Best Practices in Sport for Development

Sports For All Project, Northern Sri Lanka

The basics…A 2-year project, funded by EU, implemented by

Handicap International (May 2011 – Apr 2013)

Centred on Vavuniya District in Northern Sri Lanka with outreach elsewhere in the North (Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar)

Works through government sports offices, sports clubs, social services, youth services, schools, NGOs and disabled people’s organisations

GoalsFor children and youth with disabilities: to improve their quality of life physically, psychologically and

socially

For the wider community: to raise awareness about disability and to promote social

inclusion

Underlying approach:Inclusive sport

What do we do?1. Awareness-raising and advocacy

2. Training

Adapted coaching/teaching methods

Adapted sports/materials

3. Providing equipment

Carrom

Table-tennis

Examples….

4. Supporting sports events

Elements of a successful Sport for Development programmeFrom an Inclusive Sport perspective

1. Look beyond the sporting outcomes

‘ ….there is nothing about …sport itself that is magical ….It is the experience of sport that may facilitate the result’.

Papacharisisi et al (2005)

It’s all about sport delivery:participants’ experiencerelationshipsprocesses (theory of change)

Sporting outputs

Sporting outcomes

Individual impacts

Individual/community outcomes

Adapted from Coalter

Sporting output – number of disabled youth coached

Sporting outcomes – improvement in skills, match results

Individual impacts – increased strength, self-confidence, leadership skills, more friends…

Individual/community outcomes –greater acceptance of disabled people, more solidarity between disabled people…

Example:Coaching disabled youths in wheelchair basketball

Implications for project HR:•Recruitment•Staff training•Partnerships

2. Innovation/creativityNew/adapted sports, new materials

Trial and error - learn from your mistakes!

Tennikoit

Speed stacking

3. Seeks sustainability by addressing attitude/policy change

Boccia as a recognised school sport?

Sitting shot put to feature in mainstream sports meets?

4. Listen and adaptExamples:Project reorientation towards children

Responding to participants’ requests, eg. rehabilitation, sports

Evidence and measuring impact on community and individual development

1. Formal data-collectionBaseline survey questionnaires/assessments for children and youth:

Disabled children/youth: physical – fitness/physiotherapy assessment psychological – self-esteem, self-efficacy social – sport participation, social participation

Non-disabled children/youth: Attitudes towards disability and inclusion in sport

Pre and post-intervention? Challenges…

External evaluation

Every day Once a week Once a month Rarely Never0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

70

47

9 11

31

How often do you play sport? Children/youth with disabili-ties, n=168

1. Sport participationExamples:

2. Self-esteem

5%

17%

52%

19%

7%

'I am able to do things as well as most other people' (youth with disabilities, n= 42)

Strongly disagreeDisagreeAgreeStrongly agreeNo response

3. Self-efficacy

17%

31%

24%

24%

5%

'I don’t seem to be capable of dealing with most problems that come up in my life' (youth with

disabilities, n=42)

Strongly disagreeDisagreeAgreeStrongly agreeNo response

4. Attitudes towards disability

Strongly agree36%

Agree a bit 24%Neither agree or

disagree 11%

Disagree a bit 15%

Strongly disagree15%

'Children with disabilities are less popular in my school than non-disabled children‘ (non-disabled schoolchild-

ren, n=110)

2. Informal data-collectionObservations, anecdotes, ‘off-the-ball incidents’ (qualitative

evidence)

Impact on children/youth with disabilities (and their parents):

Sitting volleyball gives Mary Anita new hope and ambition, and bridges the ethnic divide

Sport offers Prabakharan the chance to:

try new experiences

go to new places

meet disabled role models

and enjoy some escapism!!

Impact on society

Double amputees create a sensation at the British High Commission

Wheelchair-users steal the show at Vavuniya Youth Sports Meet

Karate club takes deaf youth to heart

To summarise…A good sport and development project:is creative and innovativeis responsive and listens to its participantsaims for sustainable changecollects evidence formally and informally (ie. it has the means to do so!)

And above all:Looks beyond sport:‘There’s nothing magical about sport’ – practitioners need to focus on

quality delivery and social outcomes

Thanks for listening!

Keep in touch!Steve Harknett, Project ManagerHandicap InternationalNo. 25th, 5th LaneVairavapuliyankulamVavuniyaSri Lanka

Email: pmsfa@handicap-international-sl.org