maidan summit 2012 steve harknett, handicap international, srilanka
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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: [email protected]