Trust us, sport and nature can build peace

The group of teenage boys were busily feasting on the lunch that had been prepared for them, laughing and joking amongst themselves.  It was a cold winter’s day, and the boys were taking part in a youth leadership program that sought to enhance their sense of community and wellbeing through peace education, sports inclusion and project-based learning. 

That was the plan. 

But building – and earning – their trust took a little time. We spent time on the basketball court, footy field, doing BBQs at the beach and painting before they felt comfortable enough engaging in conversations about their community and lives.  

With government support having been secured to fund a youth-led ‘peace project’, the boys were insisting the funds be donated to people who needed it more.  

Using a casual approach, they were engaged in a strengths-based conversation around what they did not like, what they liked, and what they had not yet been able to do but wanted to. The hope was to guide their project development by getting them involved in something they had thought of and could be excited about.

Peacebuilding and outdoor recreation, via sports or camping, proved to be the solution the boys came up with in order to enhance community resilience and social cohesion.

Through the support of Multicultural NSW, the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) South Sydney and the Rotary Club of Sydney, worked alongside this group of boys as part of their COMPACT Partnership Project, ‘Cohesive Communities: Building Social Cohesion through Youth Agency.’  

The soon-to-be-discovered interest tying them together – their desire to reconnect with nature – resulted in the formation of a multifaceted project titled Journey Back to the Land. Guided by IEP’s 8 Pillars of Positive Peace, this project entailed a variety of creative, community-based activities focused on the natural world: recreational sports games, camping, painting, fishing, kayaking, bush walking, tool making and discussions on culture. This entire experience culminated into a documentary that was shown to their friends, families and school in Alexandria, in Sydney’s inner south. The project’s success stories highlight the importance of departing from traditional classroom settings and using the inherent collective nature of sports and environment-based activities to forge deeper connections within and across communities.

The collective achievements of the group only emerged because of the individual transformations of each participant. The project design phase was significant in itself, teaching individuals about leadership development, critical thinking, problem solving and their sense of agency. During this initial phase of design, attitudes already began to shift in a positive manner. While taking everyone’s skills into consideration, they chose their group leader, a more reserved participant with previous experience in the outdoor-based activities that lay at the heart of their project. His newfound responsibility not only gave him confidence in his own abilities but allowed him to impart his wisdom to strengthen the entire group.  

Three of 8 Pillars of Positive Peace were especially reinforced within participants over the course of the locally led project: Good Relations with Neighbours, Acceptance of the Rights of Others and High Levels of Human Capital. The execution of the project highlights these pillars best. One exercise utilised cultural totems to highlight the diverse identities represented within the group. A reclamation of pride and belonging resulted for many. Without a doubt, cultural engagement and identity exploration were two themes that participants engaged with throughout the program. The camping trip was highly effective in establishing a sense of community and belonging among participants. Camping, as well as the other activities, required mutual understanding, respect, and empathy to flourish, transcending any underlying cultural differences.

Beyond this, the program successfully gave tools to the youth to stand up against hate, fear and division. Participants can use their newfound conflict resolution, team building and communication skills to address issues facing their communities. Moreover, they unintentionally built a network of other youth, project staff and local community organisations (such as RCS), improving social cohesion. By fostering connections between participants who otherwise would not interact, the program allowed them to walk away with a strong network committed to building a more inclusive and harmonious environment.  

And in the process highlighted the power of involving young people in the future of decision-making.