WHEN SPORT DEFEATS DISCRIMINATION, EVERYONE WINS

For youth in underserved communities in Chicago’s South Side, the sport of baseball is about more than home runs and strikeouts. Through the Lost Boyz programme, kids growing up in one of the dangerous areas in one of the most violent cities in the United States are proving that when young people use sport to overcome violence, everyone wins. “Our job is to break down barriers, open doors, protect them from the things that are waiting out here for them,” says LaVonté Stewart. “If they get good at baseball, great. If they don't, so what? The goal is that they're champions on and off the field.”

At Ich Wil Da Rauf! (“I want to be up there!” In English), young people of a full range of abilities come together to overcome challenges. Not just the dominating walls they climb, but obstacles such as discrimination, isolation and prejudice. The self-belief which comes from being part of a team and the empowerment that comes with achieving what you were told is impossible drives these young people forward. When young people use sport to tackle discrimination, everyone wins.