The 'Fight for Peace' project by Allan Williams Jun 12th 2008

A writer new to BBN, Allan Williams, profiles a very worthy initiative in our sport. 'Fight For Peace' has recently launched in Woolwich, south London. The project was founded by former English amateur boxer Luke Dowdney in 2000 in the Complexo da Mare, a complex of favelas (shantytowns) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The project aims to support disadvantaged kids in the local area who need support in all walks of life. I recently spoke to its founder to see what motivated him to begin the project in the first place, in Rio. “I got an injury when I boxed as an amateur in Japan. A year later, I found myself in Brazil – seeing kids walking round the favelas holding machine guns, and it just didn't make sense. They were the most marginalised kids – they weren't going into the education programmes, and it was difficult to reach out to them. So I started a boxing gym in one of the roughest favelas, to see if they'd come to us, and have the youth work alongside it. "I knew from my time as a boxer that the sport stands alone in its ability to captivate, to give them discipline, as well as something to aim for.” It's very hard to measure the success of FFP quantitatively. It's obviously been successful as a result of it's transference to Woolwich from Brazil but for Dowdney, its success is reflected in its membership. “Two or three members of our staff in Brazil were previously drug traffickers. One of them actually heard of us while in prison, came to us and said: ‘look, I don't wanna do this anymore.' But we don't just target drug traffickers – it's important we don't do this, as we'd be seen to be ghettoising. "70% of our kids have never been involved in drug trafficking, but they live in a community where there is an opportunity.” Dowdney realises that gangs are often formed as a result of insecurities, and does not underplay what he sees as a crucial role the streets play in moulding young people. “The street offers a lot in terms of group pack mentality. I don't think all gangs are negative. They provide structures that kids aren't getting from their homes and from society in terms of confidence, and feeling safe on the streets. The problem is that as they become older they tend to move towards criminal and violent activities as a way of being recognised. We're successful because FFP tells young kids that there's a place you can go that offers support similar to a strong group mentality but instead of being rewarded for violent behaviour you'll be rewarded for investing in yourself.” The work of FFP has not gone unnoticed. He gained an MBE in 2004, and followed it up with the Laureus Sport for Good award in 2007. Former boxers Acelino Freitas and Barry McGuigan are patrons of the Rio and London projects respectively, and Wladimir Klitschko also lent his support at the press launch. So how did they come to be involved? “Barry's involvement was very much on a personal level. I met him four years ago, and over the years became friends with him. It was important to get him involved as he is an iconic figure not only in British boxing history, but also in conflict resolution. I met Wladimir when I won the Laureus award, and he's quite a cool guy – very intelligent, and very genuine. He cared about the kids and what was happening.” The boxers were not the only high-profile attendee at the press launch – Work and Pensions Minister Stephen Timms also attended, and Dowdney left the interview with a word of warning for the government. “Projects such as this definitely need encouraging, as they are giving practical alternatives to street violence. I saw Jacqui Smith announce new powers for the police, and it's just following a road. They are going down a route at the moment about repression against young people, and it doesn't work. I mean we've been looking at this in Rio for 20 years. The more repressive you are, the more repressive tactics you get back. “I'm not saying we don't need hard policing, we do. But we need strong, clear, messages for kids along with support, and prevention. If you go down the track of different laws for gang members, it just doesn't work. What there really needs to be is a new moral code established for young people, and you don't do that with a big stick. I mean if kids are that extreme and willing to kill someone in a chip shop at 4am do you really think they care if they go to prison? "The government has to ensure that there's a myriad of social projects – not just sport, but also music, culture and art, to get them interested in something. They are behaving the way they are because they feel marginalised, and they don't think that they can get anywhere. We explain that they do have rights, but with those rights, comes responsibility.” We closed with an anecdote about one of the coaches at FFP in London. He is a police officer and successful amateur boxer, who helps out every so often. Everyone knew about it, yet no one talked about it. However, as a result of his work in the gym, kids are actively asking him about what it's like to be a policeman, through his interaction as a sports coach. You sense through the anecdotal evidence that Dowdney provides that the reason FFP is so successful is that unlike the policies of the government, encouraging and not repressing kids is the way forward.

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