FAILED FORWARD REPORT (GLOBAL PEACE GAMES)
One of the major programmes organized by Play Soccer under the auspices of the Play Soccer Non-profit International and the United Nations Office on Sports for Development and Peace, is the Global Peace Games. The main theme is to foster an atmosphere for children and youth to express their solidarity in support of a culture of peace, nonviolence and global friendship, and for their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. By this, children and youth are able to demonstrate their capacity to learn peaceful solutions, respect for one another and leadership for peace.
The preliminary event in 2001 was an opportunity for young people all over the world to demonstrate their central role in using sports to make the world a better place.
However, this yearly programme calls for planning and proper co-ordination of roles and resources combined to achieve success but this was not the case at the maiden event of September, 2001.
The programme was characterized with a lot of challenges which compromised the success of the programme.
The following challenges were encountered at the preliminary event that was held:
Instead of apportioning blames, the team admitted responsibility for poor preparation and we identified the above factors as the reasons for the failure/non-success of the Global Peace Games event in 2001.
Having identified these failure factors, the organizers decided to address the challenges with the under listed solutions:
With all these corrective measures taken, the programme from 2002 till date has been a huge success and we anticipate the 2016 event which will be held this weekend the 29th October will even be better. We realized the importance of synergy and giving everybody a chance in decision making. By this, we have been fully recognized by FIFA whiles other governmental and NGOs have also signed on to the GPG which they mark every year between 21st September – 15th November.
As we keep learning from these yearly experiences and improving on the quality of our programs, we have also gained trust from our sponsors who are gradually increasing in number latest being Cityzens Giving.
It is our hope that we will continue to offer excellent services to the communities in which we operate and the country as a whole.
Thank You
Gertrude Amoh
Cityzens Giving
Kicking for Change Project Coordinator
QUARTERLY REPORT FORM
• Participants of the Play Soccer Program were involved in the training sessions held for Young Leaders in small groups.
• Volunteers from LATITUDE introducing the game of Zip Zap to underscore the essence of focus, self-consciousness and attentiveness.
What have been any significant challenges?
The continual existence of the shift system in public basic schools in some parts of the Cape Coast enclave despite the state’s expanded educational facilities in the country affected the schedule of the PFLL and the Extra Classes. Pupils are grouped into morning and afternoon sessions as a means of controlling the numbers and to enhance teaching and learning. The introduction of the shift system does not meet the Project’s expectation that the educational infrastructure would have been expanded to help eradicate the system during the last term. In some schools, the lack of additional classroom blocks to accommodate the increasing number of pupils enrolling means they have to revert to the shift system, since they cannot turn the pupils away.
The shift system required that the KFC schedule in some schools had to be changed for the Extra/Classes which in many cases was inconvenient for the participants, Young Leaders and teachers. It is hoped that the needed infrastructure will be ready in the very near future for the eradication of the challenge.
What changes, if any, have you made since the last report?
Young Leaders and specialists who are unable to commit to the KFC Project as well those who cannot take up the full responsibility required of the expected deliverables have been asked to re-evaluate their participation. It is hoped that they will be able to fully embrace the intervention in the future.
Upcoming activities
The goal of the fourth quarter is to finalize the establishment of all modules in the target communities and to evaluate the project at the levels of management, programming, content, personnel, etc. to meet the first-year goal of creating a sport for development vehicle that is going to bring impact and significant outcomes to the second and third years of intervention.
Total number of direct project participants?
368 Participants
How many participants have taken part more than once?
368 Participants
Age range (youngest – oldest)
13 – 18 Years
Number of male participants
238 Boys (Used to be 224)
Number of female participants
130 Girls (Used to 142)
Number of participants with a disability
60 Participants
Number of participants from a low income background
368 Participants
Number of school age participants who are out of school
None (All participants enrolled in school)
Number of indirect participants
736 (368 direct participants are beneficiaries of the Extra Classes as well as the PFLL )
• Individual assessments were further undertaken in the target schools and communities where it was found that the phenomenon required that different age groups need to be targeted to bring meaning and impact to produce real outcomes to the module. It was also acknowledged that the learning centers as envisaged are as important in the process of getting absentees and truants back to the classroom as the PFLL component and the parent-guardian-community engagement process.
One of the most famous castles in Ghana’s dark episode of slavery is the Cape Coast Castle which was constructed by the Portuguese as a trade lodge in 1555. When Sweden conquered Cape Coast in 1653, a wooden fortress for trade in timber and gold was constructed by the Swedish Africa Company and reconstructed in stone when the Danes seized power. Before it was conquered by the British in 1664, it passed through the hands of the Dutch and a local Fetu Chief. It was used for developing slave trade which peaked in the 18th century. By 1700, it served as the headquarters of the British colonial governor having been transformed into a castle.
The British reconstructed the castle in 1760 with more durable materials after the bombardment of the French. Slave trade became principal until its ban in 1807 by the British and trade became centered on precious metals, ivory, corn and pepper. Its role subsequently changed into a center of European education, the West African headquarters of the president of the Committee of Merchants and the seat of the British governor. It is currently open to the public as a historical monument and popularized by President Obama and his family’s visit in the recent past during which they got an extraordinary tour of this castle.
On Friday 2nd Sept 2016, 44 participants in the target communities of Moree and Nkanfoa paid a visit to the Cape Coast Castle. Mr. Francis, a guide at the castle gave the group an hour-long tour after which they had lunch and played games. They went to the Centre for a friendly football match between the two communities while others watched movies. The trip served as a fun break to their ordinary daily routine, broadened their horizons, facilitated a travel back into time to understand the present, made the subject of slavery more concrete and deepened participants’ understanding.
• Participants entering the giant gates of the castle and others carrying cannon balls. • William and colleague Young Leaders.
PROJECT UPDATE
‘SUPPORT PERSONS WITH DISABILITY (PWDs)’ CAMPAIGN.
A key project objective was to target Six Thousand Eight Hundred (6,800) people within Cape Coast into accepting persons with disability (PWDs), to discard misconceptions about them as well as reduce stigma that the target PWDs carry. This is to instill in them a positive perception of people’s regard for their capabilities. A week-long campaign dubbed Support Persons with Disability was carried out successfully from Monday March 21 to Monday March 28, 2016.
Campaign Activities
The means of communication was the use of mobile public announcement systems, airing of radio shows on the subject and the repeat play of radio jingles on the support of PWDs. Banners were displayed for the reading public and the week-long public engagement culminated in a free-entry Easter Beach Party which attracted over a thousand (1,000) people to the Bakaano community beach.
Kicking for Change young leaders and participants from the Antem community helped to clean the beach front & PWDs shared fun activities of soccer, volley ball, dancing and sack race with able-bodied people who accepted them.
Community and star support
One of the communication strategies was to employ a local campaign ambassador who is popular, and whose voice easily grabs attention in all the communities to sell the message. Music artiste, Okortor Perry, was chosen to endorse the campaign and also embody the message in demeanor, values, appearance and voice.
Okortor Perry shows off his Kicking for Change T-shirt and carries a PWD while performing.
Project outcomes and indicators
The broad expected with respect to PWDs is to make a concerted effort to reduce stigma and discrimination. The indicators in the change effort were measured as follows;
- Number of young participants who accepted persons with disability and discarded theirmisconceptions.
- Number of community wide participants who accepted persons with disability and discarded theirmisconceptions.
- Number of persons with disability who developed apositive perception of community’s regard for their capabilities and skills
PLAY SOCCER GHANA AND CITYZENS GIVING ORGANIZE THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SPORTS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE
On 6th April, 2016, Play Soccer Ghana in partnership with Cityzens Giving through our project, kicking for Change, celebrated the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace by highlighting the role of Monitoring & Evaluation in Sports for Development Interventions in Achieving Sustainable Progress and Change. The event brought together over 200 people made up of project participants, teachers, high school and university students, soccer coaches as well as community leaders.
Participants were motivated by the special message of the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, which was read by the Coordinator of Kicking for Change Project, Gertrude Amoh. She stressed Ban Ki Moon’s belief that “Sport is a driving force for positive social change”.
In an address dedicated to Sports for Development, Edward Kwesi Walker added that young leaders of the Kicking for Change Project feel empowered to organize an event that brings monitoring and evaluation into focus and in a significant way contribute to strengthening the outcomes of sport for development involvement.
The day was also used to exhibit the 4 core modules (Extra Classes, Community School League, Street League and the Play for Fun, Learn for life core program) and the primary component of the Kicking for Change Project. Project participants were engaged in sessions of the modules which were intended to draw comments, observations and suggestions from attendees of the Stakeholders’ Forum.
The resource person, Dr. Essien Baidoo, a Head of Department at the University of Cape Coast made a presentation on the topic, Monitoring and Evaluation of Sports for Development. He addressed how monitoring is important to evaluation, what managers need to know about monitoring and evaluation, as well as the social impact and creative ways of monitoring and evaluation.
Resource person, Dr. Essien Baidoo, delivering a lecture on Monitoring and Evaluation of Sports Development & Excited young people shout out instructions to participants engaged in a social skill activity.
PROJECT UPDATE
PLAY SOCCER GHANA (PSG)
PSG is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing children, between the ages of 5 to 15 years old living in disadvantaged communities with health, social and soccer skills. The program involves a 48-week curriculum taught on a weekly basis by youth volunteer instructors drawn from the 11 communities in which we operate.
The organization also runs a FIFA inspired program called “Street League”. This targets young men and women between the ages of 16-22 years who are out of education, vocation or employment by using football as a rallying activity. After a trimester program which includes life skills and ICT training, educational trips, entrepreneurial and employment workshops, a needs assessment is conducted to determine the potentials and interest of participants who are then referred to vocational institutions and agencies, to schools, football clubs, volunteer organizations, etc.
Play Soccer Ghana’s vision is to develop a holistic programmatic platform that helps kids and young people lead healthy and productive lives. Its mission is to become the leading sports-for-development outlet in Ghana by providing soccer-inspired programs that empower children and youth to lead positive social change in their lives and in their communities.
KICKING FOR CHANGE
The Kicking for Change Project was derived fromCityzens Giving; a global fund to help city youth uplift themselves and their peers through the global language of football. This is a program where fans decide how projects are funded; help young leaders in six countries use the football effect to tackle the most serious social problems in each region.
Play Soccer Ghana is proud to be a beneficiary of such laudable project. The project, “Kicking for Change”, would be undertaken in eight (8) principal fishing and farming communities within the Cape Coast metropolis and beyond where there are records of high rates of social problems such as teenage pregnancy, unemployment and child labour. It would be an inclusive mass participation program that would aim at engaging children and youth in a structured grassroots educational program that unites children, youth and communities to promote development through football. All football activities would be preceded by an educational element.
Our community development through football project would be achieved through a structured recreational football leagues, tournaments, community education, Mentoring, Workshops, Extra-mural classes, Employment skills, Referrals etc.
Conscious efforts would be made to change the perception and stigma associated with people living with disabilities through awareness creation and their participation in the programs.
The target communities and hosts of the project are Elmina, Dehia, Bakaano, Greenhill (Cape Coast School for the Deaf), Nkanfoa, Moree, Oguaa Football for Hope Center and Amamoma (University of Cape Coast).
- After-school Classes and PSG Program Activities
- Street League Program
- Community School League
- Community Learning Centre
- Special Events
In this module, major school, community and group-based events will be held to emphasize self development, promote self confidence, determinism, develop critical thinking skills and also to reduce stigma and discrimination.
The outcomes of the project are the following;
- Improved school grades and acquisition of formal and informal education qualification.
- Acquisition of childhood development and youth training through physical, health and social skills engagement.
- Increased preparedness for employment having acquired relevant skills to secure jobs.
- Positive change in the perception of persons with disability (PWDs) and in discarding misconceptions.
- Enhanced capacity of parents/guardians to raise their children/wards.
The major landmark activities for the Kicking for Change project are;
1. Community Assessment and Selection
2. Community Entry
3. Purposeful Selection
4. Training for Change and Strategic Project Pilot
5. Full Scale Implementation
6. Monitoring and Evaluation
7. Outcome Measurement
8. Project Review and Adjustment
9. Sustainability Compact Development
10. Project Completion and Transfer
COMMUNITY SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT
The first stage of touring and assessing the project communities has been completed. The primary objective was to identify the developmental gap between what is and what should be, and whether this need is felt by the community. Closely examining the life conditions of the prospective child and youth participants in these communities helped to uncover what is really needed for the Kicking for Change project and the experience offered ideas towards enhancing our change approach. The primary reasons for our assessment were to;
- Help gain a deeper understanding of the community.
- Encourage community members to consider the community’s assets and how to use them.
- Help make decisions about priorities for the program or system improvement.
- To eliminate unpleasant surprises as the project progresses.
The long and dusty road to the Dehia community Dehia’s English and Arabic School
COMMUNITY ENTRY
The Project is at the tail end of the stage of formally approaching all relevant institutions, societies, groups and individuals within the 8 host communities with its change approach. This process has turned out as a two-way dialogue; offering the opportunity to fully share the activities and expected outcomes of the Kicking for Change intervention and in giving community stakeholders the chance to ask questions and to come to a full understanding of what to expect.
Soccer field atop the Nkanfoa community that serves the physical education needs of three schools.
The process has proven invaluable in communicating to these stakeholders of chiefs, opinion leaders, Unit Committees members, Assemblymen, parents, teachers, youth, volunteers, etc. to have measured project expectations and that, they are valued for their immense knowledge and experience. Upon acceptance of the project proposal and the promised deliverables by a community, permission is sought to commence the project in earnest and to make the community’s resources and assets available as a corporate contribution. In the process of holding formal consultations and community meetings, cultural practices were observed. For instance, as visitors to the houses of chiefs, customary offerings of money in place of Aromatic Schnapps have been made to our royal hosts.
PURPOSEFUL SELECTION
The Project is at the brink of purposefully selecting 840 unique and 1,200 project participants for its various modules. Meanwhile, the community assessment and entry stages have afforded the opportunity of identifying willing candidates who will make a good fit. At the Moree community for instance, a 22 year-old school drop-out, Michael, is willing to commit to the Street League Program after hearing about the module during a community meeting. His vision of going back to school to complete the last year of Senior High School and in developing his budding business of making handicrafts meets the requirements of the program that targets the youth and is focused on the outcome of increasing the preparedness for employment of its participants.
Street vendor, Michael. Michael’s colorful craft work 
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