Ravizza Explores Soccer in Uganda with CNN

Salisbury, MD---Is there a link between sports and conflict resolution?

Salisbury University professor Dean Ravizza recently told CNN International that sports programs and events like the World Cup may be used to teach strategies for resolving conflict at home, in schools and communities, and ultimately across war-torn regions.

A faculty member in SU’s Health, Physical Education and Human Performance Department, Ravizza traveled this month to Uganda, where he has been conducting research on using sports to rebuild the lives of youth who have suffered from violence.  Working with a Ugandan team, he has helped create community-based sports programs to rehabilitate children, including those who once served as soldiers in militias.

The U.S. Agency for International Development called it the only program and study of its kind in the world.

While in Uganda, Ravizza has witnessed firsthand how the 2010 World Cup—the first on African soil—has sparked great interest and excitement among populations ravaged by war.

To read the full CNN story, visit http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/06/24/uganda.world.cup.children/?fbid=aKg_DWXtGIg.