Sport Jordan Project #4407

Olympian Emily Cook Empower Children Through Sport

by Right to Play USA

Project Report | Nov 30, 2010
Every Child's Right To Play

By Lianne Pimentel | Project Leader

In Jordan, Right To Play trains teachers and staff of partner organizations to implement programs that promote inclusion, leadership development, early childhood and child development programs, health education and disease prevention activities. The methodology uses sport and play activities as a means of actively engaging children in learning the life skills and knowledge critical for their healthy development. As appropriate, Right To Play provides curricula and lesson plans for incorporation by partner schools and organizations into their regular activities.

Schools and organizations that partner with Right To Play in Jordan are typically seeking to increase access to sport and play programming. However, they have a limited level of knowledge and skills on how to utilize or implement sport and play programs that can create positive impacts on psychosocial development, youth engagement and child rights. They generally come equipped with strong assets, including local contextual knowledge, community acceptance, a track record of stability and a perceived sustainable future.

Individuals from these organizations are selected to be trained in the use and implementation of Right To Play’s technical resources and training methodology. The purpose of the training is to acquire knowledge and develop facilitation skills to prepare them for implementation of the activities with children in and out of schools in target communities. These partner organization staff members and teachers then conduct regular weekly sport and play based activities for their cohort of children and youth. Regular monitoring, refresher training and support are provided by Right To Play’s in-country staff.

At the core of Right To Play’s work are its holistic child development programs, which promote cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. Complementing this work are topic specific interventions that relate to specific needs or areas of interest in local communities. All of Right To Play’s work emphasizes its commitment to afford all children regardless of identity the opportunity to play and learn together. Right To Play has specific methodological approaches that it uses to ensure accessibility to its activities by all children, and in using these techniques it is anticipated that attitudes toward those persons living with disabilities or with traditionally stigmatized identities will change. Right To Play also has specific approaches to health education and disease prevention that teach children basic information about preventable diseases – including malaria, measles, polio and tuberculosis – and how the diseases are transmitted, detected, prevented and treated. Right To Play’s youth leadership activities engage youth in meaningful activities and develop, in youth, a sense of efficacy, pride, confidence and belonging. Youth receive opportunities for practical leadership experiences in the community, including planning, implementing and evaluating initiatives.

The curricular approach that is used is through regular activities with a stable cohort of children on a weekly basis for roughly 40 minutes each week. The core of each weekly activity includes a sporting activity or play session that is designed to foster knowledge development in one of the desired dimensions of change, whether it is health knowledge or gender equality. Metacognition is used to foster behavior change. This involves an opening and closing discussion that takes place around each activity in which the key messages from the program resources are introduced and reinforced. Children are asked to share their experience during the activity, what this implies about a topic and how they will apply it in their lives.

Links:

Right To Play USA Website

Attachments:

Jordan Article (PDF)

1 Attachment

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Aug 11, 2010
Children First

By Doreen Mullady | Project Leader

In 2010 Right To Play's activities in Jordan were implemented in 133 schools, kindergartens, and centers for rehabilitation, women and youth. The program is comprised of several activities which work together to achieve our objectives. In 2010, the Children Taking the Lead program aims to contribute to the change in those attitudes that underlie a child’s exclusion from sport and play activities, which often mirror the reason for their exclusion from participation in their communities and their own lives. Right To Play has finalized an updated and comprehensive Child Protection Policy with internal and external technical support, which project staff in Jordan will adapt to their specific context and develop an action plan. A specific focus will be to ensure that all program staff and participants are familiarized with existing protection policies and referrals. Right To Play’s work emphasises the guiding principles of international conventions as key to ensuring participation of children in the planning and decision-making of the programs which they will be involved in. Sport and play is viewed as a child friendly tool to build trust and healthy interactive relationships between children and adults, and among peers, leading to environments where children feel their voices are heard and they are an integral part of communities and to advance child protection within communities. To foster the life skills and the healthy development of children, Right To Play conducts regular focus group discussions and facilitates sensitization on health and social issues. There is ongoing implementation of regular activities for approximately 20,000 children and youth in structured sport and play activities. Activities aimed to promote the protection and inclusion of Jordanian children range from technical training for Right To Play staff and partners in child protection and rights to the rehabilitation of two play spaces and classrooms to ensure safe play and learning environments. All activities done are in compliance with the Right To Play Child Protection Policy. Leadership among girls and women is a cornerstone of Right To Play programs. In Jordan this is manifested as participation in national government and civil society gender networks as well as the development and supporting of coach networks and the ensured participation of female coaches at coach network meetings. Focus group discussions also figure prominently in Right To Play's efforts in conflict prevention and community cohesion. These are conducted in conjunction with the facilitation of community sensitization on conflict resolution. Additionally, an annual sport and play festival to celebrate the International Day of Peace is also held. Finally, the development of institutional capacity by local groups is encouraged by program implementation planning/ reviewing with Right To Play partners and stakeholders. Seven technical trainings are conducted to enhance the capacity in program planning, management, and monitoring and evaluation for Right To Play staff and partners. Two inter-country program development workshops are also facilitated by Right To Play and its partners in Jordan. All the activities undertaken during Right To Play's program in Jordan are done to facilitate the outcomes of children’s' improved learning and interaction among peers, a child-focused and safe environment, the adoption by children and community leaders of healthy practices regarding communicable and non-communicable diseases, and improved social cohesion among vulnerable and marginalized groups.

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Apr 8, 2010
Children Taking the Lead: Right To Play in Jordan

By Doreen Mullady | Project Leader

In 2010 Right To Play's activities in Jordan were implemented in 133 schools, kindergartens, and centers for rehabilitation, women and youth. The program is comprised of several activities which work together to achieve our objectives. To foster the life skills and the healthy development of children, Right To Play conducts regular focus group discussions and facilitates sensitization on health and social issues. There is ongoing implementation of regular activities for approximately 20,000 children and youth in structured sport and play activities. Activities aimed to promote the protection and inclusion of Jordanian children range from technical training for Right To Play staff and partners in child protection and rights to the rehabilitation of two play spaces and classrooms to ensure safe play and learning environments. All activities done are in compliance with the Right To Play Child Protection Policy. Leadership among girls and women is a cornerstone of Right To Play programs. In Jordan this is manifested as participation in national government and civil society gender networks as well as the development and supporting of coach networks and the ensured participation of female coaches at coach network meetings. Focus group discussions also figure prominently in Right To Play's efforts in conflict prevention and community cohesion. These are conducted in conjunction with the facilitation of community sensitization on conflict resolution. Additionally, an annual sport and play festival to celebrate the International Day of Peace is also held. Finally, the development of institutional capacity by local groups is encouraged by program implementation planning/ reviewing with Right To Play partners and stakeholders. Seven technical trainings are conducted to enhance the capacity in program planning, management, and monitoring and evaluation for Right To Play staff and partners. Two inter-country program development workshops are also facilitated by Right To Play and its partners in Jordan. All the activities undertaken during Right To Play's program in Jordan are done to facilitate the outcomes of children’s' improved learning and interaction among peers, a child-focused and safe environment, the adoption by children and community leaders of healthy practices regarding communicable and non-communicable diseases, and improved social cohesion among vulnerable and marginalized groups.

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