PeacePlayers-Northern Ireland is a cross-community charity that uses sport, specifically the game of basketball, to engage children and young people (aged 9-22), as well as key community members and organisations in Northern Ireland. In addition to sport activities, peacebuilding curriculum exercises, leagues and tournaments, the programme offers advanced leadership training.
For the first time in 2016-2017, PeacePlayers-Northern Ireland implemented an evaluation designed and conducted entirely by youth participants. The evaluation was led by a group of 18 evaluators ages 15–18 years old, all veteran participants who take part in organisation’s leadership development programme. Youth evaluators collected data using two main methods, participatory focus groups (PFG) and focus group discussions (FGD). The four major areas examined by the evaluation include: 1) How program structure facilitates contact among those from different religious groups and parts of Belfast; 2) Delivery of community relations programming; 3) Program activities and achievement of outcomes; and 4) How to achieve demographic balance among participants.
Key findings from the evaluation include:
- 100% of youth agreed that they have made friends from other communities since joining the program
- 92% of youth agreed that they are more confident in engaging in mixed activities with peers from other religions since joining the program
- 96% of youth reported being able to challenge peers on prejudice or stereotypes after joining PeacePlayers versus 33% before joining the program
- 88% of youth reported feeling comfortable walking through different communities in Belfast since joining the program
Please visit the PeacePlayers website to learn more: www.peaceplayers.org
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