North Coast Integrated College, Coleraine, twin their designated areas of play with Flanders Peace Field, Belgium, site of the First World War 1914 Christmas Truces. The twinning event will take place at the Christmas Carol Service 19th December, 2019.
Update 03 / 12 /19
THE FIRST EVER PEACE PITCH IN AUSTRALIA is twinned with Flanders Peace Field, Belgium, site of the First World War 1914 Christmas Truces. Dr. Anne W. Bunde-Birouste, Founder and CEO, Football United, said,
‘This is a great honor to twin our peace pitch with the most historically significant peace field in the world.’
According to the First World War page on the Australian War Memorial website from a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of which over 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner. The latest figure for those killed is given as 62,000.
Proudly displaying the Peace Fields Project plaque
Signing the Declaration for Peace Certificate
ALL GAMES PLAYED ON THE PEACE FIELD WILL BE PLAYED WITHOUT PREJUDICE AND WILL BE ALL INCLUSIVE
UNSW’s FOOTBALL UNITED AND miller TECHNOLOGY high school, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, advocate peace through play for all. UNSW’S Football united AND MILLER TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL peace field is officially twinned with Flanders Peace Field, Messines, Belgium.
FOOTBALL UNITED
Article 13 June 2013
F.U was developed from a vision that people’s love for Football (soccer) can be used to build opportunities for belonging, racial harmony and community cohesion. Begun with a goal to support refugee and newly arrived immigrant youth and families in their transition into Australian society, as the program implementation progressed, Football United leadership noted that often community sport, as currently practiced, is exclusive rather than inclusive.
Australian Children’s Football Alliance’s John Neil (JN) chats to Anne and Brad Carroll founders of the very special Football United
(JN) What is the overview of FU and who benefits?
The Football United Vision is based on a Community Development, Determinants-based Health Promotion and Positive Social Change approach that underpins all Football United interventions. Importantly all FUn programs engage with local partner groups, and all intervention sites involve extensive partner consultation and engagement, resulting in site-specific activities that are particularly adapted to the needs and realities of those sites. While intervention components are similar or the same in the different sites, (eg. Coach training, regular playing opportunities, access to leadership opportunities), flexibility and adaptation according to site specifics is vital for an effective program impact and community outcomes.
(JN) Are there a set of Football United principles?
FU use community building, social development principles;
– partnership-based approach which involves working with the community and community leaders to identify and address local needs;
– all programs systematically include local engagement, capacity building and leadership development programs, which developing self-esteem and leadership skills whilst building community morale and participation.
(JN) So where has FU come from and where is it at now?
Founded in 2006, Football United has grown significantly from a 1 program Sydney’s Western suburbs to reach more than 3000 children and youth across Australia. Football United’s achievements include:
– Football United awarded 2012 Australian Parliamentary Community Sports Award
– Football United awarded 2011 New South Wales Building Inclusive Communities Award
– Football United film awarded Australian National Human Rights award, 2010
– One of 32 programs and the only Australian organisation chosen by FIFA to participate in first ever Festival for Hope World Cup tournament in June 2010
– Awarded UNSW University award for Community Engagement, 2009
– Secured Australian Research Council Linkage Grant to deliver a global first evaluation into the effectiveness of using Football to improve social cohesion in urban communities.
(JN) Can you tell us about the National Development?
In 2010 Football United established a non funding partnership with the Football Federation Australia (FFA) and secured a small grant from Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to expand programs inter-state. In April 2010, with the support of the Queensland Government, Football United commenced the first inter-state project in Brisbane call Shinpads and Hijab’s. In 2011 Football United began its South Australia program in partnership with the University of South Australia-Adelaide. Further projects will commence in ACT, supported by Football ACT and many local partners in 2012, with requests from other states to begin new program or engage with local partner groups.
(JN) What about Football United and the International scene?
Football United is engaged in football for social development regionally and internationally. Football United’s CEO is also Australian representative to the Oceania Football Confederation’s Pacific Youth and Sport Forum, which was founded in 2010 by the OFC. Football United supports programs in Cameroon, South Sudan and a number of other programs through technical consulting. Football United was the first Australian member of the Streetfootball-world (SFW) network. SFW comprises more than 100 organisations worldwide, and works in partnership with FIFA. Football United was the Australian delegation participating in the first Streetfootballworld/FIFA 2010 Football for Hope Festival, an official event of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Football United has an official partnership with the FFA, is one of Sydney FC’s Charity partners, and works in collaboration and with support from a number of government, local and corporate bodies, as well as a significant number of volunteers.
(JN) Why football?
It is important to understand why football is seen as a tool that can be used to better society. Research suggests that participation in sport can be crucial in the development of young people. Health and fitness, through the pursuit of physical activity, is widely regarded as a key factor in personal development and many of the skills that are fundamental in sports participation, particularly in team sports, are transferable in wider aspects of life. Sport encourages strong community bonds, regular physical activity and access to positive mentors for young people. In disadvantaged communities these features are essential to social development of children and youths and building the capacity of the community more broadly. Among the various sports, Football, in particular, is an ideal tool to foster socialisation. It is the one single global sport, hence its appeal across all socio-cultural groups. In addition, it is relatively inexpensive, and is designed as a non-violent sport. It is played by both genders, thus is non-exclusive. It provides transferable skills of fair play, tolerance, inclusion and understanding of oneself, team mates and opponents alike. It teaches of responsibility, winning, losing and participation. It can address diverse and complex issues, such as children’s rights, peace building, education, health promotion and anti-discrimination. Most of all, however, it is fun.
(JN) What are the key issues related to the equity gap in participation?
Gaps in equity of access are apparent across many low SES communities : often community sport, as currently practiced, is excluding rather than inclusive. Participation is largely not possible for many socio-disadvantaged youth. Consequently, Football United, and its innovative approach, has been engaged in effectively addressing areas of social inequity and their ensuing impact on communities since 2006, addressing the following issues:
There are extreme gaps in equity of participation in sport in both the community sport arena as well as within the public education sector;
These gaps in participation translate to gaps in opportunity, which if not addressed, result in issues of disaffection in society (leaving school, aggressive behaviour, unemployment etc);
Misunderstanding of newly arrived immigrants and different cultures often translates further to racism……and the ensuing problems it provokes.
The above-mentioned phenomena highlight issues of inequity of access to sport, education, employment, health and community services in disadvantaged communities. Football United’s proven capacity and innovative approach of using Football as the vehicle to address these issues, through programs, research and advocacy, has resulted in rapid growth in demand across Western Sydney, interstate and now internationally. The issues highlighted below are central to the design and implementation of Football United with evidence taken from our own and others’ research and Government reports, including the 2009 Crawford Report, Children Sport, Youth Leadership Report and research by the Centre for Multicultural Youth Inc. and the Australian Bureau of Statistics all of which highlights:
– Very low participation rates of people from disadvantaged and multicultural backgrounds in sport and physical activity
– “Club sports are made up mostly of children from middleclass backgrounds, because participation requires adequate disposable income to pay for fees, uniforms, equipment and transport.” (Crawford)
– People born in Australia had participation rates (in organised sport) of 27%, compared to around 10% for people born in non-English speaking countries.” (CMYI)
– Long-term funding approaches are needed to address this issue and improve the ineffective distribution of short term, short sighted funding (Crawford, NSWDSR).
– “Government and NGO’s have historically supported one-off, short-term activities that limit the development of genuine community capacity and undermine the potential for sustainable community-run sport programs
– Developing neighbourhood programs, re-building schools’ systems, and training teachers are crucial to addressing the physical activity needs and interests of children, youth and families from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds, enabling them to overcome their limited resources and better engage with educational and social systems (Crawford, CMYI, ASC).
Football United experiences, researches and addresses – in short knows and engages with these issues both intimately and extensively.
(JN) How does Football United address the needs?
Football United uses the globally attractive passion for the worldwide game to provide a pathway to engagement and development opportunities for disadvantaged youth, children and their families in communities with high proportions of people from, refugee, indigenous, migrant and lower socio-economic backgrounds. Football United runs 15 programs across Western Sydney, Adelaide and soon the ACT that improve their access to education, health services and physical activity. This is achieved through:
Provision of regular, free, accessible and localised football training and playing opportunities for up to 3000 children per year to improve social cohesion while increasing physical activity rates for disadvantaged children and youth.
Provide training and mentoring for 150 youth each year, through tailored programs in leadership, community coordination, football coaching qualifications, personal development and life-skills. A significant proportion of youth continue with the program as coaches and project coordinators.
Build extensive and collaborative relationships with diverse community-based partners as well as local and state government agencies. This includes training and development of staff in these organisations increasing their skills and enhancing the ongoing sustainability of the projects.
Create awareness of these issues through advocacy, high profile partners, ambassadors and ground-breaking research to ultimately influence changes to government policy and public perceptions.
These programs are all developed in collaboration with local stakeholders to meet the cultural needs and socio economic realities of the community targeted. The growth of Football United’ occurs based on demand and requests from communities with implementation achieved through partnerships with schools, Migrant Resource Centres and other local community groups.
Football United’s strengths lie in the diversity and experience of its management team, members and supporters. Football United gathers a diverse, multi-sectoral group, combining the skills of talented corporate leaders, the commitment of a wide range of community groups, NGOs, the engagement of academia, and supported by local and state government representatives. Through this rapidly expanding network Football United fosters the power of football to inspire and promote social justice and community development.
For more information contact footballunited.org.au
UPDATE 05/04/19
THE PEACE RIDE CHEQUE PRESENTATION
Students and staff at the Wyvern School took part in the Peace Field fundraising cycle and rowing event during the week of 25th to 29th March, to help raise funds as part of the school link to the Peace Fields project which enables children from underprivileged backgrounds of mixed ability and mixed gender to take part in the 2019 GLOBAL PEACE GAMES, an opportunity to participate in a weeklong peace education programme at The Peace Village, Mesen, Belgium that will have a lasting impact on each and every young person. Pending funding there is an opportunity for students from Wyvern to participate in the 2020 games.
The activity involved the whole school were students were able to either ride two-wheel or three-wheel bikes, scooters and an adapted wheelchair bike around measured tracks located about the school playgrounds, and a static cycle, or row on a static rowing machine (to cover the distance across the channel) to equal the same distance members of the National Children’s Football Alliance cycled from Canterbury to Ypres on their sponsored bike ride.
Members of Wyvern covered a total distance of 107 miles, just over the actual distance required, raising £200, a fantastic achievement. The cheque was presented to David Ramzan, NCFA Disability Officer, by the students of the school and headteacher John Somers.
TO THE NCFA
Thank you so much for organising such a memorable and wonderful visit for the boys- and us! It was an amazing, moving and truly inspiring visit. Bruges were so welcoming and friendly – I was honestly taken aback by their generosity. It’ll be a trip all the boys will remember forever I’m sure. Many many thanks for making it happen.
Best,
Helen
(Teacher)
UPDATE 16/12/18
Peace Field Project– Messines, Belgium 13th-15th December
Five students from the 6th Form have just returned from a successful residential visit to Belgium.
Wyvern school has signed up to a Peace Field Project organised by the National Children’s Football Alliance – in fact we are the first SEN school in this country to have joined. Its purpose is to commemorate WW1 and the centenary and to celebrate peace by giving schools the opportunity to twin a designated area of their playing field with Flanders Peace Fields, the site of the Christmas Truce. In the week leading up to Christmas 1914, groups of German, British and allied soldiers stopped fighting to sing festive songs. Some soldiers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ventured in to “No man’s land” to exchange gifts and to play games of football.
Students shared a room at the Peace Field Hostel and, over the course of a couple of days, were given guided tours of a number of Commonwealth War Memorials and trenches by Ernie Brennan, a representative from the Children’s Football Alliance. They also attended the Last Post, a nightly service that has been conducted at Menin Gate every night, 365 nights a year since the end of WW1.
On the first full day at Messines, students signed a football and placed it at the site of the Christmas Truces. They were shown how close the British and German trenches were and they visited the field where the Truce took place, now marked by just a simple cross. Later that day, students unveiled the Wyvern School plaque at a Peace Field football pitch, twinning us forever with that site.
On the final morning, Wyvern school played Bruges SEN team. Both teams swapped presents at the start of the match, just as the soldiers in 1914 had. Wyvern gave Bruges a signed school shirt and they gave us their club flags. Philippe, the Bruges coach, presented us each a small clay sculpture. In total there were 600, 000 sculptures commissioned, one for each person – civilian or soldier – who died in Belgium between 1914-18.
The opposing team were a couple of years younger, and, without being asked, our students showed a real and intuitive generosity of spirit by playing kindly and shouting words of encouragement to the opposing side. It was still a competitive game, with the younger team being completely unafraid of the older boys, and tackling with determination. The final score was 9-8 to Wyvern.
We sang, or at least attempted to sing, ‘Silent Night’ in four different languages and finally our students signed another football which was placed at a memorial at the hostel. David Ramzan and Philippe signed a Peace Declaration and we have pledged, in the near future, to play a game of football on our school site in the spirit of friendship and humanity of the original truce.
The students were wonderful ambassadors for the school and David, Darren and I couldn’t have been prouder.
Pupils and staff from The Wyvern School, Ashford, Kent, UK unveiled their Peace Plague at Flanders Peace Pitch. They also visited the site of the Christmas Truces to commemorate the war dead and celebrate peace. They also visited The Last Post, The Menin Gate, Ypres. The team celebrated twinning their school’s Peace Pitch with The Peace Village, Peace Pitch, Flanders by playing Bruges FC.
‘The most important thing that I learnt was how close the Allied and German trenches were and what it was like to be in one’ Pupil
‘My attitudes and opinions have changed because I understand how a simple game of football can bring enemies together’ Pupil
‘I learnt how the generals said that WW1 is going to end in 6 months but it lasted 4 years’ Pupil
‘I learnt that there were so many names on the walls of the Menin Gate’ Pupil
‘The Peace Field Project made me think how lucky I am’ Pupil
V
Saturday 15th December
THE PEACE VILLAGE
Mesen, Belgium
The Wyvern School v Bruges FC Saturday 15th December will officially twin the school’s football pitch with Flanders Peace Field. The ceremony will take place at the Flanders Peace Pitch and The Peace Fields Project Plaque will be unveiled by Helen Newman (The Wyvern School) and Matti Vandemeale (Director, The Peace Village). The Declaration of Peace will be signed by David Ramzan (NCFA, Special Educational Needs Officer).
The Wyvern School, Ashford, Kent, is a special school for children with severe, profound and complex needs that caters for learners from 3-19. Dedicated staff work closely with parents, carers and multi-agencies to ensure that all children feel safe, secure and supported in their learning. Each child will have a unique experience and our aim is that they enjoy their learning and realise their full potential.
UPDATE 29/11/31
Ernie Brennan, National Children’s Football Alliance, CEO, presents David Ramzan, NCFA, Special Education Needs Officer and The Wyvern School, Ashford, Kent, Teacher Assistant, a Peace Field Project (PFP) plaque at Folkestone Museums’s Walter Tull exhibition. The PFP officially twins the school’s designated area of play with Flanders Peace Field.
Breda Academy’s Ambassadors for Peace. Ms K Sweeney presented Paul Cochrane and Lewis Wilson, their Ambassador for Peace certificates which were awarded to them for their outstanding contribution to the 2018 Global Peace Games. CLICK HERE TO VIEW FILM
St Bernard’s Primary School
Wynchurch Walk
Belfast BT6 0JS
Contact Name Kieran McTaggart
Website – www.stbernardsps.com
Lisnasharragh Primary Schoo
Tudor Drive
Castlereagh
Belfast BT6 9LS
Contact Name Philip Monks (Principal)
Website – www.lisnasharraghps.com
A very successful Ride Challenge held at Basildon Sporting `Village yesterday.
Thanks to Management and staff at Everyone Active for helping with the preparation an organisation of the day.
136 Km on a bike and 50km on a rowing machine by 20 students from both Woodlands School and Beauchamps School to raise awareness for the ride. The press release carried the Just Giving and CROWDFUNDER information in case any of the public would like to add to the venture.
Stephen Metcalfe MP attended to chat to teachers and the students. He even maned one stage of the challenge on the bike.
After the challenge was over – having taken four hours of hard physical work (and positively competitive) to travel the distance from Kent University to The Menin Gate, Beauchamps won the challenge just by 3 minutes. It was close all through the afternoon. Our thanks to all those competing.
Woodland School is a secondary school in Basildon, Essex, UK. The school currently educates more than 1500 students from Basildon and South East Essex.
UPDATE 15/06/18
Woodlands School receive their Peace Field Project Plaque and sign, their Declaration to Peace, which officially twins their designated area of play with Flanders Peace Field, Messines, Belgium, site of the First World War 1914 Christmas Truces. Presenting the commemorative Peace Poppy Ball to the school is Colin Parry of the Tim Parry Johnathon Ball Peace Foundation.
Update 22/02/18
Update 21/02/18
Woodlands School and Gesamtschule, Heiligenhaus, Germany re-enacted the 1914 Christmas Truces today as part of their commitment to The Peace Fields Project. The event was attended by special guest Alison Rose, British Ambassador to Belgium. Alison said, ‘It is important that young people learn about The Christmas Truces. It is a moment in history that speaks to all cultures, young and old’. Organised by Forget Never – Sacrifice and Legacy, the event was covered by national and regional media.
Alison Rose, British Ambassador to Belgium (centre) with pupils from Woodlands School and Gesamtschule, Heiligenhause, Germany.
German and British pupils re-enact the 1914 First World War Christmas Truces in Flanders, Mesen, Belgium.
Games without frontiers
Woodlands School’s members of staff are presented with The Peace Fields Project plaque from Alison Rose, British Ambassador to Belgium. The PFP plaque signifies that Woodlands Peace Pitch is officially twinned with Flanders Peace Field, site of the 1914 First World War Christmas Truces.
UPDATE 08/02/18
Organised by Forget Never – Sacrifice and Legacy, Project Manager, Bob Sheridan, The Peace Field Project (PFP) kicked off a series of events that will see Woodlands School twin their designated area of play with Flanders Peace Field, site of the 1914 First World War Christmas Truces. A PFP introduction to the Woodland School pupils was presented by Ernie Brennan, CEO, The NCFA.
Woodlands School Team playing in the name of peace
Woodland School v Beauchamps High School peace game
