“Overcoming Polarization Through Sport” Talk (SF)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

In anticipation of the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, join World Affairs in-person on Friday, October 28, 2022 from 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM* for a kick-off celebration of the power of sport to build bridges with coaches and players from the Naki Football Academy in Uganda!

With the rise of polarization and increased divisiveness in both the US. and abroad, there has never been a more urgent time to build cohesion. Step into the World Affairs Portal in San Francisco and connect with over a dozen nationalities living in the Nakivale refugee settlement in Uganda, each with their own beliefs, practices, customs and ways of life. While the differences are vast, one thing unites them all — soccer!

Members of the Naki Football Academy understand how sport can be used to bridge differences between refugee communities, and how finding something in common can help build more empowered, diverse communities. By stepping into this tech-enabled physical space and communicating face-to-face in life-size form, as if we were all standing next to each other in the same room, we can consider what we can learn from sport–and each other–as a tool for social cohesion in bridging polarization.

About the Nakivale Portal
Located in the Nakivale Refugee Camp, which is home to over 150,000 people from nine countries across the African Continent, the Nakivale Portal is operated by the refugee-led organization Oportunigee which helps refugees build skills and gain employment in Uganda. The Nakivale Portal has the distinction of being the first Portal to be constructed using bottle bricks.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.