University of Brighton peace initiative commended in national campaign

The Football 4 Peace International scheme, set up in 2001, features in the ‘UK’s Best Breakthroughs’ list, part of the new ‘MadeAtUni’ campaign that celebrates the impact universities have on the wider community.

The list of 100 highlights ground-breaking projects and research which have transformed lives. Universities UK is the representative organisation for all UK universities.

Football 4 Peace attempts to build bridges across divided neighbourhoods by training coaches and promoting the values of respect, equality, trust, responsibility and inclusion. The programme has benefitted over 8,000 children in countries such as Israel, Jordan, Palestine, South Africa, South Korea and Ireland.

Gary Stidder, co-founder of the initiative with Professor John Sugden, said: “I have been really proud to have been associated with Football 4 Peace International for nearly 20 years. As an educationalist I believe that the multi-dimensional research, education and social engagement platform that utilises physical education and sport has had a major impact in areas suffering from high levels of cross-community conflict and various forms of political disorder and social disintegration.

“It is great to see F4P International featured alongside other cutting-edge research and projects across the UK in such a prestigious campaign.”

“Through our curriculum and methodology I believe we have created, strengthened and assisted community networks and partnerships by providing opportunities for social contact across community boundaries which has ultimately promoted mutual understanding and engendered in participants a desire for and commitment to peaceful coexistence.”

‘MadeAtUni’ was set up following independent research undertaken by Britain Thinks, which found that the public has limited understanding of the benefits provided by universities beyond undergraduate teaching.

Professor Dame Janet Beer, President of Universities UK, said: “Universities really do transform lives. The technology we use every day, the medicines that save lives, the teachers who inspire – all come from UK universities and the important work being done by academics.

“The UK’s Best Breakthroughs list is a testament to the difference that universities make to people’s lives and we want everyone to join us in celebrating the work they do.”

Other examples of work carried out at the University of Brighton that has impacted wider society includes:

• The Brighton Waste House, Europe’s first permanent public building made almost entirely from discarded or disused materials drawn from households and construction sites.
• Dr Mel Flint’s research into the effects of stress on cancer progression and the mechanisms of how stress hormones act on the cells in the body.
• Dr James Ebdon’s work on water sanitation across the world, part of a bid to support disease prevention in developing countries including helping to combat Typhoid in India, Ebola in West Africa and Cholera in Haiti.
• The state-of-the-art Advanced Engineering Building, opened in April 2018 and located on the University’s Moulsecoomb campus. It hosts the Advanced Engineering Centre, which has an international reputation for innovative research into complex engine combustion processes, laser-based measurement techniques and computational simulation.