Sports and Peace Innovation Network
This project's parent organization is PeacePlayers International
It operates in United States
It uses Basketball, Football (Soccer), Multiple sports
Entered the Best New Project
More about Sports and Peace Innovation Network
A recent USAID-commissioned report identified isolation and social exclusion, as much as economic and demographic factors, as drivers of extremism and violence. Youth, it concludes, “seek training and activities that will get them on the road to economic self-sufficiency, as well as places to enjoy and productively spend their leisure time.”
Sport offers a compelling solution to this multifaceted challenge. It provides a healthy, inexpensive way to have fun, but more importantly, it also serves as a powerful community builder, connecting young people with each other and with caring adults in a structure that encourages mutual accountability and support.
Furthermore, when equipped with knowledgeable trainers, playing fields and courts can become interactive classrooms for skills such as leadership, teamwork and communication. By employing a methodology developed over a decade in a post-conflict and fragile communities, the PeacePlayers International - Sports and Peace Innovation Network (PPI - SPIN) is equipping local community leaders with the tools to make broader social impact and leverage the passion that sport generates to engage young people holistically.