Young athletes and visitors are able to take part in the #TheCareSquare fundraising campaign during the EYOF, which began on Sunday (January 25) and ends on Friday (January 30), by purchasing one of the 1,906 photos sold by Peace and Sport, for a minimum of €2 (£1.50/$2.30).

The photos are individual pixels which merge together to create a poster of a mystery image, revealed square by square with each donation.

The final unveiling will take place once all the photos have been sold, while all those who donate to the campaign will receive a pink bracelet as a token of their engagement for peace through sport.

The campaign is aimed at financing the next African Great Lakes Friendship Games, a cross-border sporting event, aimed at promoting peace, cultural awareness and cross-border friendships, which is due to take place in Rwanda in August.

The annual event, which combines sporting competitions and cultural and awareness-raising activities, brings together around 350 youngsters, aged between nine and 16, from the border areas between Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

Launched in 2010, the Friendship Games aim to encourage dialogue and exchange between the young participants, to help re-establish a culture of peace in the Great Lakes, a region marked by years of conflict.

Philipp Groborsh, the EYOF 2015 chief executive, said the Organising Committee wanted an initiative that "would enable each young person to make a contribution" ©ÖOC/GEPA



"Our team was seeking a way to encourage the young participants to invest their efforts in a worthy cause," said EYOF 2015 chief executive Philipp Groborsch. 

"We wanted an initiative that would enable each young person to make a contribution.

"The result is the #TheCareSquare campaign."

Joël Bouzou, President and founder of Peace and Sport, added: "We are really glad to have been able to launch this campaign with the Organising Committee of EYOF 2015.

"More than just raising funds for a great cause, we want to raise awareness among young people and support their engagement within the peace through sport movement.

"This event is a highlight for Peace and Sport.

"We hope that in the future the next host cities will take up the cause and call on us to develop this type of project."

Peace and Sport was founded in 2007 under the high patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco, who will be in attendance at this week's EYOF.

The international organisation has recently unveiled a new slogan, "Be part of what matters", which is accompanied by a more modern graphic identity.

By modernising its identity, Peace and Sport hopes to reach out to a broader public and expand the scope of the peace through sport movement.

Designed by French creative agency Loulou & Mother, the new brand identity will soon feature in all of Peace and Sport's communications, including on its new website, which will be launched in the first half of this year.

The symbolic unity of the two upward-moving columns in Peace and Sport's new logo is said to reflect the values of the international organisation ©Peace and Sport



"Our organisation has a special place within the peace through sport movement and we are at the forefront of supporting its growth," said Bouzou, who is also President of the World Olympians Association.

"Our new identity will help us bolster our image among the general public.

"It's an invitation for young people to join our efforts, support our projects and give their full backing to the peace through sport cause."

The new logo still features a dove, the historical symbol of peace, as well as the arch from the trophy presented each year at the Peace and Sport awards ceremony.

Created by Australian designer Marcel Sigel, the trophy draws inspiration from conventional sport award styles.

It comprises two separate upward-moving columns - one representing peace and the other sport - which slope away from each other before uniting as one.

The symbolic unity of the two, where one cannot stand without the other, is said to reflect the values of Peace and Sport.

The progress of the mystery image can be tracked online by clicking here, and also each evening on a giant screen at the EYOF Medals Plaza in Schruns.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
March 2014: Exclusive: Peace and Sport targeting refugee camps for new projects
March 2014: Bouzou's vision of Peace through Sport lives in Sochi, and Haiti...
November 2013: Princess Charlène becomes official ambassador of Peace and Sport
November 2012: Peace and Sport has reached new heights says Bouzou
October 2012: Prince Albert opens 2012 Peace and Sport International Forum in Sochi