About us

ACTIVE CITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The Port Moresby Active City Development Program (ACDP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to create a healthy, clean and a more peaceful city using the power of sports. Programs and activities are free of charge and open to everyone to have access to organized sport programs.

ACDP has many components and uses various activities to achieve its outcomes and goals.

The activities include Walking, Yoga, Acrobatics, Dance – traditional, contemporary, fusion & break dancing, Drama, Brass Band, Kick-Boxing, Karate, Shows, Events, Festivals, Competitions and more.

These activities not only provide social inclusion for the unemployed and at risk youth in the settlement communities but also work in partnership with local SME’s and industries, government and private sector agencies, non-governmental organizations and international collaborators.

The program has advanced into other areas of development such as education, health, environmental issues which are components that are needed to function together to create sustainable cities.

The program also organises shows, events and festivals that are inclusive and offers an opportunity for program participants to showcase their talents and earn an income through arts and performances especially during major celebrations like Easter, Independence and Christmas celebrations in a safe, inclusive and peaceful way.

We believe through a more action orientated, participatory and active engagements through our activities with city residents, we will eventually address the many issues especially involving violence and gender disparity that will ultimately build a city that is safe, peaceful especially for women and girls.

The Active City Development Program (ACDP) was established in 2016 by NCDC after Port Moresby was selected as one of the cities being identified by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be endorsed as an Active City following on the success of the Walk and Yoga For Life program in NCD.

NCDC’s Active City Development Program was developed mainly to change society’s bad habits and behaviours, designing and introducing a more holistic and innovative approch that are action based, participatory, inclusive, accessible and sustainable for the youth and communities around NCD.

This is a driving factor of ACDP’s mission and vision. All programs of ACDP are essential components of NCDC’s commitment to develop a safer and a more peaceful city, healthier and clean towards creating an Amazing Capital City, Port Moresby.

VISION

To elevate, empower, educate and employ men, women, youth, and children of Port Moresby.

MISSION

Our mission is to use physical activity to bring change –both behavior and mindset – in communities through engaging in various kinds of non-competitive sports and creative movements.  The main targets are young people who are marginalized and at risks and general communities as a whole, including all adults, regardless of age, color, status and tribe.

The aim is to empower all residents of Port Moresby with responsible, HEALTHY lifestyle habits and to live positively in a CLEAN, PEACEFUL, SAFE and HEALTHY environment.

OBJECTIVES

• To bring empowerment to all participants of the program.
• To create an opportunity for NCD residents, especially those who are unemployed andunder-educated, who exhibit anti-social behavior, and who are at risk in their community, to play an active role in city activities and events.
• To support communities and find a more resourceful way of living and interacting with all members of the communities.
• To educate and encourage communities and individuals to take responsibility and ownership for their body and their health and hygiene, and to take pride in themselves, their families and their city.
• To create an awareness at the community level to address safety and violence by engaging in peaceful activities in the communities.
• To work at community driven actions to help develop a city that is clean, safe and peaceful for locals and tourists.
• To support city residents, especially youth, to get more International exposure and provide an opportunity to connect, learn and share, and to promote Port Moresby as a potential destination for volunteering opportunities, community action service, and tourism.
• To bridge the racial status and tribal divides and to bring all residents, from expats to locals, to join in the activities as one people in one country.
• To encourage more ownership to the program and motivate city residents to feel a sense of pride in themselves and in their city
• To bring more volunteers to work alongside with our teachers and community champions.
• To provide a platform of outreach for a disaster appeal or awareness platform to people and communities who are in need of relief support at the affected areas.
• To utilize public places within NCD with creative activities.
• To partner with schools and institutions to provide an opportunity to under-privilege and unemployed youths, women, men who have undergone the ACDP to be given a second chance to be educated and be employed in a real world.

COLLABORATION

The Walk and Yoga For Life (WYFL) event has seen several collaborations with Government, Private and International stakeholders and individuals, based on themes such as Violence Prevention, Anti-Graffiti and Anti-pollution. These themes are seriously implanted in ACDP program activities. With the recent Walk in collaboration with the PNG Conservation & Environment Protection Agency (CEPA) on the theme “NO PLASTIC POLLUTION”, the program has now enforced this commitment to all participants and teachers to stop using plastic bags in attempts to create a cleaner Port Moresby.

Behavioural changes take time to eventually show, but the program in NCD has been ongoing for only 3 years now and we are seeing communities who are taking ownership of certain tasks like community clean-up activities, community walks for health and wellness, more request for yoga in the settlement communities including acrobatics, dance, kick boxing, drama classes. Community leaders, mostly women are now taking ownership of these activities in their communities to create a safer and healthier and a more inclusive commmunities by joining our programs.

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

The ACDP has many components and uses various activities to achieve the outcomes and goals. Some of the activities include Walking, Yoga, Acrobatics, Dance – traditional, contemprary, fusion, break dancing, Drama, Brass Band, Kick-Boxing, Shows, Events, Festivals, Competitions and more.

These activities not only provide social inclusion for unemployed youth and settlement communities in the city, but also goes beyond that into partnerships with local SME’s and industries, government and private sector agencies, and international collaborators. The program has advanced into other areas of development such as education, health, environmental issues which are components that are needed to function together to create sustainable cities.

The program also organises shows, events  and festivals that are inclusive and offers and opportunity for our program participants to showcase their talents and earn and income with it especially during major celebrations like  Easter, Independence and Christmas celebrations in a safe and peaceful way.

We belive through a more action orientated, participatory and active engagments through our activities with city residents, we will eventually address the many issues that will ultimately build a rapidly developing city.

MONITORING, EVALUATION AND IMPACT STUDY – ONGOING

Like all programs, ACDP is and should be subjected to monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment. Although the ACDP is very visible and the result can be seen every week, knowing and understanding impact is another challenge. It’s important and vital that our collaboration be assessed and its impact or success properly assessed so we can be guided, to enable us to make our program and collaboration most effective.

Expansion to Provinces

• Goroka – Community Classes, Classes at Bihute Prison, Sunday morning walks
• Mt Hagen – Sunday walk program
• Kimbe – Community Classes at Buluma, Gigo, Section 10, Sunday walk program.

COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP

ACDP has done several collaborations with the Government, Private sector, International stakeholders and individuals, based on themes such as Violence Prevention, Anti-Graffiti, Anti-pollution and cancer awareness. The themes are seriously implanted in ACDP program activities with actionable commitments such as zero tolerance to gender based violence, and urging all participants and teachers to stop using plastic bags in attempts to create a cleaner city, etc.

Behavioural changes take time to eventually show, but the program in NCD has been on-going for only 3 years now and we are seeing communities taking ownership of certain tasks like community clean-up activities, community walks for health and wellness, more request for yoga in the settlement communities including acrobatics, dance, kick boxing, drama classes. Community leaders, mostly women are now taking ownership of these activities in their communities to create a safer and healthier and a more inclusive community by joining ACDP.