Coaches Across Continents (CAC) commits, in partnership with Hogan Lovells, to expand their recently piloted female empowerment curriculum into a new community intervention, ASK for Choice, which uses sport for social impact to bring gender policies to life.
The new community intervention, ASK for Choice, is based on a dynamic and interactive concept of social change and incorporates three key aspects, namely community learning, policy development, and community ownership.
Community learning on gender issues will emerge from CACs systematically structured ASK for Choice on-field curriculum, which is based on CACs new Womens Rights Policy and which incorporates development of the positive ATTITUDES, SKILLS, and KNOWLEDGE required to strengthen local partners to make the Choice to work towards gender equity specific to their community.
Research by Hogan Lovells on existing gender policies will inform program partners on what exists and what is needed for policy development for female empowerment within their community. Where applicable, connections will be established with national, municipal, or district governments with a view to updating or creating gender equity policies.
The ASK for Choice community intervention is based on a change model which focuses upon problem solving in and by the community. CACs methodology empowers participants to question cultural certainties, identify potential solutions, and work towards context specific changes in both policy and practice, thus deepening local ownership of outcomes. Using their proven Self-Directed Learning methods, CAC will educate partners to adapt the ASK for Choice on-field curriculum based on local needs and will support partners towards a structured approach to policy development.
These three key aspects are interdependent, with each being a valued component of using sport to bring gender policies to life.
CAC will work in 30 countries, spanning five continents. By 2016, CAC will have selected partners based on carefully structured suitability assessments.
Partners will receive three years of strategic consultancy from CAC. This will include in-community training as requested based on the specific needs and developmental level of each partner. Strategic consultancy will encompass the key aspects of the ASK for Choice community intervention, namely curriculum development, plus assistance with gender policies plus support from CAC to facilitate community ownership.
There will be three levels of partner participation based on partners choice and level of commitment. One Goal partners will receive curriculum development in ASK for Choice on-field games. Two Goal partners will run ASK for Choice programs involving on-field games and community ownership. Three Goal partners will run specific ASK for Choice Centers and commit to measurable results in all aspects of the ASK for Choice community intervention.
Depending on partnerships generated, CAC anticipates that 20 full time staff will be employed for local partners, plus 30 interns.
CAC is a global leader in sport for community responsibility and social impact and is well positioned to fulfill this commitment. Since its inception beginning with its first program in 2008, CAC has worked in more than 30 countries and 123 communities with 9,813 local educators and impacted 912,877 children, CAC has extensive experience in developing and implementing sport for social impact programs. CAC has created a global network of committed local organizations and municipal and national government contacts.
CACs commitment to the ASK for Choice community intervention is a three-year commitment, designed to be launched in late September 2015.
Oct. - Dec. 2015: CAC will select partner programs based on a structured needs analysis and suitability assessment. CAC will secure funding.
Jan. 2016: Three year partnerships will begin.
Annual Implementation Actions provided by CAC to One Goal Partner Programs:
Year 1:
Community-based education in ASK for Choice on-field Year 1 curriculum supported by a follow-up
24-week curriculum and year-round strategic support
Training in coach backs where local coaches use CACs curriculum games
Introduction to CACs Womens Rights through Sport Policy
Update on Hogan Lovells policy research relevant to the specific community
Training in impact recording, evaluation, and presentation
Year 2:
Community based education in ASK for Choice on-field Year 2 curriculum supported by a follow up
24-week curriculum and year round strategic support
Ongoing training in coach backs where local coaches use CACs curriculum games
Review of CACs Womens Rights through Sport Policy
Update on Hogan Lovells policy research
Review of regular recording, evaluation, and presentation
Year 3:
Community-based education in Ask for Choice on-field Year 3 curriculum supported by a follow up 24-week curriculum and year-round strategic support
Ongoing training in coach backs where local coaches use CACs curriculum games
Review of CACs Womens Rights through Sport Policy
Update on Hogan Lovells policy research
Review of regular recording, evaluation, and presentation
Annual Implementation Actions provided by CAC to Two Goal Partner Programs:
As provided to One Goal Partner Programs plus:
Year 1:
Introduction to collaborative problem solving techniques as the basis of self-directed learning
Year 2:
Continuation of education in problem solving techniques, including the capacity to adapt CAC curriculum games to ensure fit with specific local needs.
Strategic consultancy in coach backs of CAC curriculum games adapted to fit local needs
Review of CACs Womens Rights through Sport Policy with reference to local needs
Update on Hogan Lovells policy research to inform adaptations of CAC games
Year 3:
Continuation of education in problem solving techniques, including the capacity to identify local needs and create curriculum games to address them
Strategic consultancy in coach backs using curriculum games created to fit local needs
Review of CACs Womens Rights through Sport Policy with reference to locally created games
Update on Hogan Lovells policy research to inform creation of locally relevant games
Annual Implementation Actions provided by CAC to Three Goal Partner Programs:
As provided to Two Goal Partner Programs plus strategic consultancy support in:
Year 1:
Community inquiry - review of local policies and their present day applicability
Identification of and contact with local policy makers
Comparison between local and international policies
Year 2:
Identification of areas of development for local gender equity policies
Community identification of possible solutions to local gender issues requiring policy change
Establishing working relationships where possible with district policy makers
Initiating development of local gender equity policies
Year 3:
Completing local gender equity policies in conjunction wherever possible with local policy makers
Developing a program whereby these policies can be implemented by education through sport
Establishing contact where possible with government policy makers
Womens and girls rights are violated daily. Violence and harmful practices against them continue despite international treaties and protective legal documents. Enculturated norms, embodied in traditional cultural practices, control their lives and restrict their choices. They often lack knowledge of their rights. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has not yet been ratified by every country or implemented globally. Where laws exist, they are frequently not enforced or brought to life.
Gender inequity in sport mirrors this discrimination. Worldwide, women and girls face multiple social and cultural barriers in sport, including gender stereotypes, restrictions on clothing, or lack of safe spaces. In some communities, sports activities for girls are considered improper, immoral, or shameful, and girls may risk violence for simply taking part. Consequently, this limits their opportunities to play or coach.
While there are many policies and campaigns regarding women in sport, from informed monitoring and evaluation and needs analyses collected from 25 years in the USA and eight years of global work, Coaches Across Continents (CAC) recognizes that these policies are not effective and have little impact at community level.
In summary, gender discrimination affects women and girls in all aspects of their lives, including their participation in sport. Policies, where they exist, are not fully implemented and women, immersed in tradition, are often unaware of their legal and human rights. Furthermore the capacity of sport to achieve social impact and bring about social change is rarely fully utilized.
Increased knowledge on how to promote gender equity in sport alongside expanded opportunities to promote gender equity through sport have the capacity to educate and empower women and girls and bring gender policies to life throughout communities.
