TeamUp Shortlisted for Prestigious Laureus World Sports Award
Feb. 20, 2023
Global Recognition
The winners of the internationally acclaimed Sport for Good Award will be announced at a star-studded ceremony in April. TeamUp is shortlisted among five inspirational programmes - from Boxgirls in Kenya to Slum Soccer in India - which are using sport, play and movement to make a positive difference in the lives of young people.
“Being shortlisted for the award is a huge recognition of our work for children affected by war and conflict around the world”, says War Child CEO Ramin Shahzamani. “Regardless of whether we win, we promise to keep on reaching more children because they are the winners of the future.”
Active in 25 countries and counting, including major refugee host countries from the Ukraine war, TeamUp is well on its way to keeping this promise.
The Power of Play and Movement
TeamUp is a joint initiative by War Child, Save the Children and UNICEF Netherlands. It is implemented by a network of partners around the globe.
How does it work?
Through structured movement-based activities - such as sports and dance - children are invited to express themselves and let go of tension in a safe space. Led by trained facilitators, each activity has a specific goal related to a theme such as dealing with anger or stress and interacting with peers.
What’s unique about it?
During the sessions, the facilitators communicate through play and movement rather than verbal cues, so that all children can participate even if they don’t share a common language. We see this as a critical element with the potential to overcome major cultural barriers.
Learn more about the TeamUp method here. Interested in collaborating? You can reach us directly at: teamup@warchild.nl
Founded in 2000, in response to Nelson Mandela’s challenge - does sport have the power to change the world? – the Laureus World Sports Awards’ has a vision to use sport as a powerful and cost-effective tool to help children and young people overcome violence, discrimination and disadvantage.
Laureus Sport for Good currently supports more than 275 programmes in over 50 countries that use the power of sport to transform lives.
