity of this belief and the lessons learnt. Enabled by a MacArthur Fellowship for Leadership Development that I was awarded (1999 – 2001)*, I started working with adolescents living in ‘red light’ areas to develop their leadership skills and facilitate social inclusion. There was a firm focus on addressing issues of gender and sexuality and promoting an equal partnership in bringing about change between the boys and the girls. One of the main centres of activity was the Kalighat red light area in Kolkata, West Bengal, where the average age range of participants (both girls and boys) in the programme was 14 – 16. Amongst the ‘situations they would like to change’ these teenagers referred to the sports events they sometimes took part in – school-goers had school sports and NGOS and clubs also organised sports events occasionally. But, they marked the following as situations that would prefer to have changed: a) All sports events had different items marked for boys and girls to compete in, rarely allowing them to participate together – except in ‘soft’ items such as ‘go as you like’ (fancy dress) and musical chairs. b)

Some girls were keen to participate in events specified for boys and vice-versa.

Gender issues came into the discussions when one provoked the teenagers to try and analyse why competitions were marked differently for boys and girls – what kind of values and perceptions could be determining such a practice? Following heated debates and discussions no definitive conclusion was reached but it was finally agreed by all concerned that we would have to plan a sports event with common competitions to check whether girls and boys were, in reality, differently skilled.

* DIKSHA was born at the end of the fellowship period and functions as a youth-run organisation where community youth form both the staff and the volunteer brigades that address issues of child protection on the spot 24X7, 365 days a year.

55 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

A local club agreed to allow only one ‘mixed’ competition during their annual sports event – a ‘boys versus girls’ tug-of-war. There was mockery and disbelief among the adults of the community, including young people not participating in the programme – as if the only outcome of such an absurd competition could be a shameful defeat for the girls; because boys have more muscles – surely! To cut a long story short, the girls won the tug-of-war. The impact was simply incredible. Spontaneous queries about gender paradigms – leading to many activities and more workshops – continued among the teenagers for months after. Adult women of the area requested us to include them in the ‘sessions’ held with the youngsters so that they, too, could learn more about their strengths. However, perhaps the most significant change is that the same local club has since made all the items in their annual sports open to participants from either gender. I can vouch for the fact that girls have won many more sports events than just musical chairs!

paromita.banerjee1958@gmail.com diksha.kolkata@gmail.com

Harnessing talent from the grass roots: creating champions By Sudhir Chandrashekharan

Profile of the GoSports Foundation Have you ever wondered what goes into becoming an elite athlete? It is not just sheer talent. There are a lot of other things that help an athlete in his / her journey to become a professional sportsperson. GoSports Foundation, a non-profit organisation, holds the belief that ‘champions are created when the right talent gets the right support at the right time. We help highpotential sportsmen and sportswomen from economically challenged backgrounds to get crucial financial and non-financial support. GoSports Foundation is committed towards building an India where the best sporting talent, regardless of physical ability, religion, caste or region, is given fair opportunities to perform and incentives to excel. By supporting the development of Indian sportspersons who demonstrate world-class potential, GoSports not only greatly increases India’s chances of winning medals on the world-stage, but it also engages, empowers and drives athletes who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Sports today have undergone transformation from representing acts of physical activity to highlighting social issues through new concepts like sport for development, recognition on global platforms, gender equality, diplomatic relations, etc. GoSports Foundation provides a platform for talented athletes to live their dreams. The GoSports team has come a long way in the last three years and today supports 11 athletes in the National Badminton, Swimming and Women’s Hockey teams.

56 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

57 I PLAYINGFORPROSPERITY

Khade’s rise from a recreational swimmer to become India’s best With a middle class background and a supportive family in Kolhapur, Khade has come a long way. He struggled to find the basic support system of an infrastructure or a dedicated coach in his hometown. GoSports Foundation Team spotted this young swimming sensation; relocated him to Bangalore to train under Nihar Ameen – considered to be one of India’s best swimming coaches. Today, Khade is arguably India’s best swimmer; his achievements range from qualifying for two consecutive Olympics, Beijing and London and he is the first Indian to win a medal after 24 years in Aquatics in the Asian games. Aptly, his efforts were recognised nationally with the prestigious Arjuna award.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Prasanta Karmakar’s rise to become India’s best Paralympic swimmer To be an athlete in India is a challenge and for a para-athlete it is nothing short of a struggle. Prasanta lost his hand in a freak accident as a 9 year old and learnt to swim only after that. Born to a truck driver father, as one of the three children in a low income household, Prasanta’s journey to become the first-ever Indian to win a Bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi is incredible.

Gratitude is due to: Magic Bus, for taking the initiative to bring out ‘Maidan – the sport for development magazine’

With the dream to become a champion swimmer Prasanta never let his physical disability, poverty or people deter him. His incredible journey came under the national limelight after he was recently awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in the disabled sports category.

The Australian Sports Commission for supporting the venture

Rani Rampal ‘s commitment to Field Hockey

The editorial team for soliciting material for publication and for conceptualising and editing the content

Daughter to a man who earns his daily income by pulling carts, Rani has been a crucial part of the Indian Women’s Field Hockey Team for a few years now. Rani’s achievements speak volumes of her commitment to the sport, and the support from GoSports Foundation has made this possible. She famously said, “If not for Hockey, I would have probably got married by now and would not even have got a chance to travel in trains.’’ Rani was the top goal scorer in the 2010 Women’s Hockey World Cup and was adjudged the Best Young Player of the Tournament. She was also nominated for the 2010 FIH Young player award, the only Indian to be so nominated. Every single athlete of GoSports Foundation has a similar story to tell. Their achievements and laurels reassure us that when provided with the right opportunities and environment, individuals can stretch beyond their capabilities to excel in their chosen sport.

sudhir@gosports.in www.gosportsfoundation.in

The authors and contributors to this first issue of the magazine

The design team for visualising and assembling the magazine layout

Changing the Game

Magic Bus India Office Todi Estate, Room no. 5 A wing, 2nd floor Sunmills Compund Lower Parel west Mumbai 400 013 Maharashtra, India T (+91) 22 4333 9393 (+91) 22 2495 5149 E info@magicbusindia.org