Friday, July 13, 2007

Andrew's Duke Engage Proposal (By Andrew)


Since arriving in Yemen I have been privileged to work with many people in the Democracy School. So far, I have marched with Yemeni youth to raise the budget expenditures for the schools and I have attended several lectures describing the political climate, freedom of the press, and human rights violations in Sana and surrounding areas. After watching many films produced by the Democracy School and brainstorming on the children sexual abuse proposal (for the Development Group in France) I now want to launch my own personal project. With the guidance and help of the Democracy School I believe this project can be a success and ultimately a vehicle to better change the current human rights violations in Sana, particularly child abuse.

The Event and Purpose:

After witnessing the tremendous number of children at the march I wish to create a similar environment by planning a one-day soccer tournament in a local sports club. This event, however, does not intend to gain government backing or support. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of human rights violations and most importantly making Yemeni Youth aware of their rights. This will be accomplished by distributing pamphlets and brochures on how to report child abuse and what rights every child should have when dealing with their parents, neighbors, and society. It is important to remember that this event is for the children, not for adults. Most of the workshops I attended have discussed children’s rights by using Powerpoint slides and lengthy presentations, not one child has been present. This soccer tournament will put the information on child abuse directly into the hands of the child.

Details:

When:
• The tournament will last one day (morning to evening)
• The tournament will happen on July 26th
• The tournament must be advertised early in order to gain maximum support
• The boy’s tournament will run from morning to noon
• The girl’s tournament will run from noon to afternoon

Where:
• Soccer field at a local sports club in Sana
• Although held in Sana, youth from nearby cities are invited

Who:
• Targets Yemeni youth from the ages 12-14
• Targets youth with both formal and informal education
• Targets every economic and social class

How will the tournament be promoted?
• Signs posted in store windows and on gates/doors around Sana
• Pamphlets distributed to children in schools by teachers
• Pamphlets given to children in the street
• Article written in a popular Yemeni paper or the Democracy School’s paper

How will the tournament work?
• The teams will consist of 10 kids each
• There will be 100 kids in each tournament (100 boys, 100 girls)
• The teams will enter the tournament free of charge
• Teams must register ahead of time in order to ensure room
• Prizes, such as soccer jerseys, will be given out to the winning team
• Games last for a set amount of time or to a certain number of goals
• The Yemeni Junior National Team will attend the event and run a clinic for the children when they are not actively playing in a game

How will we gather money for the event?
• The event will be sponsored in part by the Democracy School
• Funding may possibly be collected from other NGO’s
• Only NGO’s, the children, directors of the event, and selected media will be allowed to enter (not a political rally like in front of parliament)

Why:
• Children must be informed of their rights
• Many children are not aware of their rights
• NGO’s will also distribute DVD’s, CD’s, and the identical brochure on children’s rights (produced by Democracy School)
• I chose soccer because it is a very popular sport that nearly every boy dreams of playing, does play, or wants to play in the future
• Soccer is also very informal and children will come to play on a nice field

Cost Benefit Analysis:
• Cost of renting the fields in the sports club for one day
• Buying soccer jerseys for the winning team
• Promotion of the event (flyers, brochures)
• Approximate budget= to not exceed $1,500


Sincerely,
Andrew Simon

(Proposal was approved by DukeEngage/ DISC). Event will take place on July 21, 2007)


Overview:
(The sign was developed by the Democracy School, with input by Duke faculty)

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