Exchange between Colombia and Peru: Football for Peace
an article by Jairo Aguilar García

Between March 5th and 12th 2007, a workshop titled "Fútbol para el Desarrollo: Primer Encuentro Colombo/Peruano" (Football for Social Development: First Meeting between Colombia and Peru) took place in Medellín and Sal Alberto, Colombia.

As part of the workshop, Richard Ocrospoma Caballero from Escuelas Deporte y Vida provided volunteer coordinators and coaches from the partner organisation Con-texto Urbano with a seminar on training techniques for street football. The skills learned are designed to assist the activities of Con-texto Urbano that are run in a number of regions across Colombia. The seminars, which included both theoretical and practical elements, were attended by around 25 coordinators along with youths who participate in the programmes.

In May a return visit to Peru is planned for a Colombian delegation. In this case the exchange will focus on the experience and knowledge the Colombians have gained through their implementation of the Fútbol por la Paz method of street football. The method was developed over ten years ago by Con-texto Urbano and, through special rules, it’s been able to communicate strategies for conflict resolution.

The interaction between Escuelas Deporte y Vida and Con-texto Urbano is taking place within the framework of a wider exchange programme between members of the streetfootballworld network. A further eight organisations have profited from meeting with regional partners thanks to support provided by FIFA. The goal of the initiative is to improve the local programmes being offered by the participating organisations and to deepen the relationships between partner organisations in South America, Africa and Europe.

For more information see the website of Con-texto Urbano.

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[Editor's note.  The following article was sent in to CPNN by Ron Davis, Assistant Coach Cross Country / Track and Field
The Ohio State University. ]

'Lost Boy of Sudan' still running at Northern Arizona
By Bob Baum, AP Sports Writer

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Lopez Lomong was 6 years old when, in the dark of night, he and three older boys crawled through a small hole in a fence and ran barefoot for three days to escape their Sudanese rebel captors.

Sixteen years later, in the pines of Flagstaff with a comfortable life he never imagined, he is running still. . .

Next week, Lomong, a sophomore at Northern Arizona University, will be among the favorites in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA track and field championships in Sacramento, Calif.

"I have to picture myself when I was six years old, running from the death I saw.. . ...more.

This report was posted on April 17, 2007. The moderator is CPNN Administrator.

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