Fight for Peace International Organisation
Fight for Peace uses boxing & martial arts combined with education and personal development to realize the potential of young people in communities that suffer from crime and violence.
From Fight for Peace 09/12/2015 ;
FIGHT FOR PEACE RECEIVES LEADERS OF BRAZIL AWARD
Event recognizes businesses and protagonists who contribute to the construction of a better Brazil.
09/12/2015 – Fight for Peace this week received an award in the Leader in Sports Management category at the 5th Leaders of Brazil Awards, staged by the Grupo de Líderes Empresariais (LIDE) in São Paulo.
This edition of the Awards saw 63 winners in 21 categories, selected by the event’s official panel. Fight for Peace was joined in its category by fellow award winners The Brazilian Paralympic Committee and the organisation Atletas pelo Brasil. Special mention was also given to organisations who have achieved success in spite of the current climate of instability in Brazil.
Fight for Peace Founder & Director, Luke Dowdney, was present at the ceremony and stressed the importance of receiving this award in recognition of the organisation’s work with young people living in communities affected by crime and violence:
“We are honoured to receive this award as, beyond recognising all of the efforts made by Fight for Peace over the last 15 years, it is an opportunity to show the whole country possible paths for young people looking for opportunities. Our methodology has had a positive effect both in Brazil and in the other countries where we are present and this award is more proof of these results”, said Luke.
According to João Doria, President of the Executive Committee of LIDE, the Leaders of Brazil Award is aimed at recognising organisations and managers who demonstrate the value of free initiative and efficiently reach strong results. “We highlight the power of business and politics in order to promote the importance of Brazil as a global protagonist across all sectors”, he said.
The story of Fight for Peace
From Fight for Peace;
The story of Fight for Peace began before it was founded in 2000. The English researcher Luke Dowdney completed his Masters degree in Social Anthropology at Edinburgh University in 1995, writing his dissertation on the violence suffered by street children of Brazil, specifically in Recife. During his research, Luke lived with young people in situations of high risk and had his mind opened to questions of human rights and violence.
Returning to Brazil from Scotland, Luke was invited in 1997 to work as a volunteer for the Rio de Janeiro-based NGO Viva Rio. By 2000, he had opened Luta pela Paz (Fight for Peace) as a project of Viva Rio, with the aim of providing an alternative to the armed violence and drug trafficking that often formed part of life for the young residents of Complexo da Maré, a complex of 17 favelas in Rio de Janeiro. Luke’s love of boxing – he was a former amateur boxer and British Universities champion in 1995 – led him to see in the sport the possibility of attracting and working with these young people from Complexo da Maré in a holistic project combining boxing & martial arts with personal development.
In 2007 Fight for Peace became independent from Viva Rio, establishing itself as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Brazil (Associação Luta pela Paz). In the same year, Fight for Peace also replicated its methodology with the opening of the Fight for Peace Academy in London.
In 13 years, Fight for Peace has transformed from a project with just ten young people to a group of international NGOs – based in Rio de Janeiro and London – which support 2250 young people each year.