July 20, 2005
Coaches from Kyrgyzstan at Purdue to learn leadership
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Ten Kyrgyzstan basketball, soccer and volleyball coaches will be at Purdue University and other Indiana universities to learn how leadership, tolerance and sportsmanship in athletics can be a part of the peacemaking process in Central Asia.
The coaches are from the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan, also known as Kyrgyz Republic, which has experienced violent outbreaks since the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union. The old regime was ousted in March, but the country is still struggling with multi-ethnic disputes, as well as economic, employment and environmental problems in this Muslim region.
"The country's youth, who now make up about 50 percent of the population, are especially vulnerable to ethnic prejudice, conflict and violence, as well as recruitment for radical militant groups," says Donald W. Mitchell, a professor of philosophy who is an expert in interfaith relations. "What better way to have a positive influence on young people and keep them from violent activity than creating youth sports leagues at the grassroots level and encouraging them to learn about team sports as well as tolerance, sportsmanship and leadership?"
The coaches arrived in Indiana on July 16 and will spend time at Indiana University learning how to teach and improve basketball, soccer and volleyball skills. Then they will attend seminars on tolerance at the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute. The coaches – three women and seven men – will be at Purdue Aug. 4 and 5 to learn about leadership in sports. They represent the ethnic groups in Kyrgyztan — Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik and Russian.
Jerry Peters, professor of curriculum and instruction, youth development and agriculture education, is leading the leadership seminars. He will talk about developing leadership skills, how to make positive impressions and work with people from different backgrounds.
The program, the Indiana Sports Project for Osh Regional Tolerance (ISPORT), is funded by the United States Department of State. The Indiana Center for Cultural Exchange, a partnership among Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame and the Islamic Society of North America, is running the program with Mercy Corps in Kyrgyzstan and Nike, which is supplying all the sports equipment and clothing. Mercy Corps is funded by United States Agency for International Development and has its own recreational sports programs in the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Mitchell is director of the Indiana Center for Cultural Exchange, which works to improve understanding and cooperation between the United States and Muslim world.
When the coaches return to Kyrgyzstan, they will work with Mercy Corps to train more coaches to build youth sports leagues with local sports academies, public schools, orphanages and madrassas, which are Muslim-religion schools.
"The team approach in sports leagues is a great way to connect youth from different ethnic backgrounds," Mitchell says. "It helps youth gain a sense of belonging, experience the importance of teamwork and cooperation firsthand, and value fellowship that crosses traditional boundaries."
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Sources: Donald W. Mitchell, (765) 494-4281, dmitch@purdue.edu
Jerry Peters, (765) 494-8423, peters@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Journalists interested in covering the Kyrgyzstan coaches' Purdue visit should contact Amy Patterson Neubert at (765) 494-9723 or apatterson@purdue.edu. The coaches will be in leadership seminars from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 4-5. A representative from the United States Department of State also will attend the afternoon sessions on Aug. 5. A Russian interpreter will be available for journalists interested in speaking with the coaches.
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Department of Philosophy
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