Sport for education and social cohesion

This year again, SG BALL is supporting various sports programs in countries that are in conflict or extreme poverty by sending stocks of balls. An initiative that joins the vision of simple sport, carried by the Peace and Sport association.

“To create a social bond, you have to understand sport for its values, therefore the material does not matter.”

Simple sport is a philosophy. A movement that says a lot about the values ​​of the international association Peace and Sport, which works to promote peace through sport. Melissa Sassi, International Relations Officer for the organisation, explains.

The peace through the sport

“Our goal is to export the concept to all corners of the world to promote sport as one of the primary peace’s vectors“ comments our interlocutor, after introducing to us the company presentation.

For more than ten years, Peace and Sport have worked to achieve lasting peace in areas of the world made vulnerable by poverty, geopolitical conflicts, and the lack of social cohesion. Under the patronage of Albert II of Monaco and the direction of the Olympic champion in modern pentathlon Joël Bouzou, the neutral and independent organisation mobilises NGOs, academy, companies, etc., to make the values ​​of sport an education instrument, a vector of social stability and rapprochement between communities.

Accompanied by its “champions of peace”, athletes engaged in social actions through sport, Peace and Sport conducts its commitments through events that bring together its various actors, to encourage them to discuss and innovate together in the face of global issues. It is then on the field that the missions of the association materialise, which offers entertainment, training, and sporting events programs throughout the year in ten countries.

The simple sport

Peace and Sport’s vocation is to establish peaceful relations where they are needed. No need for artifice for that, Mélissa explains the logic of simple sport: « We work in very small communities, which don’t have a lot of choices. To create a social bond, i’s necessary to understand sport for its values, and therefore the material does not matter ».

It is in this logic of simplicity and sharing that SGBALL wished to support the association. Implicated on the lasting and responsible sports vision, the company likes the idea that its products are meant for a second life, rather than being left behind. For three years now, the company works with Peace and Sport to supply them with sports equipment around the world.

Most recently, the organisation hosted the Friendship Games in the Great Lakes region of Africa, an area marked by political conflicts. This event which brings together Burundi, Rouanda, and the DRC around an annual tournament is an opportunity for the younger generations to come together and get to know each other despite cultural differences. SGBALL believes that the ball is an exceptional link vector on a pitch, through the exchanges and interactions it creates. Behind its action, the company hopes to provide diverse communities with the opportunity to train during the entire year and then organise a final meeting that brings the countries together.

Behind this idea of ​​simplicity, the ball remains the last material element of sporting events. SGBALL is investing in various projects to provide this tangible support, in particular the Live Together Program which helps Syrian refugees. The balls, which are added to the football pitch, set up in plastic bottles filled with sand, allow the refugees to organise their own tournament in the Za’atari desert.

A lasting solution

Peace through sport is proving its worth at different scales. In addition to easing tensions within the communities, the association’s commitments establish social responsibility and also a local one among the youngest, who transmit a climate of benevolence beyond their borders.

The changes don’t just happen on the pitch. Progressively, political institutions are improving their educational programs in schools, their health systems, but also the management of criminal problems. Melissa concludes: «If we show to the states that investing in sport produces a better society, then our actions can become real examples».

Learn more about Peace and Sport and its missions here, or engage yourself there.

The edition.