Football & Peace

  • ABOUT US
  • PRIMARY SCHOOLS
    • ESSEX Primary Schools
      • Lee Chapel Primary School
      • Vange Primary School
    • KENT Primary Schools
      • All Saints Primary School
      • Benenden CofE Primary School
      • Bishops Down Primary School
      • Bobbing Village School
      • Boughton Primary School
      • Brenchley & Matfield Primary School
      • Bysing Wood Primary School
      • Capel Primary School
      • Chantry Primary School
      • Charlton Manor Primary School
      • Cobham Primary School
      • Colliers Green Primary School
      • Darenth Community P S
      • Davington Primary School
      • Eastling Primary School
      • Elliott Park School
      • Ethelbert Primary School
      • Frittenden CofE Primary School
      • Goudhurst & Kilndown School
      • Graveney Primary School
      • Halfway Houses Primary School
      • Hampton Primary School
      • Hawkhurst CofE Primary School
      • Herne Bay Infants
      • Herne Bay Junior School
      • Hernhill C of E Primary School
      • Hertford Juniors School
      • Higham Primary School
      • Holy Trinity CofE Primary School
      • Horsmonden Primary School
      • Iwade Primary School
      • Joy Lane Primary School
      • Kings Farm Primary School
      • Lamberhurst St Mary’s CofE Primary School
      • Luddenham School
      • Minster in Sheppey Primary School
      • Ospringe C of E Primary School
      • Paddock Wood Primary School
      • Queenborough School
      • Raynehurst Community Primary School
      • Reculver Primary School
      • Red Barn Primary S
      • Richmond Academy
      • Riverview Junior Primary School
      • Rose Street Primary School
      • Rye Community P S
      • St Alpege Infant School
      • St Edwards Catholic Primary School
      • St Georges Primary School
      • St Mary of Charity P School
      • Sandhurst Primary School
      • Selling C of E Primary School
      • Sheldwich Primary School
      • Shorne Primary School
      • Singlewell Primary School
      • Sissinghurst CofE Primary School
      • Swale Cliffe Community Primary School
      • Tymberwood Primary School
      • Westcourt County Primary School
      • Westmeads Infant School
      • West Minster Primary School
      • Whitehill Primary School
      • Whitstable Endowed Junior School
      • Whitstable Junior School
      • Wrotham Road Primary School
  • JUNIOR SCHOOLS
    • ESSEX Junior Schools
      • Greensted Junior School
  • SECONDARY SCHOOLS
    • EAST SUSSEX
      • Chailey School
    • ESSEX
      • Beauchamps High School
      • Woodlands School
    • KENT
      • Abbey School
      • Borden Grammar School
      • Cranbrook School
      • Herne Bay High School
      • High Weald Academy
      • Maidstone Grammar School for Boys
      • Mascalls School
      • Oasis Academy IOS
      • Pent Valley Tech College
      • Swadelands School
      • Thamesview School
  • LINKS
  • RESOURCES
  • NEWS
    • International Day of Peace
    • The First Twinning in the U.S.A
    • Oasis Academy Peace Field Ceremony
    • Peace Village 10 Year Anniversary
    • The First Peace Field Project Plaques Unveiled
    • The First Peace Field
    • India’s First Peace Field
    • Three Steps to a Peace Field
    • Gateways To The First World War
    • International Peace Day Kicks Off Peace Fields Projects
    • Women’s football after the Great War
    • Prime Minister Supports Football and Peace Projects
    • Minister for Sport
  • EVENTS
    • F C BRUGGE
    • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2017 Belgium
    • International Peace Day
    • Global Peace Games Press Release
    • Global Peace Games
    • PRESS RELEASE
    • Peace Day Celebration
  • INTERNATIONAL
    • ICFA Peace Fields Projects
    • Belgium
      • F C BRUGGE
    • Canada
    • D R Congo
    • Germany
      • Gesamtschule
    • Ghana
      • Wa Senior High School
    • India
      • First ICFA Peace Field
        • Peace Field Project, Chennai, India
    • Northern Ireland
      • Cregagh, Belfast
        • Cregagh Primary School
        • Lisnasharragh Primary School
        • St Bernard’s Primary School
    • United States of America
    • Wales
  • PEACE FIELD PROJECTS
    • The Peace Field Project Film
    • Delivery Partners
    • Resource Pack
    • Tool Kit
  • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES
    • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2018
    • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2017
    • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2014
  • MEDIA

Belgium

matti-presentation-in-zagreb_300_169

Matti speaking about The Peace Fields Project at a conference in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Peace Village are the custodians of one of the world’s most poignant football pitch.  To play a game of football at Flanders Fields is more than a game.  The whole experience contextualizes football way beyond the modern game’ Flanders Peace Pitch is the most level playing field you will every play on’, says, Matti Vandemeale, Director of The Peace Village’.  

The Peace Village celebrated its 10th birthday this year.  Can you summarise what have been the highlights in the last 10 years?

The first thing that was important was that we had to fill the ‘hostel’ with people coming over. Now we reach 20,000 people a year who come to visit the battlefields from across the world. Second thing we achieved was to create meaningful and interesting peace projects for our guests. We try to offer young and old visitors, projects, ceremonies, workshops and sports activities – including football, to help them making ‘peace’ more concrete. I am glad we reached the point of being more than just the best bed and breakfast in the region. We are also an active actor in making peace events and guiding people in the region.  I’m also proud that we could translate the story of the Christmas truces into concrete projects e.g. the Global Peace Games, The Peace Field Project and International Day of Peace with the NCFA and partners.

What is the best part about your job and why?

The best part is for me when we can ‘help’ one of the young people visiting the region in giving him / her an experience with a lifelong memory of their visit. Sometimes we have ‘challenging’ groups of young and older people who may have special needs or come from difficult backgrounds and when we engage them in history, they contextualise their home lives with the incredible stories of the First World War, especially The Christmas Truces.

The Peace Village receives over 20,000 guests a year.  What memories do you think they take back home and what kind of messages do they leave in the visitor’s book?

Mostly get positive feedback. We try to do our best in giving them the things they need and even more. The memories they take home are usually from the tour they did in the region. They general connect with the awesome amount of facts, stats and names, of soldiers that came from around the world to fight in The First World War can have a positive impact.  We bespoke our programmes to meet the needs of many different communities and cultures.  Things that may work for one person / group doesn’t necessarily work for another person / group. It’s the tour guiding in the region that makes us special.  It is the excellent facilities that provide a relaxing trip.  So, when they go home with a good feeling we here at The Peace Village are happy too.

The Peace Village and The NCFA continue to inspire young peacemakers for the future through the Peace Fields Projects, Global Peace Games and International Day of Peace.  How difficult is it to generate funding for these projects and why is finding funding so difficult?

I believe in the kind of projects that we do with the NCFA. They are unique in terms of formal and informal learning.  The problem is that we must conform to a tick box culture.  Funding streams are regimental they are very difficult to adapt to with what we do here and funding streams do not consider the long-term sustainability of any one project in terms of development.  They tend to be focused on a current elective government policy which hinders and sense of unity.  The projects we achieve with The NCFA are cross-curricular based, they engage young people in football, sports and sportsmanship.  In addition, the projects involve history, art, languages, citizenship, conflict resolution and debates on peace.   Funders tend to be more myopic focused on individual projects. Our projects are a combination of elements, which can be viewed currently as a weakness rather than funders sharing the vision as a strength.

What would you like to see The Peace Village achieve in the next 10 years?

I hope we can reach more people with the educational and project work we are doing, I hope our collaboration in football and sports with the NCFA continues to make peace makers for the future and that we can find funding to work on a permanent base without everyday funding concerns. I hope we can play an active role in peace building across the world. So, projects where we make the link between WWI and conflicts and working with young people in solving these conflicts of today.

For more information about The Peace Village click on: http://www.peacevillage.be/

Recent Posts

  • St Bernard’s Primary School
  • Lisnasharragh Primary School
  • Cregagh Primary School
  • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2018
  • Northern Ireland

Pages

  • Borden Grammar School
  • Herne Bay High School
  • High Weald Academy
  • Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey
  • Swadelands School
  • Abbey School
  • ABBEY SCHOOL’S 1000 POPPIES REMEMBRANCE DAY
  • ABOUT US
  • All Saints Primary School
  • Beauchamps High School
  • Belgium
  • Benenden CofE Primary School
  • Bishops Down Primary School
  • Bobbing Village School
  • Boughton Primary School
  • Brenchley & Matfield Primary School
  • Bryntirion Comprehensive School
  • Bysing Wood Primary School
  • Canada
  • CANTERBURY DISTRICT FIRST WORLD WAR TIMELINE
  • Capel Primary School
  • Chailey School
  • Chantry Primary School
  • Cobham Primary School
  • Colliers Green Primary School
  • Cranbrook Primary School
  • Cranbrook School
  • Cregagh Primary School
  • Cregagh, Belfast
  • D R Congo
  • Darenth Community P S
  • Davington Primary School
  • Delivery Partners
  • Eastling Primary School
  • Elliott Park School
  • ESSEX Junior Schools
  • Ethelbert Primary School
  • F C BRUGGE
  • First ICFA Peace Field
  • Frittenden CofE Primary School
  • Gateways To The First World War
  • Germany
  • Gesamtschule
  • Ghana
  • Global Peace Games
  • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2014
  • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2017
  • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2017 Belgium
  • GLOBAL PEACE GAMES 2018
  • Global Peace Games Press Release
  • Goudhurst & Kilndown School
  • Graveney C of E Primary School
  • Graveney Primary School
  • Greensted Junior School
  • Halfway Houses Primary School
  • Hampton Primary School
  • Hawkhurst CofE Primary School
  • Herne Bay High School Local Memorial
  • Herne Bay Infants
  • Herne Bay Junior School
  • Hernhill C of E Primary School
  • Hertford Juniors School
  • Higham Primary School
  • Holy Trinity CofE Primary School
  • Horsmonden Primary School
  • ICFA Peace Fields Projects
  • India
  • India’s First Peace Field
  • INTERNATIONAL
  • International Day of Peace
  • International Peace Day
  • International Peace Day Kicks Off Peace Fields Projects
  • Iwade Primary School
  • Joy Lane Primary School
  • JUNIOR SCHOOLS
  • Kings Farm Primary School
  • Lamberhurst St Mary’s CofE Primary School
  • Lee Chapel Primary School
  • LINKS
  • Lisnasharragh Primary School
  • Luddenham School
  • Maidstone Grammar School for Boys
  • Mascalls School
  • MEDIA
  • Minister for Sport
  • Minster in Sheppey Primary School
  • NEWS
  • Oasis Academy Peace Field Ceremony
  • Ospringe C of E Primary School
  • Our Lesson on Walter Tull 11th March 2014
  • Paddock Wood Primary School
  • Peace Field Project, Chennai, India
  • PEACE FIELD PROJECTS
  • Peace Village 10 Year Anniversary
  • Pent Valley Tech College
  • PRESS RELEASE
  • PRIMARY SCHOOLS
  • Prime Minister Supports Football and Peace Projects
  • PROJECTS
  • Queenborough School
  • Raynehurst Community Primary School
  • Reculver Primary School
  • Red Barn Primary S
  • Resource Pack
  • RESOURCES
  • Richmond Academy
  • Riverview Junior Primary School
  • Rose Street Primary School
  • Rye Community P S
  • Sandhurst Primary School
  • Secondary Schools
  • Selling C of E Primary School
  • Sheldwich Primary School
  • Shorne Primary School
  • Singlewell Primary School
  • Sissinghurst CofE Primary School
  • St Alpege Infant School
  • St Bernard’s Primary School
  • St Edwards Catholic Primary School
  • St Georges Primary School
  • St Mary of Charity P School
  • St Mary of Charity P School
  • Swale Cliffe Community Primary School
  • Thamesview School
  • The First Peace Field
  • The First Peace Field Project Plaques Unveiled
  • The First Twinning in the U.S.A
  • The Peace Field Project Film
  • Three Steps to a Peace Field
  • Tool Kit
  • Trip to see War Horse
  • Tymberwood Primary School
  • United States of America
  • Vange Primary School
  • Visit from Living History Group
  • Wa Senior High School
  • Wales
  • Wales (Welsh language)
  • West Minster Primary School
  • Westcourt County Primary School
  • Westmeads Infant School
  • Whitehill Primary School
  • Whitstable Endowed Junior School
  • Whitstable Junior School
  • Women’s football after the Great War
  • Woodlands School
  • Wrotham Road Primary School

Archives

  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • December 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • June 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013

Categories

  • Borden Grammar School (5)
  • Editor (1)
  • Herne Bay High School (22)
  • High Weald Academy (3)
  • International (18)
  • Isle of Sheppey Academy (2)
  • News (13)
  • Peace Fields Project (2)
  • Primary Schools (66)
  • Schools (3)
    • Junior Schools (2)
  • Secondary Schools (9)
  • Swadelands School (13)
  • Uncategorized (31)

WordPress

  • Log in
  • WordPress

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

© Copyright 2008 National Children's Football Alliance. Represented by Hart Brown Report any website problems to National Children's Football Alliance