Social concepts
Theory of change
Open fun football schools - Classic
NARRATIVE:
Cross Cultures’ approach to peace and reconciliation derives from the experience of how wars and ethnic conflicts affect people and their possibilities of returning to a peaceful everyday life. Our experience tells us that moving away from the hatred and mistrust between people affected by civil war and conflict is not easily accomplished. Trust rarely comes from discussing the conflict or the problems. Rather, we follow a practice-oriented approach and believe it can be fostered and sustained through local level activities that facilitate dialogue and cooperation. That is, through the lived experience of having something in common with the people we would otherwise see as ‘others’. Hence, through the OFFS program we bring people in conflict to play and interact, and challenge the seemingly natural division of people into ethnic, political, or religious affiliations, by providing an alternative. In focusing on the wellbeing and happiness of their children, OFFS give the adults, who are otherwise in conflict, a legitimate excuse to interact. In that sense, this change theory assumes that the Open Fun Football Schools can provide a ‘free space’ where the participants can interact together amidst societal conflict, and when people play together they are able to connect and redefine their relationship by demystifying each other, having dialogue and building trustful relations.
THEORY OF CHANGE:
If groups of conflicting societies participate together in social and cultural activities of mutual interest, then understanding will increase, prejudice will be reduced and a “safe space” will be created within the area of conflict for healthy relationships to develop. This, in turn, will lead to new relations, increased trust and understanding of “the other”, and participants will ultimately prefer and be able to reduce conflict, hostility and tension between groups.
INPUT:
IF Cross Cultures mobilize young coaches and train them together on inter-regional seminars in Cross Cultures specific child-centered and community-based fun-sport-concept;
and if the young coaches organize Open Fun Football Schools, Fun Festivals and other social fun-sport-activities for children across ethnic and social divides.
OUTPUT/OUTCOME:
THEN groups from antagonistic societies on regional, national and community level participate in joint activities leading to increased understanding of “the other” and thereby enhancing ethnic and social cohesion and peaceful co-existence.
IMPACT:
Contributing to foster inter-community relations and grassroots civil society initiatives that stimulates peaceful co-existence, tolerance, equality, social cohesion & inter-ethnic relations.
Open fun football schools - Mutual Interests
NARRATIVE:
Cross Cultures’ approach to peace and reconciliation derives from the experience of how wars and ethnic conflicts affect people and their possibilities of returning to a peaceful everyday life. Our experience tells us that moving away from the hatred and mistrust between people affected by civil war and conflict is not easily accomplished. Trust rarely comes from discussing the conflict or the problems. Rather, we follow a practice-oriented approach and believe it can be fostered and sustained through local level activities that facilitate dialogue and cooperation. That is, through the lived experience of having something in common with the people we would otherwise see as ‘others’. Hence, through the OFFS program we bring people in conflict to play and interact, and challenge the seemingly natural division of people into ethnic, political, or religious affiliations, by providing an alternative. In focusing on the wellbeing and happiness of their children, OFFS give the adults, who are otherwise in conflict, a legitimate excuse to interact. In that sense, this change theory assumes that the Open Fun Football Schools can provide a ‘free space’ where the participants can interact together amidst societal conflict, and when people play together they are able to connect and redefine their relationship by demystifying each other, having dialogue and building trustful relations.
THEORY OF CHANGE:
If groups of people from different ethnic or social backgrounds work together on issues of mutual interest, the Open Fun Football Schools, then they will learn to cooperate, and crosscutting networks will be created. This, in turn, will lead to increased trust and positive attitudes and relations, and participants will ultimately prefer and be able to resolve conflicts peacefully.
INPUT:
IF Cross Cultures mobilize young coaches and train them on inter-regional seminars in our specific fun-sport-concept;
and if the young coaches organise Open Fun Football Schools, Fun Festivals and other social fun sport activities for children across ethnic and social divides.
OUTPUT/OUTCOME:
THEN groups of people from different communities participate in joint activities leading to increased understanding of “the other” and thereby enhancing ethnic and social cohesion and peaceful co-existence.
IMPACT:
Contributed to create “safe space” within the conflict for healthy relationships to develop leading to increased integration, understanding, co-existence and cross-cutting social networks and reduced prejudice and mistrust.
Open fun football schools - Youth Empowerment
NARRATIVE:
Being the next generation, which is expected to take over in rebuilding and developing post-conflict societies, the youth should be given the best opportunities to learn, build network and express their views and ideas for the future. However, this is not always easy to achieve in a more official dialogue setting, which also involves adults. Hence, Cross Cultures Youth Leadership Education provides youth opportunities and a platform which is open for all youth to voicing their ideas and visions and which enables them to generate new understandings of the ethnic, social and cultural cohesion across the region. Thus, by showing and putting young people’s experiences into words as well as putting their resources at stake in a new way, Cross Cultures Youth Leadership Education contributes as an inspiration to those seeking to find new, peaceful and sustainable ways of solving common problems.
THEORY OF CHANGE:
If young people learn to communicating and operationalizing their ideas and visions for the community and are given the opportunity through practical experiences to express themselves and become positive role models as OFFS-leaders and OFFS-coaches for other young people and children, then it will improve their life skills. This, in turn, will enhance their “sense of cohesion” – and the stronger an individual’s “sense of cohesion” is, the more resilient he or she is likely to be when faced with stressors, demands and challenges.
INPUT:
IF Cross Cultures mobilize and educate young leaders and coaches with (a) sport event management skills and approaches and (b) facilitates the co-creation of youth-led associations and consolidated regional and cross-sectorial networks.
OUTPUT/OUTCOME:
THEN the young leaders and coaches (1) have created an interregional youth network that provides young people with a platform to exchange experiences and perceptions with peers from neighboring countries and conflicting communities, and to express their ideas and visions for society and the future; and (2) gained hands-on leadership experience as well as opportunity to engage in sustained and in-depth dialogue with relevant community stakeholders such as for example parents of the children, local authorities, sports associations, civic organizations, public schools.
IMPACT:
Contributed to provide the participants an “anchor” within their local community and enhanced their life opportunities and resilience by encouraging them to take-action and positively influence their local communities – and personal lives.
Open fun football schools - Child ProTection
NARRATIVE:
This change theory assumes that efficient child protection measures are not a matter for the police, the schoolteachers or the football coach alone. The earlier risk behaviour is spotted and addressed, the better the chances are to prevent the situation from taking a wrong turn. In order to do this, Cross Cultures believe that a cross-sectorial network is needed. Such a network includes cooperation between amongst other public schools, police, social services, and sports clubs. SSP is thus about building a governance structure in local communities that allows the relevant stakeholders to meet and share perspectives and to agree on joint actions, coordinated cross sector efforts and solutions. It requires coordinated and joint efforts by key personnel from the public sectors and the civil society, i.e. from the stakeholders who are in daily contact with children, youth, and their families.
THEORY OF CHANGE:
This change theory assumes that children’s grassroots football.
INPUT:
IF Cross Cultures uses the Open Fun Football School (OFFS) program as platform to facilitate network, communication and cross sector collaboration between Sport + School + Public schools + Local authorities + Parents +Police (SSP) in local communities and introduces the key stakeholders to the Cross Cultures approach to OFFS + SSP.
OUTPUT/OUTCOME:
THEN cross sector networks are established facilitating (a) coordinated cross sector child-protection-initiatives in local communities. And (b) trust and confidence between children/youth at risk, communities and cross sector SSP stakeholders has been enhanced.
IMPACT:
Contributed to facilitate a coordinated framework for cooperation and partnerships between Sport + School Public schools + Local authorities + Parents + Police (SSP) within the field of child protection which is based on bottom-up approaches.
Open fun football schools - Gender Equality
NARRATIVE:
Cross Cultures’ approach to gender equality builds on the premise that including girls and women in community level grassroots football can be a valuable tool in combatting gender-based stereotypes as well as fostering female well-being and community participation.
By prioritizing female participation in our activities, we thus girls and women with access to a domain that is still, by many, seen as a male domain. When we make girls and boys play football together, establish girl’s football teams, and recruit female coaches and volunteers in local communities, we do not only enhance the wellbeing and active community engagement of the participants, but also provide other girls and women (as well as boys and men) with alternative role models and opportunities.
THEORY OF CHANGE:
This change theory assumes that children’s grassroots football
INPUT:
IF 40-60% of all participants in the Open Fun Football School programme are female’s/girls; and Cross Cultures enhance their capacity as OFFS-leaders, OFFS-coaches and girl’s players; and if Cross Cultures further stimulate and advocate female/girl’s initiatives in local communities at large.
OUTPUT/OUTCOME:
THEN girl’s and women’s access to and participation in Sport-for-All activities in local communities has been improved, and more women are active in bottom-up civil society activities.
IMPACT:
Contributed to provide females and girl’s access to a domain that is still, by many, seen as a male domain and thereby enhanced their wellbeing and active community engagement and provided them alternative role models and life opportunities.