The Kick Project

Pic: upliftconnect.com As the Rio 2016 Olympics get closer - only 2 more sleeps!! - we at The Kick Project, like most, will be watching for all those great moments and stories. We hope that, despite all the apparent pre-Opening Ceremony dramas (just like every other Games in the last 20 years), the Games will provide the sense of connectivity and shared celebration it can deliver. While we are sports fans like anyone and we'll be watching the athletes do their thing, we are always paying attention to the human rights issues surrounding such major sporting events as this . But, there's two special aspects to this year's Games that make our viewing experience even more focussed. Both aspects refer to unique, first time ever, factors in the Games and how they are shaped. Here the first (the next will follow in another post soon) The Refugee Olympic Team We, not surprisingly, were very happy to see the IOC open up to allow refugee athletes to compete at these G...

We have launched our Pozible crowd fund campaign for the Rohingya Football Club initiative in KL, Malaysia. The program is our pilot international program so please consider making a donation to help us get off the ground globally. There are some great rewards, such as shirt sponsorships, available for donors. Full details are on the link provided above. Thankyou.

Click here if the link video above doesn't roll On Friday, April 8 we were involved in bringing coaches from Real Madrid to the Sunshine Coast, here in Australia, to coach some kids from troubled backgrounds. For free. It was a great gesture from the Real Madrid Foundation Clinics Australia group, who were already running some fee-based youth coaching clinics in the country. Some 60 boys and girls from around 7 up to about 16, were bussed up from Brisbane. Most of these were invited by Welcome to Australia, a local NGO working on settling refugees in Australia. A smaller number came from Harmony Place, a not for profit which assists refugee families dealing with trauma and mental health issues. We also invited some "local" players to come along and join in the afternoon friendlies, which we arranged for the afternoon, after the Real Madrid sessions in the morning. For us, it was a chance to test our wings and to see how we fly as an organisation. From our poi...

The Kick Project board has now reached agreement with the Rohingya Football Club, Kuala Lumpur, to proceed with the following program.  We are now formally raising funds for the following program, which we aim to begin in January 2016. Phase One: Part 1 Aim 1: Provide full playing kit for the current Rohingya Football Club (RFC) squad. This includes: shirts, shorts, socks, shin-pads, boots, goalkeeper equipment Aim 2: Fund a single playing space for football games. This includes paying fees on a designated municipal football field. Aim 3: Fund Transport. This includes purchasing or leasing a minivan. Part 2 Aim 1: To establish a “Ball Library”. This will be set up as a focal point for the RFC and also for the Rohingya community, with special focus on encouraging access for Rohingya children. Appropriate education initiatives (approved by both RFC representatives and The Kick Project via the Program Management Committee) may be conducted and/or...

Here's some of the news that got our attention recently: BORDERS AND PEOPLE: ANOTHER CELEB PITCHES IN TO HELP REFUGEES Pic: wallruru.com CRITIQUE OF ASYLUM SEEKER TREATMENT IN AUSTRALIA SOME SAY EU SHOULD EMULATE AUSTRALIA'S MODEL OTHERS ARGUE EU SHOULD DISMANTLE "VIRTUAL BORDERS" AND MAKE TRAVEL EASIER (COMMENT) Pic: urbantimes.co GAZA PROJECT: GAZA CHILDREN IN CRISIS INTERACTIVE MAP OF THE DESTRUCTION IN GAZA WELFARE OF CHILDREN: BOKO HARAM CAUSING HAVOC FOR CHILDREN SOCCER AND DEVELOPMENT: NEW PORTAL FOR PEACE AND SPORT EVENTS