25.03.2004
More than 30 sports and community leaders from Jewish and Arab towns in Israel are visiting the University of Brighton’s Chelsea School to take part in a sports-based peace project.
The University of Brighton has been involved in the peace project, based in the Galilee region of northern Israel, for more than three years.
The main purpose of the visit is to pilot a new coaching package and prepare for the July project in Israel, but equally importantly it aims to stimulate interaction, awareness and mutual understanding between people of influence from an otherwise deeply divided society.
Led by staff and student volunteers from Brighton and other partner institutions, F4P (Football for Peace) has set up and run soccer coaching camps for ten to fourteen year old boys and girls from Jewish and Arab communities. This project has increasingly involved co-operation between the University of Brighton and the British Council in Israel.
Beginning in 2001 with one camp for 60 children, by 2003 the programme had expanded to three camps involving six towns and villages and more than 300 children, eighteen UK leaders and coaches, as well as local volunteer coaches. The 2004 project has grown bigger still and will feature seven simultaneous projects, serving fourteen communities and 700 children.
Staff from the Chelsea School, Gary Stidder and John Lambert, have created a specially designed football coaching package that not only emphasises skill development, but more importantly demands high levels of co-operation and interaction.
John Lambert explained the idea behind this initiative,
"Used properly football can be a great device for bringing young people together. What we learned on the ground in Israel last year was that while the kids loved the football programme, young children of that age were less comfortable with some of the non-sport based, conflict resolution, activities that had been planned for them to run alongside the football.
"This year we resolved to rethink the football coaching and design it in such a way that a lot, if not all, of the community relations objectives could be achieved through the football itself."
Project leader Professor John Sugden said,
"While we have little doubt that in the short term the children, not to mention our own students, get a great deal of satisfaction and positive experience from the F4P projects, we are also concerned to ensure that what we have achieved can have a longer lasting effect.
"One way of doing this is to foster better relations and friendships between those responsible for planning and operating sport and related youth and community projects in Israel all year round. We hope that in addition to the actual coaching having our guests spend a period of time away from the constant reminders of conflict, rooming together and learning to get to grips with another culture will promote the kind of relationships that will endure once they return home."
The Israeli delegation will be in Eastbourne from 28 March until 1 April. Sponsorship includes 60 sets of kit from the English FA, 20 balls from Umbro and support from Arsenal FC.
Photocall - Tuesday 30 March, 10.30am at Hillbrow Sports Centre, University of Brighton, Denton Road, Eastbourne.
Contacts: Frances Powney (01273 643786) and John Sugden (01273 643729).
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
