ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a theoretical framework for the use of sports in the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of child soldiers. With the rise in child soldiers, a major challenge facing those who work in post conflict reconstruction is the DDR of these children. The chapter argues that the psychological and social roles sports can play. The problem with the employment of sports in DDR is that they potentially have both positive and negative psychological and social consequences. The chapter examines some of the successful sports-based socialization programs and discusses how they consciously plan for positive socialization and psychological effects and overcome the inherent negatives that result from sport participation. The First Tee is a program designed to expand the sport of golf by providing access for economically disadvantaged youth. While individual sports are an underexploited avenue for personal change in DDR programs, team sports still may have a role to play.
