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Webquests

2005, International Year of Sport and Physical Education

Students research how sport, as a shared interest of the diverse people of the world contributes to global development, peace and health.

The United Nations has acknowledged the world-wide interest in sport and nominated 2005 the International Year of Sport and Physical Education. This nomination recognises that the fundamental principles of sport- respect for opponents and for rules, teamwork and fair play- are consistent with the principles of the United Nations Charter. The International Year focuses attention on the contributions that sport and physical activities can make to promoting global development, peace and health.

• All students require computer access.

• Some preliminary work on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) may be required.

The Australian Sports Commission is the Australian Government body that coordinates the Government's commitment and contribution to sport. It provides national leadership in all facets of sport from the elite level through to the wider sporting community. The Task in this webquest is for students to prepare a presentation for the Commission which focuses attention on the contributions that sport and physical activities can make to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and promote global development, peace and health.

Download the United Nations Fact Sheet and as a class read and consider:

"Sport can play a role in improving the lives of individuals, not only individuals, I might add, but whole communities. I am convinced that the time is right to build on that understanding, to encourage governments, development agencies and communities to think how sport can be included more systematically in the plans to help children, particularly those living in the midst of poverty, disease and conflict."
-Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General

• Each team will be allotted a profession and a United Nations Millennium Development Goal. As a team of professionals they will address the statements on the Team Roles and Tasks worksheet and use the internet to investigate how sport could and does contribute to their goal.
  Initiatives from the United Nations Fact Sheet may be included.
• Each team nominates a chairperson, a recorder and a representative.
• The chairperson convenes a meeting of the team. Each member presents their findings to their team. These are recorded.
• The representative of each profession presents their findings to the class. These findings are used as the basis of a jointly constructed class report to the Australian Sports Commission on the possible contribution of Sport at local, national and international levels to the achievement of the MDG.
• The representatives present the report to the Australian Sports Commission, that is another class or school assembly.

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Providing development opportunities will help fight poverty. The sports industry, as well as the organisation of large sports events, create opportunities for employment. Sport provides life skills essential for a productive life in society.

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Sport and physical education are an essential element of quality education. They promote positive values and skills which have a quick but lasting impact on young people. Sports activities and physical education generally make school more attractive and improve attendance.

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Increasing access for women and girls to physical education and sport helps them build confidence and a stronger social integration. Involving girls into sport activities alongside with boys can help overcome prejudice that often contribute to social vulnerability of women and girls in a given society.

Goals 4 & 5: Reduce child mortality and improve maternal health
Sport can be an effective means to provide women with a healthy lifestyle as well as to convey important messages as these goals are often related to empowerment of women and access to education.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases
Sport can help reach out to otherwise difficult to reach populations and provide positive role-models delivering prevention messages. Sport, through its inclusiveness and mostly informal structure, can effectively assist in overcoming prejudice, stigma and discrimination by favouring improved social integration.

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Sport is ideal to raise awareness about the need to preserve the environment. The interdependency between the regular practice of outdoor sports and the protection of the environment are obvious for all to realise.

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
Sport offers endless opportunities for innovative partnerships for development and can be used as a tool to build and foster partnerships between developed and developing nations to work towards achieving the millennium development goals. Goal 8 acknowledges that in order for poor countries to achieve the first 7 goals, it is absolutely critical that rich countries deliver on their end of the bargain with more and more effective aid, sustainable debt relief and fairer trade rules for poor countries.

A presentation to the Australian Sports Commission which focuses attention on the contributions that sport and physical activities can make to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and promote global development, peace and health.

Sport offers endless opportunities as a tool to build and foster innovative partnerships between developed and developing nations and work towards achieving the millennium development goals which promote development, peace and health among peoples of the world.

United Nations International Year of Sport and Physical Education
United Nations Millennium Development Goals
Australian Sports Commission
Racism. No way! fact sheet United Nations Millennium Development Goals

Building a better future for our world
Calendar for Cultural Diversity 2005: Information for Teachers and Students
Multicultural Programs Unit NSW Department of Educationand Training