We encourage playing football friendlies in the spirit of Peace United – for peace. Participating schools are offered peace education materials and students themselves can invent creative ways of fundraising for international peace building.
The aim of a Peace United game is to give young people the experience of success beyond societal borders, create new contacts and increase the safety and cohesion that comes from belonging to a team.
Take the following steps in order to arrange a game, practice session or tournament:
- Gather a group of players and split them evenly into two teams. A team should particularly include people who don’t know each other, don’t get along or don’t share a common language. This way they’ll learn to work together and reduce prejudice.
- Reward the best peace builder from each team.
- Mention already in the invitation that football unites people around the world and that it’s a language that everyone understands.
- Take care of practicalities. Book a pitch, inform us about the event and invite players. Choose a team leader, coach or referee to referee the game. The referee ensures that the teams are appropriately mixed.
- Order Peace United balls, stickers, promotional posters, 15 bibs and a pennant award for free.
- Advertise the game on social media and in local newspapers. Local media gets easily excited about local events, and informing the editors in advance might result in coverage.
- Find more information and material on the website www.peaceunited.fi. Ask Finn Church Aid for more help with communications and advertising.
- More information: Karita Linden-Lemmetti, karita.linden-lemmetti(a)kirkonulkomaanapu.fi, p. +358 40 732 0104