Football for Peace is using the global influence of football with partners to bring resource and awareness to 5 key challenges which are interconnected both locally and globally.
Young Peace Leaders
Our Young Peace Leaders programme is uniquely placed to transcend the differences of nationality, ethnicity, religion, age and gender.
The programme engages young people in an environment of community level activity that equips them with skills through team activity and life skills training, to become Young Leaders in their community building resilience and sustainable practices. Our ‘Young Peace Leaders’ programme supports the youth to become a team, instilling a sense of team spirit and to promote role models that they can emulate in wider society and ultimately empowering them to win their own City a Title of ‘City for Peace’.
The programme equips young people with football training and life‐skills exercises, supported by professional footballers. The aimsand outputs of the programme are to:
- Increase social characteristics which include sense of belonging, self‐esteem, status, purpose and also behavioural characteristics which include educational life skills through the key themes of wellbeing (mental and physical), teamwork, roles, leadership and exit pathways which ladder up to the communication objectives.
- Raising awareness and upskilling participants on interconnected local and global challenges we/they face, relating to our key 5 pillars on Social, Justice, Equality, Poverty, Water and Climate, including those highlighted through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, related to environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice.
- Provide an exit strategy for the youth into higher education, employability or general support into football industry.
The YPL programme is the main initiative through which Football For Peace delivers all its grassroots educational activities and upskills communities around a range of social hardships and supports our Young Peace Envoy Braydon to appoint Young Peace Leaders within their community and join a growing sports youth movement to continue its work locally and internationally.
The project is designed around community based initiatives that use football to connect and empower young people from different faiths, cultures, genders and socio‐economic backgrounds by identifying a relevant suburb schools as candidate for the ‘City for Peace’ programme. Once over 3,000 young people have been engaged in ongoing training and life skills activity the hosting city, town or village is awarded Football for Peace’s kitemark of success and given a ‘City, town or village of Peace’ status.
The bespoke programme works across cities, town and villages by using the power of football to educate and connect young people from diverse backgrounds, creating dialogue and celebrating difference. Through the programme we work with a network of Young Peace Leaders to enable them to challenge hearts and minds in their communities using football to raise aspirations for them both locally and internationally.
We work in collaboration with local organisations in the area, including councils, schools, community groups, faith centres, football clubs and wider community members. The programme focuses on personal and social development using football as a tool to skill up young people and challenge behaviours and attitudes. We combine changing room learning and active participation. Our programme includes an accredited sports qualification as well as key Football for Peace (FfP) modules.
- Each cohort of Young Peace Leaders work with partners to deliver discussion changing room workshops with peers and their community on bespoke topics which are important to them and their regions e.g. climate, water restoration, interfaith dialogue, inequality, hate crime, islamophobia, anti‐ Semitism, safeguarding, using diverse role models and mentors from the footballing world
- Young Peace Leaders plan and deliver 4 community football tournaments per year (8 in total) for up to 200 peers aged 7‐14 per tournament using local accessible venues and bringing people together from their different communities
- Graduates of the Young Peace Leader programme mentor future cohorts creating a further mix of groups of young people from different backgrounds.
- Deliver an annual awards ceremony with FfP YPL’s, wider community members, family members, and local partners to celebrate the Young Peace Leader’s achievement and the progress of London in joining our ‘Young Peace Leaders’ movement.
- Develop social media content run by Young Peace Leaders to promote integration and celebrate their achievements through the FfP social media network supported by footballing ambassadors
- Young Peace Leaders become part of a national and global network and build the FfP message of football diplomacy with ongoing engagement, promoting peace and tolerance to change attitudes beyond the 2 years.
Peace Matches
Peace Matches are mostly held in iconic locations around the world to raise awareness of football as a force for good, promote dialogue and shine a light on Football for Peace’s community activities and projects.
Through a Peace Match, we are able to show the power of football to overcome political, religious and social barriers that can exist between or within communities. The Peace Match is more than a ‘unifying’ gesture, it actually brings together two competing sides, nations or communities, into one team against a Football for Peace team, or it invites ‘Football Royalty’ to play in mixed teams, showcasing tolerance and community cohesion.
Each Peace Match has the ability to generate national level media attention by bringing together country-based teams, patrons, diplomats, faith leaders, world leaders and national professional footballers. More community focused Peace Matches can still generate significant attention by bringing together faith leaders, community leaders, politicians, youth teams and other community based groups.
These matches are uniquely positioned to partner with member countries in the planning and delivery of national and international campaigns which can measurably strengthen individual, community and nations resilience.
Diplomatic Activity
Football for Peace’s aim is to use the full potential that Football & Diplomacy offers to generate awareness in Football’s ability to be a force for good by convening high level discussions.
Inviting member states, federations, politicians, local and national, statesman, mayors, diplomats and influencers across the world to convene on how football can deliver positive social change, saves lives and empower young people to sustain it.
These events are either hosted in a high level dinner gathering or symposium assembly format. The aim is to open up a dialogue with communities, their leaders, clubs and players about how effective Football can be in tackling social harms.
By combining the power of this grassroots activity with diplomatic impact with leading governments, sports and football bodies, including FIFA, Football Federations and the United Nations.
Coalition Campaigns
Football for Peace is combining the power of grassroots activity with diplomatic impact through our work with leading governments, sports and football bodies, including FIFA, Football Federations and the United Nations.
Football Saves Lives is one of our leading coalition campaigns with its aim to raise awareness of the most pressing issues around the world and how football can be a vehicle to tackle global challenges.
We worked together with heads of states, prominent international figures and the youth to hold hands and to break through a wall with adverse words. This was symbolic of breaking down barriers metaphorically and physically through the power of football.
Often we mistake stability, in terms of security and economic activity, to mean a country is doing well. We forget the third and important pillar: rule of law and respect for human rights.