more on: Fight for Peace: Boxing and martial arts combined with education in communities that suffer from crime and violence Main partners: Fight for Peace, Rio de Janeiro and London, IKEA foundation, lottery funded, ICAP, Petrobras Key words: education, martial arts, sport, underserved communities

Context: Favela Complexo da Maré and Newham, East London are communities that suffer with levels of poverty, social and economic exclusion and problems with violence and drug traffic. The NGO Fight for Peace was created to teach boxing and martial arts combined with personal development, in order to realise the potential of young people in those communities.

Case: Fight for Peace is a NGO established in the favela da Maré in Rio de Janeiro and in Newham, East London. Its aim is to provide an alternative to the armed violence and drug trafficking that often formed part of life for the young residents of those communities.

Collaborative value : Fight for Peace believes that boxing & martial arts offer a broad appeal and important values to young people: discipline, respect, self-control, identity, a feeling of belonging and pride, amongst others. The adrenaline of combat sports also works in attracting young people to take part, offering life lessons from the training sessions and in the relationships between the pupils and the coach. In an approach that sees sport as a tool in the inclusion and development of young people.

Design role : The design role is to promote the philosophy of martial arts inside communities that suffer with violence, in order to educate youngsters to realise their potential, so they can find positive alternatives for their lives.