The coach creates a grid on the rugby pitch and labels each section: one is designated “male”, a second “female” and a third for “both”. Players line up and begin passing the rugby ball amongst themselves, racing to their coach who holds a stack of cards in her hands. When the coach reads off of each card, the players scatter and run instinctively toward a specific labelled section of the field.
The coach announces terms like “strong” and “shy” alongside more specific phrases, including “can produce breast milk” and “develops chest hair”. As players choose which section of the field to run toward, they decide about whether they believe the announced traits belong to a single gender or whether they apply to both.
“The purpose of the game is to understand there are differences between sex and gender,” explained Stephanie Kim, a technical officer at the Lao Rugby Federation (LRF) as quoted in sea-globe.com.
“It’s how the coach begins the discussion, [who] then can ask questions that help change perceptions and break boundaries.”
This is a typical drill implemented by the Lao Rugby Federation’s rugby programme, established in 2001 under the Laos Ministry of Education, which offers regular community and school training sessions in the sport. Through its Champa Ban Youth Rugby Project, the LRF operates in dozens of schools and youth groups in Vientiane Capital, Vientiane Province, and Xieng Khouang Province, running a curriculum that uses rugby to teach essential lessons regarding gender equity, leadership and financial planning.
In Laos, the game of rugby is becoming more popular than ever through the efforts of the Lao Rugby Federation. It’s also proving to be a useful tool for promoting education and gender equity in rural communities.
Even as it expands, the federation continues to face its share of challenges. It can be challenging to find safe fields for the teams to play on because of the constant fear of unexploded ordnance in the countryside. Local players and coaches also tend to quit the game because they feel pressure from their families to work or marry at young ages.
“We want to address the issue [of early marriage] by offering more opportunities for young people to be more confident in themselves. So, for example, we pay our coaches a monthly stipend,” Kim explained.
“In some cases, their parents are supportive of them continuing to work for pay instead of telling them they have no other option than to get married.”
The LRF rugby programme has had a positive impact on the country in significant part because of the very nature of the sport, which builds excellent camaraderie, said Carter: “It’s a sport based on respect and trust because you’re putting your body on the line for your team. It’s a confidence-building sport that teaches accountability and leadership, and these are skills we want to pass on to every single youth in this country – boys and girls alike.”
Source: sea-globe.com