* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Grassroots movements bring change: what difference can we make? This was the intriguing title of the panel session I took part in at the FARE (Football Against Racism Europe) conference at Camp Nou in Barcelona last week.
Football can be a power for good. At the Homeless World Cup, thousands of homeless people across the world have simply used football as a method of changing their lives completely.
Over 70% of players in our annual tournament build their self-esteem; come off drugs and alcohol; move into homes, jobs, education or training; repair relationships; become social entrepreneurs, coaches and players with pro or semi-pro football teams. Our grassroots partner organisations reach over 100,000 homeless people throughout the year.
Networks like FARE have also done fantastic work by campaigning about racism in football; something which has been taken up by the football authorities and the impact has been considerable.
But could we do more? Certainly, the effect of anti-racism campaigns around football has had a significant impact in wider society but the problem still persists. As in football, discrimination exists throughout society – towards women, towards people with disability, towards gay people, towards homeless people – and we all should be making attempts to end discrimination no matter what industry we happen to work in.
Football isn’t the cause of homelessness and neither will it solve the issue. The answer to homelessness comes from a change to a global economic system which is causing growing inequality in the world. It requires governments, corporations, NGOs and citizens to come together in order to create a systemic change.
We are some way off. All of us will keep doing good work – and making an impact – but the system won’t change. People fall into poverty and homelessness every day. The situation doesn’t improve. We have to build a wide ranging movement which brings us together around a set of values. We have to begin to work together more effectively – to learn from each other, to share, to communicate – and build a movement which ends discrimination and poverty in the world.
Sport can provide a lead in this and show other industry sectors how they show behave and connect with the wider community. Sports and football in particular has to get its own house in order. Yes, we are making a difference – a big pat on the back for all of us – but we are only scratching the surface. We need to get our act together because there is so much to be done.
Mel Young is an Ashoka fellow and President of the Homeless World Cup; a unique, pioneering social enterprise which uses football to energise homeless people to change their own lives. The next tournament will take place between 12 and 19 September 2015 in Amsterdam.
