Sport & Movement

AllinPeace has found sport and movement to be a universal language for addressing and communicating between young people. In this sense they are transformational tools for positive change in the lives of individuals, communities, and ultimately the peaceful development and reconciliation.

We would like to share a few excerpts from the UN Inter-Agency Task Force document on: Sport as a Tool for Development and Peace:

“By its very nature sport is about participation. It is about inclusion and citizenship. Sport brings individuals and communities together, highlighting commonalties and bridging cultural or ethnic divides.

The practice of sport is vital to the holistic development of young people, fostering their physical and emotional health and building valuable social connections. It offers opportunities for play and self-expression, beneficial especially for those young people with few other opportunities in their lives. Sport also provides healthy alternatives to harmful actions, such as drug abuse and involvement in crime. Within schools, physical education is an essential component of quality education. Physical education programs not only promote physical activity, there is evidence that such programs correlate to improved academic performance.

Sport can cut across barriers that divide societies, making it a powerful tool to support conflict prevention and peace-building efforts, both symbolically on the global level and very practically within communities. When applied effectively, sport programs promote social integration and foster tolerance, helping to reduce tension and generate dialogue. The convening power of sport make it additionally compelling as a tool for advocacy and communications”.

Sport provides a forum to learn skills such as discipline, confidence and leadership and it teaches core principles such as tolerance, co-operation and respect. Sport teaches the value of effort and how to manage victory, as well as defeat...
Incorporated into the definition of ‘sport’ are all forms of physical activity that contribute to physical fitness, mental well-being and social interaction. These include play, recreation, organized casual or competitive sport, and indigenous sports or games.

At AllinPeace we realize the transformational potential of sport as a tool for healthy development and the practice of peace!

The Penthatlon

For many of the young participants this was one of the first times they had played games not to win, but rather to partake in the game just for fun. Unlike in many of their native countries, the Pentathlon games were not associated with any violence, aggression or unnerving competition. Those that partook in the games became friends and the cooperation between the participants and their teammates from different countries, ethnicities and religions enabled youth to celebrate their differences while engaging in sportsmanlike competition.

Discus, javelin, long jump, running and wrestling are all designed to instill a love of balance, moderation, confidence, beauty and justice. Partaking in such events highlighted the importance of synergy, dedication, concentration, teamwork, and mindfulness. The goal of each competition was to bring out the best in one's self and highlight the importance and effectiveness of the collective. Through this participation youth found new ways to use their body, movement, speech, and natural talents to benefit those who were on their specific teams and all the participants of the Pentathlon. The collective group worked to create safe, open and distinctive environments in which that which was "different" was seen as unique, beautiful and was embraced rather than sidelined, ignored or rejected. Each Olympic sport encouraged a different usage of the body, mind and spirit, thus it was not enough to be athletic, witty or creative. One had to embrace an array of qualities to succeed both individually and as a collective whole.

Example

The Pentathlon As An Athletic Example Of Holistic Education
The Pentathlon educates the individual from the feet to the head. One can see that each discipline develops a part of the body starting with the feet, then calves and thighs, moving to the upper torso and ending with head and upper limbs. But together they form a synergistic training that promotes holistic human development. Pentathlon means “five contests” and refers to 1) running, 2) jumping, 3) wrestling, 4) discus throwing, and 5) javelin throwing. These disciplines were the major curriculum of an ancient education that united the body, soul, and spirit thus providing a physical, psychological, and moral training for youth. These disciplines and this event was central to both the Olympic Games and the Pythian Games. Click below on the particular exercises to see the virtues and moral development that the Pentathlon strove to cultivate.

Discus

Wresling

Long Jump

Javelin

Running Sprints