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| Page Views: 958 | The "Right To Play" by tejanasueca - last update: Aug 27, 2004 |
"State parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child"
Convention of the Rights of the Child, Art.31:1 |
The organization "Right To Play" Right To Play is an international humanitarian NGO committed to improving the lives of the most disadvantaged children and their communities through the concept of Sport for Development. The foundation of the Sport for Development discourse is the belief that by engaging children in physical activity it will enhance their healthy ?physical? and ?psychosocial? development and build stronger communities. Essentially, the aim of the Right To Play is two fold; personal development and community development. These two aspects are believed to be very interrelated and interdependent. According to its philosophy, personal development is essential to rebuild community capacity, as the community is only as strong as the sum of its components. Play/sport, it is implied, teaches valuable life skills essential for rebuilding a perceived destroyed social capital within war torn communities. The organization alleges that play/sport teaches children such essential life skills such as teamwork, fair play, trust, self-confidence, and respect. Further, play/sport is at the center of its approach not only because it is seen necessary for optimal development of human and community capabilities, but also because it is seen as a universal aspect binding communities together. |
Structure of RTP Right to Play believes that well designed play/sport programs put children on a positive path to healthy development. The motto of the organization, ?Look After Yourself, Look After One Another? symbolizes Right To Play's aim is to be a catalyst for a social movement to improve health by harnessing the ?full humanitarian potential of sport? (www.righttoplay.org). The idea is that play/sport does not only teach children to look after their bodies, but also teaches them that in order to play we need each other. Through programs and communications efforts, Right To Play hopes to use this philosophy to promote positive health behaviors and bring awareness, understanding, and funding to important health issues.
One important aspect of the organization is the support of its Athlete Ambassadors, which is a network of Olympic and professional athletes who donate their time to give back through sports. The hope is that the support of these athletes inspires children, and helps raise Right to Play?s profile at the local and international levels, and further attracts funders for the organization and its programs.
Essentially, Right To Play implements programs for children in the most disadvantaged communities, such as refugee populations, former child combatants, and children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Currently programs are being implemented in Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Pakistan and Thailand. Many of these programs, which will be discussed in detail later, are implemented in corporation with other multilateral organizations and international NGOs. Right To Play also cooperate closely with several North American and European governments. |
History of RTP The organization currently know as Right To Play got its beginnings at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. The Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (LOOC) created the concept Olympic Aid, which was focused on showing support for people in war torn countries and areas of distress. The initial goal of Olympic Aid was to help raise funds and awareness of programs implemented by such organizations such as the Red Cross and Save the Children. These programs focused on enhancing infrastructure, such as building schools and hospitals, and supporting refugees and other disadvantaged children. The basic assumption of the Olympic Aid movement was that Olympic Athletes, as public figures, would be able to raise awareness for these programs already in place. During the six years following its creation, Olympic Aid continued to raise funds, with close cooperation with the UN, for different programs, many focusing on health education.
By 2001, Olympic Aid had mobilized several Olympic Athletes to support its movement, and now they wondered what the limits of this groups support should be. Further, they asked themselves; how instrumental is sport as a tool (means) for development? As a result of this discussion, Olympic Aid started to implement its own programs, called ?Sports Work,? which focuses on engaging disadvantaged children in different physical activities. Further, during the 2002 Winter Olympics, Olympic Aid hosted a Roundtable Forum, bringing together global leaders in health, sports, and development to discuss what benefits sports can have for development. The focus of the discussion was the role of sports regarding five development issues: vaccination, tobacco-free sport, HIV-AIDS prevention, and the rehabilitation of refugees. In the end, play/sport was seen as tools to advance child and community development.
This discussion led to the next transition for the organization. The organization, which had gone from arguing that Olympic Athletes can help bring awareness to asking whether play/sport could be a tool for development, now started to argue that play/sport is an essential tool for development. The organization also shifted to more of a human rights approach, based on the 1989 Covenant of the Rights of Children, advocating every child?s right to play. Hence, play was no longer seen as just a tool for development, it was now also seen as an end of development. In early 2003, the organization changed its name to Right To Play, about the same time as a UN task force of experts submitted a report containing recommendations for an increased role of sport to realize the Millennium Goals, arguing that ?sport?improve[s] the lives of the people ? and particularly young people? (?Goal! Sport and the Millennium Development Goals? ? emphasis added). |
Sport Health Programs Right To Play?s Sport Health Program uses the ?convening power of sport? to provide health education and encourage healthy lifestyles behaviors, with a special focus on vaccination, HIV/AIDS prevention, and physical fitness. ?Sport Health? project coordinators and communications coordinators are based in urban centers and, in addition to running play/sport programs through schools, youth groups and other outlets, they implement social mobilization campaigns around important national health issues. The social mobilization campaigns are about delivering health messages using the ?convening and carrying power of sport and play? (www.righttoplay.org ? emphasis added). Right To Play argues that sport has a natural and universal power to attract, inspire, motivate and engage, and since sport is ?everywhere? it has a ?capacity? to move people? emotionally and physically. By highlighting ?the strong links? between health, development, and sport, Right To Play see the opportunity to address childhood health priorities of vaccinations, nutrition, hygiene, malaria, HIV/AIDS, maternal care and to improve the health and well-being of some of the most disadvantaged communities in the world.
Essentially, the ?Sport Health? programs are delivered on three levels: local programs for children, national social mobilization campaigns, and the global social implementation campaigns. A country in which all of these levels have been incorporated is Ghana. Right To Play has operated a ?Sport Health? program in the capital of Accra since 2001. During this time, the organization has established relationships with both local and international organizations as well as with the Ministries of Health and Education. As a result, Right To Play has established a partnership with the Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI), which will result in locally trained volunteers assisting with social mobilization, with a priority on the Polio Campaign. In addition, in the northern outskirts of Accra, Right To Play delivers a sport and health program to communities and schools, while a focusing on delivering health information. |
Sport Works Programs In addition to the many physical benefits, Right To Play believes that play/sport programs help foster three key protective factors in the well-being of children; (i) resilience, (ii) a meaningful connection to adults through the coaching relationship and (iii) a sense of safety and security through regular activity. In addition, play/sport, it is believed, serve as tools to teach important values and life skills including self-confidence, teamwork, communication, inclusion, discipline, respect, and fair play. The programs that try to encapsulate these aspects are the ?Sport Works? programs. The objectives of these programs are (i) to enhance healthy child development and, (ii) to develop community capacity by establishing community structures and building local community ownership through coach and leadership development. Hence, the ?Sport Works? program has two top-level objectives (i) child development and (ii) community development (the later will be discussed in the section focusing on community development).
The ?Sport Works? child development element has two components; the ?Red Ball Child Play? program and ?Live Safe, Play Safe? program. The ?Red Ball Child Play? program uses the five Olympic rings as symbols for meaningful personal development. Each ring symbolizes an aspect of healthy child development: mind, spirit, body, social cooperation, and health. Specific play activities have been developed to promote each aspect of development. The ?Live Safe, Play Safe? program is a health education program designed to give children knowledge about personal health and the skills to make the decisions needed to maintain personal health. Play/sport, Right To Play argues, awaken an interest in one?s body, especially among girls who may not have thought of their bodies as their own. This interest generates questions about maintaining health. In recognition of that personal health decisions take place within a social dynamic, Right To Play designed the ?Live Safe, Play Safe? program to use physical activity to teach children about power relationships, self confidence, assertiveness, and to give them the knowledge necessary to make the best decisions. In the end, Right To Play also believes that the ?Sport Works? programs will enhance the knowledge of the children to the degree that they now become personal advocates of the importance of improved health. |
Website: For more information about the organization and how YOU can help, go to www.righttoplay.com |
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Laura_Mexico Wed Jul 30, 2008 13:45 UTC
Wow, what an interesting life you've had, living here and there and speaking several different languages... hope you continue to travel extensively. Saludos desde Mexico! :) | clmetal Fri May 2, 2008 01:32 UTC
Quito is a neat city | Basaic Tue Jan 22, 2008 23:16 UTC
Happy Birthday! May you have a long life full of great travels. | GracesTrips Tue Jan 22, 2008 19:34 UTC
Happy Birthday, Lotta! I enjoyed reading your home page and seeing your albums! Hope you enjoy a great day! |
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