68TH ATENEO FIESTA & INTRAMURALS 2016

“Maria, kasama natin tungo sa pagbabago, pagkakaisa, at kapayapaan

ng Mindanao at ng buong bansa.”

SEARCH FOR THE INTRAMURALS AMBASSADORS

CONCEPT PAPER

DIVISION Humanities and Letters

ADVOCACY Gender Sensitive Environment in Sports

I. Introduction

There has always been an unspoken monopoly on sports by men. Ideally, it was
created as a competitive past time for men and the thought of women being involved in
such a physical past time was not ideal. Sports like basketball has always been domi-
nated by the male gender because it origins specifically on male players.

However, in a progressive society, this is no longer the case. Slowly, gender equal-
ity is becoming plausible. The definition of gender itself is becoming expansive. Men and
women are not the only players of sports nowadays, because of the presence of the LGBT
community who are adjusting to their sensitive niches in society. Opportunities are also
being recreated to fit this current situation.

Society thrives on norms and these norms are ever-present in rule regulated ac-
tivities such as sports. Men play football, women play softer sports. There are still traces
of biases present in today’s society due to the influence of history and what society was
taught to believe generations before. Motives to move past these are seen, but it is rare
to see action pushed through, possibly because most people view this as an irrelevant
and simple situation.

But old habits do die hard, especially those seen as tradition and understandable
culture. Sports falls into that category. There has always been a clear line between what
separates the sports man can play and what women should play. Despite the seemingly
fair variation offered in choices, gender sensitivity is still a debatable issue in the field.
It is easy to say that these genders are not excluded or treated with a different
standard but it is an entirely different thing to act on this.

There is a threat to camaraderie and equality in the field of sports if this issue is
treated with minimal care and understanding. It may not seem dire or critical, but it is
thinking and principles like these that mold society and how they view sports and the
players in the long run.

People are at their most responsive, most open today. There is an opening to in-
troduce such manifesto that gender is no longer a distinction in sport, especially in the
mindset behind it. Clear physical strengths and weaknesses should be the only barrier of
all players, not the idea behind their gender characterizing what they can and should not
do.
II. Advocacy
A Gender Sensitive Environment in Sports aims to encourage an equal mind set in
the audience and organizers to view the players as players and not solely their genders
and the meaning behind it.

It aims to further create an environment that welcomes all genders into every sport,
without the ideals that it is only crafted for the other or that it is impossible to thrive in it,
because of the gender distinction.

The advocacy hopes to strengthen the unity and in depth morals of the sports com-
munity by creating a more diverse set of players with a more inviting and accepting envi-
ronment presented to everyone.

Upon adapting and implementing the said advocacy, a project is proposed to act
as a backbone of the advocacy.

III. Implementation
The project implementation is organized through a monthly activity calendar that
will organize the activity flow and ensure maximum benefits and understanding regarding
the project process. (See Appendix A) Moreover, the project implementation can be pub-
licized through posters, promotional videos, and social media campaign. (See Appendix
B)

The 5-month project is designed to ensure the long-term effect of the advocacy to
the involved participants. The project is composed of 5 stages where the participants can
grow and encapsulate the things to be learned and discussed in the process.

In the first month, the social media campaign will be done for effective information
dissemination about the proposed plans that will be beneficial to the participants. It will
also be an avenue to spread awareness to the social media users and other people about
the issue. Not only will it inform them about the issue, it will also give them concepts on
how to face this social reality and it will challenge them to be the “doers of the action” for
the implementation. The information drive will not be only limited to the use of social me-
dia, but posters and tarpaulins will also be utilized for awareness and call to action.

In the second month, a forum about gender sensitivity in games will be conducted.
Before having an interactive activity, there is a big need to have a formal or a semi-formal
discussion with the experts and speakers that are capable of raising and contextualizing
the issue well. This will also be the first step of empowerment to the ones who are con-
sidered as the “victims” or the subject of the issue.

In the third month, a teambuilding and personality development activity will be pro-
cessed. After the formal discussion, this activity will serve as an avenue for the partici-
pants to appreciate more the things they have learned from the forum. This aims to train
and equip them for the next two months which are the most crucial part of the implemen-
tation process.

In the fourth and fifth month, games in a university level and community will be
conducted. Here, the advocacy will be best empowered and the things gathered and en-
forced from the previous stages will be applied.

The student body plays a vital role in implementing the advocacy in the future. After
all, the student athletes will be the main component of the implementation. The student
body is expected to foster a supportive yet realistic environment that will guide the pro-
gress of the advocacy by following the proposed five-month activity calendar.

University Offices such as the Athletics Department and the Samahan Welfare will
also be invited to cooperate with the advocacy to create a competent and professional
environment in the possible planned activities such as invitational games or forums.
 The project requires a venue as the main resource needed. Since the project mainly
accommodates a large audience, a spacious area is the biggest priority in acquiring a
venue.

The proposed project also hopes to branch out in a university wide scale as well as
a community level. The cluster will be the first base for implementation and will be the
easiest to promote and practice on. Initially, the project will be rooted in the student body
but the monthly schedule will play out a sure but slow progress to outside communities
that may also benefit from the advocacy.

The project aims to focus specifically on a chosen community where the final leg of
implementation will occur.

Basically, a culture-oriented progressive experiment, the advocacy is planned in a

long term lens as the results cannot be observed in a short time span. The advocacy is
planned in months to create a developing and organized concept that will be sustainable.
Gender sensitivity is a long term achievement but one that will be timeless upon
achievement.
 APPENDIX A

Table of Activities

1st Month Social Media Campaign

2nd Month Forum on Gender Sensitivity in Games

3rd Month Team Building and Personality Development

4th Month Games: University Level

5th Month Games: Community Level

APPENDIX B

Resources Needed Content

Posters/ Tarpaulins Infographic posters/tarpaulins will be placed in the

hallways, elevators and school gates.

Promotional Videos Promotional videos will be played in the cafeteria.

The style of the videos will be infographic.

Social Media Campaign Posters will be publicized on social networking

sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
RECEIVED BY

SIGNATURE

DATE RECEIVED

TIME RECEIVED