ChildFund Rugby partners to deliver high quality, evidence-based social change through rugby.

Pass It Back is our biggest initiative and a key component of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Impact Beyond legacy program.

ChildFund Rugby focuses on several initiatives:

Pass It Back

ChildFund Sport for Development

Pass It Back has been designed to ensure children and young people are equipped to overcome challenges, inspire positive social change and ‘pass it back’ to their communities.

Pass It Back delivers impact at three levels:

  • Coaches participate in the development of their communities and take action to positively influence change.
  • Players have the social and emotional skills needed to practice positive attitudes and behaviours regarding gender equality, inclusion, and rights.
  • Communities actively support and have a positive and inclusive view of sport as a tool for youth and child development.
ChildFund Sport for Development

Pass It Back is delivered in partnership with a range of rugby organisations, including national federations. More than 50% of players and Coaches are girls and women. The curriculum covers four seasons for players 11 years of age and older, covering the following areas:

  • Understanding Gender
  • Planning for the Future
  • Being Healthy
  • Feeling Safe

Pass It Back in Action

Over 50%

Female Participation

34,487

Players Registered

1,310

Coach Accreditations

40,795

Learning Sessions Delivered

Pass It Back Lite

ChildFund Sport for Development

Living Our Values

This initiative provides rugby and life skills learning for children built around rugby’s values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect and explores how these values are important both on and off the field.

ChildFund Sport for Development

Using entry-level rugby, this program gives young people life skills learning built around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have been adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

Reconnect

ChildFund Sport for Development

Reconnect Rapid: COVID-19

As communities emerge from public health measures that have impacted on movement and daily routines, this initiative provides children and young people with opportunities to access sport and learning activities in safe and structured settings.

Reconnect Rapid: COVID-19 also supports communities to (re)build confidence in the role of sport in building social and emotional well-being among children and young people.

ChildFund Sport for Development

Reconnect Teams: I Have a Goal 

This has been designed to provide children and young people with opportunities to access sport and learning activities in safe and structured settings with a focus on setting goals in times of uncertainty. Players also have regular access to activities as part of a team.

Reconnect in Action

Over 50%

Female Participation

14,891

Players Registered

177

Coach Accreditations

13,598

Learning Sessions Delivered

Get Into Rugby PLUS

Get Into Rugby PLUS is a flagship Sport for Development program, jointly developed by Oceania Rugby, ChildFund and UN Women.

The program includes life skills learning components which build the confidence and resilience of young people, promote positive behaviour, and challenge gender stereotypes. Supporting regional initiatives to build gender equality and prevent violence, Get Into Rugby PLUS has been developed specifically for the Pacific region, and is based on ChildFund’s award-winning sport for development program, Pass It Back.

ChildFund Sport for Development

Get Into Rugby PLUS Fiji

Building on World Rugby’s Get Into Rugby initiative, and Fiji’s favourite sport, girls and boys in the program benefit from involvement in fun, progressive team activities led by trained coaches who model the values of inclusion and diversity, and create safe playing environments.

Get Into Rugby PLUS Fiji is implemented in partnership with Oceania Rugby, ChildFund, UN Women and the Fiji Rugby Union.

The program is making a positive impact on both players and its coaches. Monitoring shows that girls and boys are proactively promoting gender equality and reducing the use of violence in their lives, they now have greater knowledge and support to identify, reduce and report harassment and violence. Many coaches assert the transformative influence the program has had upon them, and have become proactive change agents for gender equality and ending violence.

Get into Rugby PLUS Fiji commenced in 2018 with 20 coaches reaching over 300 girls and boys. In 2020, over 500 players benefitted under the leadership of 32 trained coaches. The program continues to expand and strengthen.

ChildFund Sport for Development

Get Into Rugby PLUS Samoa

Building on World Rugby’s Get Into Rugby initiative, and Samoa’s favourite sport, girls and boys in the program benefit from involvement in fun, progressive team activities led by trained coaches who model the values of inclusion and diversity, and create safe playing environments.

Get into Rugby PLUS will be introduced in Samoa from 2021. The program will be implemented in partnership with Oceania Rugby, ChildFund, UN Women and Samoa Rugby Union.

Like the positive change evidenced in Get into Rugby PLUS – Fiji, the Samoa program seeks to make an impact on both players and coaches, so they proactively promote gender equality and have the knowledge and support to identify, reduce and report harassment and violence.

In parallel to Get into Rugby PLUS, with ChildFund’s support, Samoa Rugby Union is developing safeguarding standards and practices in-line with the International Safeguarding Children in Sport guidelines to ensure children and vulnerable adults are physically and emotionally safe while participating in Samoa Rugby Union activities beyond the life of the program.

Get Into Rugby PLUS Fiji and Get Into Rugby PLUS Samoa are supported by Team Up, the Australian Government’s sport for development program; by UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office, through the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (Pacific Partnership), funded primarily by the European Union, with targeted support from the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, and UN Women; and ChildFund.

Safeguarding in Rugby

ChildFund is a Pioneer Organisation with the International Safeguards for Children in Sport, which supports sports organisations to ensure that children are physically and emotionally safe.

ChildFund works with rugby partners around the globe to ensure that safeguarding children in rugby activities is a priority.

In addition, ChildFund works to ensure that partners also have in place practices to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment of adults at all levels of sport. Both of these areas include participants and athletes from the grassroots to the elite levels.

Through our Safeguarding in Sport work, we support National Unions and Regional Associations across Asia, Oceania, Africa and the North Americas through cross-country learning with a focus on organisations establishing entry-level safeguarding practices.

This support provides organisations with practical tools and knowledge to progress their safeguarding practices and ensure that everyone is safe in sport at all levels.

Rugby Organisation Development

We provide tailored support to build institutional capacities and capabilities for sustainability.  Technical assistance is provided in areas including financial Management, revenue diversification, project management, governance, operations, gender inclusion and partnership development.

Measuring Change

ChildFund’s commitments to accountability extend to demonstrating the impacts of our partnerships, with a focus on social change at the community level. Change is measured across Coach, player and parent/guardian levels, and is based on a theory of action that leads to the practice of leadership and life skills to influence positive change in the community.

A mix of qualitative and quantitative tools are utilised to produce a strong evidence base for learning and demonstrating impact. Coaches play a key role in the collection and analysis of data, which supports the strengthening of systems and practices among rugby organisations and the development of transferable skills.

PLEASE DONATE

YOUR SUPPORT HELPS CHILDREN TO PLAY, LEARN AND GROW THROUGH RUGBY