Cartagena de Indias, Colombia; 1st June 2015: As Ibero-American nations prepare to host the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Save the Dream – an initiative of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) – has joined forces with the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development and the Spanish Higher Sport Council (CSD) to organise a three-day seminar called ‘Sport as a tool for Social Transformation’.
With the objective of untapping the potential of sport as an educational tool and supporting positive social change through sport across the region, the seminar will gather Sport Ministries, IOC Members and representatives of sport organisations and foundations from 20 Ibero-American nations to discuss human development through sport, education on sports values and the social return of sport.
The event will see high-level participants from a range of sectors discuss the development of best practice in sport, culture and education, identify new opportunities for cooperation and sustainable projects with a direct social impact, as well as the training of young people in sport.
Speaking about the event, Mr. Andrés Botero Phillipsbourne, IOC Member and General Director of Columbian National Sports Institute, said:
“I am proud that this first Seminar on Sport and Social inclusion takes place in Colombia. Thanks to AECID, the CSD and the ICSS we are enjoying a unique mutual learning opportunity for the benefit of the Ibero-American community of nations.
“We are thrilled to share the efforts we are making in Colombia to exploit the potential of sport as a new yield for jobs and to learn from our neighbours other approaches that can help us to improve.
“There is a demand in our society for highly qualified professionals in the sport sector and the “Escuelas-Taller” programme will be an excellent laboratory to test new training schemes opening new opportunities for Colombian youngsters to find a job in sport”.
Organised as part of the Latin American Program of Specialized Technical Training of the Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID), the three day event follows on from the partnership signed in June 2014 between the ICSS and the CSD, which aimed to strengthen cooperation in Latin America and promote social integration through sport, as well as the positive values that sport can teach.
As part of the seminar, opening statements will be given by Massimiliano Montanari (Save the Dream Executive Director) and Pedro Velazquez (Director for Social Innovation) that will showcase the ICSS’s ongoing efforts to develop innovative projects internationally to open new avenues for positive social transformation through sport.
Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros (CEO, ICSS Europe and Latin America) will also highlight the ICSS’s ongoing efforts with leading international organisations and policy-makers to encourage sports bodies and governments to promote the values and integrity of sport to young people.
Massimiliano Montanari, Save the Dream Executive Director, said:
“Through the Save the Dream programme, we are working hard every day to be a globally-renowned and respected voice in promoting the importance of sport and its social and educational values to young people.
“I welcome the commitment of our Spanish partners, our Colombians hosts and Ibero-American governments and civil society to develop new initiatives to further develop social innovation through sport across the region. Together we can be a powerful agent of change.”
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INFORMATION BACKGROUND
About Save the Dream
Save the Dream has been conceived by the International Centre for Sport Security and the Qatar Olympic Committee to promote and protect the core values of sport for young people at a global level. Working in partnership with diverse organisations across sport, art, media and technology, as well as United Nations bodies and other international and non-governmental organisations, Save the Dream works to empower youth and inspire societies towards a sport free from corruption, violence, discrimination and any other misconduct.
In pursuit of these aims, several projects have been undertaken including:
• A joint campaign with UNICEF to raise awareness and encourage people to report violence against children in the context of major sporting events;
• An innovative large-scale photography project to inspire people with contemporary imagery showcasing the emotion, spirit, passion and humanity for sport in collaboration with Magnum Photos;
• Empowering young women through sport in India in cooperation with Aston Villa Football Club;
• Educational programmes such as Let’s Cheer Positively / TifiAMO Positivo, a national competition for high school students in Italy to nurture a culture of cheering positively in sport, and workshops on sport values in schools across Qatar through the Qatar Schools Olympic Programme.
About the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS)
The ICSS is an international, independent and not-for-profit organisation. With an aim to improve security, safety and integrity throughout the world of sport; the ICSS works with governments, federations, clubs, leagues and event organisers. The ICSS provides expertise, services and global knowledge – advising on event and venue safety, strategic security and investigations into corruption in sport.
For more details please visit www.theicss.org or follow us on twitter at @the_ICSS.
For further information and if you are interested in a media briefing, please contact:
Will Shand
ICSS
+974 333 416 55 / +44 77 52 73 1548
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