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DCL
The Team has nothing to do with the World Cup except a common theme, but I'm writing about it anyway because from the looks of it, it's making a real difference in countries where it's being screened
It's a tv series that merges "the global appeal of soccer/football with soap opera to help transform social attitudes and diminish violent behavior in countries grappling with deeply rooted conflict."
The series deals with issues facing societies in countries all over Africa, Asia and the Middle East, using sport to inspire people to question the roots of conflict and recognize the value of working together. To encourage communication rather than violence, and to generate real-life changes and help people choose peaceful and constructive ways of dealing with conflict.
The project is effective: studies have measured viewership in countries where it is shown and the show has a pretty strong audience. Online communities have even sprouted up with individuals, often youth, taking a lead in promoting peace and discussing issues covered in the film, including on websites like The Team Kenya.
Episodes of The Team are produced locally&mdashthey are produced by local production companies, and written and acted by people who have experienced violent conflict. Each episode "follows the characters on a football team who must overcome their differences
The series is a project of the organization known as Search for Common Ground, which works broadly on the same issues, helping to "transform the way the world deals with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative problem solving."
