The Indiana Center for Cultural Exchange

USPORT-Kyrgyzstan

The Indiana Center for Cultural Exchange (ICCE) and Mercy Corps, with the support of NIKE, the Grand Mufti of Kyrgyzstan and the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan , have designed the international sports programming initiative called Unity Through Sports (USPORT) specifically for the Kyrgyz Republic. This initiative is in the Nookat region of Osh Oblast. Its objective is to create youth recreational sports leagues throughout the Nookat region that includes strong youth development, leadership, community service and tolerance components.

In the winter of 2005, the ICCE sent a recruitment and assessment team to Kyrgyzstan. In the fall of 2005, a 10-person Kyrgyz training team visited our three ICCE campuses for a 3-week TOT short course that included:

•	Training at Indiana University in youth sports recreation supervision, management, coaching and officiating in soccer, basketball and women's volleyball
•	Ethnic and religious tolerance training at the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and sportsmanship training at the Center for Ethical Education and Democracy also at the University of Notre Dame
•	Youth development, leadership and community service training at Purdue University

With the support of Mercy Corps, the Kyrgyz training team train other coaches and recreation supervisors in Kyrgyzstan. Together they created, organized, managed, coached and officiated youth recreational sports leagues, game days and tournaments in the Nookat region for the remainder of 2005. In that context, they presented programs that will build youth tolerance, leadership, development and community service. The youth also designed and implemented grassroots projects to improve basic community infrastructures. NIKE provided sports equipment and uniforms.

The project brought in almost 2,000 youth, both boys and girls in separate leagues. Among the youth were children from orphanages and also Madrassas. Over 800 youth took part in the final tournament in 2005. The local authorities and benefactors have taken over the leagues from Mercy Corps and have expanded them to include more villages in the region. The leagues will resume play in the spring of 2006. In the summer of 2006, ICCE representatives will present a follow-up workshop in the Kyrgyz Republic that will also include coaching and demonstrations. This initiative is funded by the three ICCE universities, NIKE and the Bureu of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

Purdue University
Donald Mitchell
Jerry Peters
Scott Jackson

University of Notre Dame
Nicole M. LaVoi
Rashied Omar
George Lopez

Indiana University
Lynn Jamieson
Joby Wright
Bryan McCormick

Mercy Corps
John Strickland
Nick MacDonald