Sept-Oct 2024 | Sports, Social inclusion & Disability

Oct, 7, 2024

Oct 11, 2024

Credit: Laura Kientzler

This summer, Paris's Olympic and Paralympic games were an exceptional opportunity for the Red Cross to build projects that ensure the participation of people we support while considering their personal challenges.

In that regard, we launched two distinctive programs, aiming at ensuring the participation of the people we supported during this decisive event :

The “Volunteers & Disability” program allowed individuals we support to become volunteers for Paris 2024.
The popular ticketing initiative for the Games gave those we support the chance to attend the events as spectators.

As the echoes of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games still resonate, we’re reminded of Nelson Mandela’s powerful words: “Sport has the power to change the world... It speaks to youth in a language they understand.” This edition of our newsletter dives into how sports continue to drive social inclusion and empowerment. From the French Red Cross’s innovative disability programs to surfing initiatives in Senegal that uplift young people,and to PLAY International’s groundbreaking educational sports games—get ready to explore how sport is shaping a brighter, more inclusive future.

A Red Social Innovation booth will be present at the Humanitarian Village in Geneva from October 21 to 31 for the Statutory Meetings of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Members of the innovation teams from the French, Spanish, and British Red Cross will be offering an interactive experience with games, discussions, and the chance to discover incredible projects led by the Red Cross and Red Crescent teams as well as other social innovators. Don’t miss us!

SUPPORTING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Antoine Verstraete "We work with the people we support, not for them”

Antoine Verstraete, Project Manager for Disability at the French Red Cross, shares his experience and the challenges faced in managing 89 facilities dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities. He discusses the strategies implemented to ensure the effectiveness of the actions taken and the impact of these programs on the lives of the beneficiaries.

Antoine, could you tell us more about your role as Project Manager for Disability, and the work of the French Red Cross's Disability Division on a daily basis?

The Disability Division of the French Red Cross operates 89 facilities and services supporting people with disabilities at all stages of their lives.

Within these structures, we support nearly 3,300 children, adolescents, and adults each year in various areas: educational support, social care, health care, access to employment, and more. Our main goal is to ensure that every person we support can build and achieve their own life project.

During the Paralympic Games, the disability sector launched two separate programs: the “Volunteers & Disability” program, which offered supported people the chance to become Paris 2024 volunteers; and “La billetterie populaire des jeux”, which offered people with disabilities the chance to become spectators of the Games.

What are the main challenges you face in implementing the programs of the Disability Division, and how do you ensure the effectiveness and impact of your actions?

Historically, support for people with disabilities has been focused solely on treating the individual as the “object of care,” often neglecting other essential aspects necessary for personal fulfillment, such as free choice, autonomy, independence, and full inclusion in society.

Our responsibility is to reverse this trend by placing life project support at the heart of our actions, and by systematically involving individuals in every project.

By encouraging the participation of the people we support, we ensure the relevance of our actions: We work with the people we support, not for them.

Want to know more about the programs offered by the French Red Cross for the Olympic Games in terms of disability?

Read the full version of the interview.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

Marta Imarisio "Surfing empowers young people, especially girls, to overcome life’s challenges"

Marta Imarisio, creator of the Surfing Shredding Senegal (SKSS) program, shares the origins of the project and its mission to promote equality, inclusion, and environmental awareness through surfing. SKSS helps young people, especially those in difficult economic situations, find autonomy and life opportunities by using surfing as a tool for personal and social development.

Can you give us some background about the origins of Surfing Shredding Senegal and the primary motivations behind starting this project?

SKSS is a program created and run by the Sportive and Cultural Association Malika Surf, based in Yoff (Dakar), which has been one of the pioneers in the development of surfing in Senegal since 2010 and its mission is to promote equality, inclusion, and environmental awareness through the practice of surfing.

The program was conceived in 2019 by its founder, Mr. Ibrahima Kane, a member of the Senegalese Surf Federation. [...] The connection between sports and formal education, as well as respect for the environment, can undoubtedly offer alternative life opportunities compared to the destinies these children face. [...] The mission is to support girls and boys aged 8 to 25 who are living in critical economic and financial situations and are exposed to a lack of educational, medical, and academic support. Sports become a vehicle for development: through surfing, young people can understand the values of community, challenges, psychophysical well-being, and the importance of a solid education and relevant training. [...] This support is provided through sports training, the provision of surfing equipment, and assistance with school follow-up, as well as medical care. [...]

In your organization, you also have a focus on girls and the importance of local role models. How does the surf experience empower them?

[...] Through surfing, they learn a holistic approach to life and gain autonomy. The lessons they learn in the water, such as perseverance, facing challenges, and pushing their limits, translate into their personal and professional endeavors. By embracing the lessons learned from surfing and applying them to other aspects of their lives, these women and girls are empowered to overcome obstacles, pursue education, excel in their careers, and ultimately lead fulfilling independent lives.

Read the full interview.

SOCIAL INNOVATION THROUGH SPORT

PlayInternational: enhancing learning and inclusion among young people through sports games

Anne Meaux, Social Innovation Officer at PLAY International, shares insights into how PLAY uses sport to promote education, inclusion, and well-being. She highlights the organization’s innovative approach through the creation of educational sports games, the continuous improvement of their methods, and the establishment of Playlab, a space dedicated to co-creation and addressing societal challenges such as childhood development, health, and refugee inclusion.

In what ways do you believe sports can drive social change, and how has PLAY International leveraged sports to create positive impacts within the communities you serve?

PLAY International uses sport as a tool to promote the education, inclusion, and well-being of children and young people around the world. We are convinced that sport has great educational potential, if it is designed as such. Sport activities can be a unifying force, transcending differences, and bringing us together.

PLAY's model is to co-create sports games that meet the needs of children and those working with them. These games are recreational, educational and active. The advantage of sports games is that they're fun, and children enage with them spontaneously and with motivation. But these activities also have great educational potential [...] with the guidance of the facilitator, they will be able to make links with their everyday lives.

For example, we have created several games on the inclusion of children with disabilities. The aim was twofold: to create games that would raise awareness among able-bodied children about disability, accessibility and inclusion (how does it feel to be in a situation of injustice because I have a mobility constraint? How can we remedy this situation by changing the rules collectively?); and, to create games that would enable all children, whether disabled or not, to play together.

How does PLAY International integrate innovation into its sports initiatives? Can you provide examples of how sports-related innovations have helped address social or educational challenges in the communities you work with?

At PLAY, we adopt an iterative and continuous improvement approach at every stage of our projects, in order to respond as effectively as possible to the needs of the field and come up with solutions that are as relevant and impactful as possible.

The aim is for the knowledge that the children learn to “come from them”, which will have a much greater impact: transforming the experience into learning. [...] Over the last few years we have developed a new methodology for reinforcing fundamental knowledge through sports games. The aim is to give teachers new tools, so that maths, reading and writing can also be practiced in the playground.

PLAY is convinced of the importance of building the capacity of local players, and in recent years has decided to go one step further by offering Incubator programs for educational and sports organizations. This incubation approach, which began in 2018 with the Playlab and has continued with a 3-year Incubator in West Africa, and has given rise to many other projects, has enabled local structures to be strengthened overall so that they can gain in impact, stability and sustainability.

Do you want to know more about the Play Lab? Read the full interview.

As usual, find below the latest solutions published on Red Social Innovation coming from Canada, Spain, France, and the Netherlands that have been featured on Red Social Innovation last month.

🌎 Oneka IceCube | Providing sustainable desalination through wave energy
Oneka IceCube utilises wave energy to power desalination systems, offering an eco-friendly solution to provide fresh water in coastal regions. This innovation operates in Canada, aiming to combat water scarcity in sustainable ways.

🌎 Hulo | Transforming humanitarian logistics through collaborative power
Hulo is revolutionising humanitarian logistics by fostering collaboration between different humanitarian actors, improving supply chain management in crisis situations. This global initiative contributes to more efficient and effective delivery of humanitarian aid.

🌎 CiviCRM| Improving volunteer management through data solutions
CiviCRM focuses on enhancing the management of volunteers by leveraging data-driven approaches. This solution, implemented in Spain, aims to optimize resources and ensure the well-being and engagement of volunteers.

🌎 Social Media Listening | A Game Changer for Community Engagement
SML simplifies data collection and management for humanitarian organizations, enabling them to make better-informed decisions and improve operational efficiency, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness and impact of their humanitarian efforts.

Read all our latest solutions here.

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