On September 19th, 2019, Safe and Inclusive Cities held a football tournament between the youth from Huruma Ward and the police with the aim of reducing police-youth harassment.
The idea began after four youth groups had done safety training's, discussing the best practices on safety and security. Following their training, they created a proposal in which they addressed their major safety challenges, determining that police harassment, substance abuse, and inadequate infrastructure were the major safety concerns within their community. The four youth groups agreed that police harassment was the issue they wanted to target due to the poor relationship between the youth and police and decided that a football tournament was an activity that would bring youth groups together and allow them the space for a constructive dialogue with the the area law enforcers.
On the day of the event, they had over 80 participants, 40 men and women turning out from the police department. The community and police officers participated in games of volleyball and football against each other, allowing for beneficial exchanges and unification between the two groups. After the tournament, there was a youth led discussion with the Deputy Commissioner for nearly two hours about how to treat youth in the area, the best means of dealing with conflict, and what each sides needs to do in order to create a more safe environment in Kiamaiko Ward.
The impacts of the tournament can be seen just two months afterwards. Jonte, a community mobilizer for Safe and Inclusive Cities, says the relationship between the police and youth in the area has slowly began to improve. Last week, Jonte visited the police station and said that the police were eager to organize another event with the youth and continue building their relationship. The community leaders felt the positive impact of the tournament as well, saying that they have been impressed with the youth and their leadership in creating safe environments for their peers. Jonte says that the tournament was the first activity where youth led each step of the process, making it the “first of its kind.” We hope to see more projects from these creative and passionate youth in the future, and that the relationship with the police only continues to strengthen.
Credits:
Muungano Wa Wanaviji.