Football, Universities and Students: formulating an action plan for Academic Freedom

The Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) and Para Siempre FC are excited to be participating in the Beyond Borders International Universities Football Tournament. CARA in collaboration with Para Siempre FC will be running a workshop; ‘Football, Universities and Students: formulating an action plan for Academic Freedom’ that aims to discuss with and familiarise international student footballers to the notions of academic freedom and the mediums in which to promote it.

CARA was established in 1933 in response to the persecution of academics across Europe by fascist regimes. It was founded by leading figures such as Sir William Beveridge; Lord Rutherford; John Maynard Keynes; A V Hill, Lionel Robbins; and Margery Fry.78 years on, CARA awards grants to enable Refugee Academics to achieve employment in the UK at a level commensurate with their skills and experience in the long term. Academics are frequent targets of state-sponsored violence and repression. In times of conflict, academics and intellectuals often suffer intimidation, torture, and imprisonment.

Para Siempre F.C. is a one-of-a-kind football team, sponsored by CARA, comprises of academics, lecturers, postgraduates and undergraduates from an array of social and cultural backgrounds. Their aim is simple yet powerful; campaigning for the right of children to have an education. Para Siempre F.C. are using football as a universal language to promote sustainable education for those in the most impoverished regions of the world, to facilitate support for existing educational charities and maintain development through schemes of self-sufficiency.

CARA and Para Siempre FC will openly discuss any issues surrounding academic freedom and to present recommendations, activities and campaign designs to promote academic freedom. Our intention is to produce a collaborative report on the outcomes of the issues discussed to at the workshop to be published by CARA and distributed to Universities, students and football teams across the globe.

CARA believes that with initiatives such as Beyond Borders can create a formidable grassroots medium to promote academic freedom on a global scale. We hope that the students will be able to return to their countries will a clear idea of how to facilitate and support academic freedom.

FBB to Run Summer Tournaments Alongside 'Lost in London'

As part of the preparations and fundraising drive for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011 and Middle East 2011, FBB will be running 6-a-side tournaments from next Wednesday (June 22nd) all the way through to 28th August, the day before we fly off to Hurghada for the first leg of Football Beyond Borders: Middle East 2011.

We have teamed up with student events company Lost In London to deliver weekly football events for the thousands of global students who visit London each summer.

Every Sunday from 12noon-3pm we will run an Under-18s soccer academy on Clapham Common, and after that from 3-6 we will run an Over-18s mini-league and knock-out.

With prizes to be had, friends to be made, and all the profits going towards Football Beyond Borders, why would anyone want to miss out?!

denticare Ltd to partner Football Beyond Borders: London 2011

We are delighted to announce that Denticare Ltd have officially agreed to become the main sponsor of Football Beyond Borders: London 2011.

Denticare was set-up by former University of London FC player and King’s College alumni Colin Hancock, who has built it up into one of the UK’s most successful and well-trusted dental companies.

Colin played for ULFC in the glory days of the 1960′s, when the Purples would regularly play Arsenal, West Ham and Spurs. A quick and skillful inside-forward, Colin regularly put goals past the likes of Bob Wilson (Arsenal), and in 1965 came up against a Geoff Hurst just coming into form, as Hurst bagged a brace against the Purples down at Motspur Park.

Denticare have been strong supporters of the University of London Purples since the side was resurrected four years ago, and we are delighted to have them on board with us for this groundbreaking project.

Competition Hotting Up for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011!

With just six weeks to go, the excitement is building and the competition is heating up for Football Beyond Borders: London 2011!

Representing Turkey are Adnan Menderes University from Aydın, and  they have already set up their own Facebook page, complete with photos of  previous successes and motivational videos!

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1256" align="aligncenter" width="264" caption="Adnan Menderes show off their winnings"][/caption]

From Uruguay we have Paysandú University, and they too have been on the promotional trail on Facebook. Their page already has over 1,000 friends, and it was these friends to whom they turned when faced with the prospect of increasingly expensive flights.

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1257" align="aligncenter" width="512" caption="The visiting students from Paysandú"][/caption]

 

Ingenuity and hard work is always something we like to see here at FBB, especially when it’s for a good cause, so we were delighted to hear that the charity raffle held by Paysandú (in order to raise funds for them to come over) made it into the Uruguayan press.

 

Denticare Ltd. to sponsor Football Beyond Borders: London 2011

We are delighted to announce that Denticare Ltd have officially agreed to become the main sponsor of Football Beyond Borders: London 2011.

Denticare was set-up by former University of London FC player and King’s College alumni Colin Hancock, who has built it up into one of the UK’s most successful and well-trusted dental companies.

Colin played for ULFC in the glory days of the 1960′s, when the Purples would regularly play Arsenal, West Ham and Spurs. A quick and skillful inside-forward, Colin regularly put goals past the likes of Bob Wilson (Arsenal), and in 1965 came up against a Geoff Hurst just coming into form, as Hurst bagged a brace against the Purples down at Motspur Park.

Denticare have been strong supporters of the University of London Purples since the side was resurrected four years ago, and we are delighted to have them on board with us for this groundbreaking project.