Say Yes, July 2002: Editorial

The excitement surrounding the 2002 FIFA World Cup reminded us again of the grip which football has on the lives and imaginations of people everywhere throughout the world. When we speak of globalisation, it is hard to beat football as an example of what the term means. Television has spread its popular appeal in countries where the game was previously weak: South Korea’s performance being the perfect example of the strides football has made in a country which was not considered to be a serious contender prior to the competition. Of course the performance of the Turkish team who finally beat them for third place thrilled and charmed the whole nation and drew the admiration of a global audience.

The teams we saw on our television screens during the competition are elite players. Back home, they are heroes to the millions and millions of children -- boys and, increasingly, girls -- who kick a ball around in the backyards, streets, parks and just about anywhere else they can find the space, dreaming of the day when they too will score one and perhaps net the cup itself for their country before a global audience. These children are exercising their right to play -- one of the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which is perhaps too often overlooked.

Play develops the body, fires the imagination, and in the case of football, develops teamwork and interactive skills. Football and other games give children and young people an alternative to temptations like drugs, alcohol, smoking and all sorts of harmful practices. Participation in games give children an incentive to do well, provides an outlet for their energies and keeps them occupied in absorbing, fun-filled activities.

As part of the Child Friendly Learning Environment programme which is described in this edition of the newsletter, UNICEF will work closely with the Ministry of National Education (MONE) and other partners to vigorously promote, amongst other things, adequate play spaces for children in all of the schools in the country. We are confident that this will contribute significantly to the development of the minds and bodies of Turkish children and help keep them out of harms way.

And of course it will also provide an enlarged pool of excellent players for future Turkish assaults on the World Cup -- Here’s looking forward to Germany in 2006!

Edmond McLoughney
UNICEF Representative, Turkey

PS: We’d very much like to hear readers reactions to this issue, so please feel free to contact us with your comments and suggestions.

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