The United Kingdom in hosting the Olympics in London in the year 2012.  We are very excited to have the opportunity to share the British passion for sport with so many countries around the world and Palestine is no exception.

The body in charge of the organisation of 'London 2012' is encouraging British embassies around the world to join up with local sports organisation to celebrate our differences and our commonalties in the spirit of the Olympics.  Grants of up to £5000 (around $7500) are available for small projects. We expect more money to become available in 2010 and the British Consulate in Jerusalem also has some limited funding which we can spend on sport projects.  We want to work with you to create exciting, innovative projects that will win funding from the central committee in London now and in the future

We are looking to attract bids that tie our mutual passion for sport with 3 themes that embody our mutual goal of supporting a progressive, modern and democratic Palestinian society.  The more creative the idea, the more likely it is to win funds. We hope this table helps to stimulate your ideas.

Theme
Goals
Project examples

Social Inclusiveness
Sporting events are a place where people compete as equals no matter their religion, nationality, education or gender. Women, disadvantaged youth and the disabled can find acceptance and pride in themselves by taking part in sport
·        A club providing privacy and equipment so that conservative women can take part in competitive sports.

·        A programme at a university where students teach physically disabled children how to swim.

·        A rehabilitation sports programme for young criminals in jail

·        A visit from Tanni Grey-Thompson, Britain's most famous paralympian.

The Environment
A sport is a common love, the degradation of our environment is a common fear.  Young people are more likely to be active in both fields compared to their parents.
·        Solar panelled lights around a football pitch so that young people can play during winter evenings with no cost to their funds or the earth's resources.

·        A community gets together to clear rubbish from an empty plot of land to create a new basket ball pitch.

·        A campaign to encourage cycling to school for exercise and reducing car emissions.

Education
For many children, sport is the highlight of the school day.  Children who do not do well in maths tests can build pride with their performance in sports classes.  It can also help children stay in education for longer.  Physical education is an increasingly respected at University level.
·        Invitation for disadvantaged youth to practice sport with University students who will be seen as role models.

·         A tournament for school children in an unusual sport with a prize given by a famous sports personality or politician.

·        An academic exchange between the British University and a Palestinian University.

If you think you have a good idea, please contact us to discuss it an early stage and we can give you technical advice on how to make sure your project can compete against all the others coming in from around the world.  Clearly only some of the projects will win funding but we look forward to making sure that the ones that are successful make a realy difference to Palestinian communities.

Yours sincerely

Karen McLuskie (Political Consul) and Michael Sanour (projects officer)

Please contact Michael Sansour to submit a one-page concept paper.

E-mail: michael.sansour@fco.gov.uk

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