IOC and AFD launch new initiative building safer communities across Southeast Asia through sport
We are proud to announce the launch of the Southeast Asia Sport and Youth Crime Prevention (SYCP) Initiative, a groundbreaking new programme which aims to build safer and more resilient communities through sport.
Initiated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Agence française de développement (AFD), the Southeast Asia SYCP Initiative will be delivered in collaboration with a wide network of national, regional and international organisations in Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The implementation of the programme will be supported by a consortium co-ordinated by the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice.
This new initiative was announced by the IOC and AFD at the IOC’s Olympism365 Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland on 4th June, as a key commitment to strengthening cross-sector approaches to youth crime prevention and building safer communities, bringing together sport, law enforcement and criminal justice stakeholders. The Olympism365 Summit outcomes can be found here and the full list of commitments and announcements made during the event is available here.
“This initiative will further demonstrate how sport can play an important role in empowering young people and making communities safer,” said Ollie Dudfield, the IOC’s Olympism365 Associate Director. “The Olympism365 Summit showed how cross-sector collaboration can make a real and lasting difference in people’s lives. This programme is a tangible example of sport and criminal justice stakeholders working together to promote the strengths of young people and reduce risk factors leading to involvement in antisocial behaviour and youth crime.”
Laureline Triby, Head of the Social Link Division for AFD, commented: “AFD is proud to launch this new programme in Southeast Asia with the IOC and a consortium of implementing partners led by the Alliance of Sport. This initiative will strongly contribute to reinforcing the role of sport in youth crime prevention strategies. We are looking forward to working together with the public sector, the sport movement and civil society organisations to accelerate the contribution of sport to youth empowerment and build safer and more resilient communities.”
Tawee Sodsong, Justice Minister of Thailand, stated: “The Southeast Asia Sport and Youth Crime Prevention Initiative demonstrates how sport can play a strategic role in reducing youth crime and strengthening community resilience. I commend this initiative’s commitment to generating robust data and cross-sector learning. The example of Pencak Silat youth engagement programme in Thailand’s deep south is the evidence of crime prevention. I also hope ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) will increasingly use sports to reintegrate former prisoners and offenders into society turning them into productive coaches or athletes, thereby contributing to the SDGs.”
Richard Bachmann, Chair of the Philippines Sports Commission, said: “The Philippines has a long-standing global solidarity in driving sports as a unifying force for social transformation and establishing a strengthened sense of community. The Philippines takes its pride as a pioneering nation to lead this genuine global collaboration that empowers the potential of the youth and expands the platform that enables them to thrive in limitless opportunities. This initiative will advance our programmes to effectively capture the attention of citizens and highlight the significant values in sports that transcend inclusivity, humanity and social development.”
James Mapstone, AoS Chief Executive, commented: “We’re proud to be working alongside the IOC, AFD and many other incredible partners. This initiative is an exciting opportunity to drive a collective impact approach, align policy and practice – building on the foundations we have laid through research with the Thailand Institute of Justice and our ongoing efforts to elevate the role of sport in preventing youth crime across Southeast Asia.”
ABOUT THE INITIATIVE
The SYCP Initiative supports holistic community crime prevention projects in Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam through sport. It also facilitates training, learning, and knowledge exchange among the sport, civil society, and law enforcement sectors across the broader region. Additionally, it will build regional and national cross-sector networks to generate insights, inform policy development, and create lasting impact.
The initiative aligns with the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy and AFD’s mission to leverage sport as a driver of the Sustainable Development Goals, supporting the transition to a fairer and more sustainable world.
The SYCP Initiative will:
- Develop national and regional networks of cross-sector collaborations to enhance co-ordination, facilitate knowledge exchange, and support programme delivery.
- Invest in at least eight community-led, sport-based holistic crime prevention projects, directly impacting over 10,000 young people across Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
- Provide training and capacity building for multi-agency professionals across Southeast Asia to strengthen the use of sport in youth crime prevention.
- Establish a regional Community of Practice to connect stakeholders, share knowledge, and support continuous learning. This will include conferences, virtual webinars, an online knowledge repository, interactive discussion platforms, and evaluation mechanisms.
- Advance evidence-based policy and research by fostering academic networks, supporting research, and advocating for policies that integrate sport-based interventions into youth crime prevention strategies.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
As part of the initiative, community-led, sport-based holistic crime prevention schemes will be supported as ‘proof of concept’ projects through grants of up to EUR 150,000 for a delivery period of 18 months.
Organisations that use sport as a tool for youth crime prevention and creating safer communities, are now invited to apply, with grantees typically expected to include non-profit organisations including civil society organisations, sport federations and social enterprises. Successful applicants will be fully supported in leadership development, safeguarding and MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) approaches.
We are seeking strong programme ideas that are well-positioned to address the complex challenges outlined in this Call for Applications. Successful applications will demonstrate how they plan using sport to build safer and more resilient communities, supported by the right tools, collaborations and approaches. Projects must be implemented in one of the following countries: Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand or Vietnam.
An overview of criteria for applicants, details of grants and instructions to apply, plus a proposed timeline for programme delivery can be found at the link below.
Access the Call for Applications
THEORY OF CHANGE
During the co-creation phase of the Initiative, a Theory of Change was jointly developed by local, regional and global experts in the field of sport and youth crime prevention. The Theory of Change acts as a guiding tool for practitioners, policymakers and SYCP Initiative applicants. It aims to help explain how the programmes build safer communities through sport. The Theory of Change will align with a collective impact framework ensuring to gather evidence to then together inform and influence future policy development and funding decisions.
