The #MoreThanAGame media campaign was launched Friday with a roundtable discussion, as part of Generation Amazing Foundation’s annual Youth Festival. Community leaders were able to share their stories of how sport positively changed their lives with more than 100 youth training to be future practitioners in the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) and promotion of peace.
Featuring professional footballer Dr Nadia Nadim, the event was organised by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Global Sports Programme and co-hosted by the Generation Amazing (GA) Foundation on the margins of the Goal 2022 festival. The panel launched the programme’s #MoreThanAGame media campaign and fielded questions from 120 young people representing the 32 nations participating in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The campaign is a key initiative of UNOCT’s Global Sports Programme and its co-implementing partners, the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS). The campaign aims to promote the potential of sport as a force for good by highlighting the stories of professional athletes and inspiring young people from around the globe during major sporting events. It also includes “Golden Ticket” events where exemplary young people have the opportunity to join a professional athlete in a conversation to share how sports improved their lives.
GA, the human and social legacy programme of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, has positively impacted more than 1mn people globally since its launch during Qatar’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup. In his opening remarks, Mauro Miedico, deputy director, UNCCT and chief, Special Projects and Innovation Branch of UNOCT expressed appreciation for Qatar’s generous support of the Global Sports Programme.
Massimiliano Montanari, CEO, ICSS, said: “Our campaign complements three years of work to inspire the advancement of global and national policies to secure sport and promote its values as a strategy to prevent violent extremism and in support of law enforcement agencies, organizers, and civil society.”
Nasser al-Khori, executive director, GA Foundation said: “Generation Amazing Foundations’ mission is to inspire and provide life-changing opportunities for underserved youth from all over the world through the power of football.” During the panel discussion moderated by Miedico, Dr Nadim told personal anecdotes on how sport helped her overcome the difficulties of her childhood to become a world-renowned star on the pitch as well a medical doctor in the time she spent without her kit on.
Dr Nadim was joined in a panel discussion by one young beneficiary of sport based PVE programming, Kelsey (23) of the Irish Football Association Foundation as well as a young sport-based PVE programme practitioner, Caroline (30) of Local Youth Corner Cameroon. Kelsey explained her challenging upbringing in her home community and speak about how the power of sport was able to completely turn her life around. Caroline, noted similarly that “by developing teamwork and communication skills, we are able to not only succeed on the pitch but also promote peace and positivity within our own communities.”
Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative - UNAOC said: "We hope this campaign will inspire many young people around the world.”
Antonia Marie De Meo, director, UNICRI, said:“Sports are a uniting force. They build trust, promote inclusivity and encourage respect for diversity. Our work shows that these values are essential to counter radicalisation and violent extremism in communities at risk.”