Location and general information
Access to Sport - 
Healthy lifestyle - 
Personal development - 
Strengthening partnershipsContext
Exercise, sport and play are key components of a child’s development that promote curiosity, empathy, social interaction, learning, joy and much more. At the same time, language skills are essential for education, work and social life. In Switzerland, there are great inequalities across both language development and physical activity, with children and young people from underprivileged backgrounds at a disadvantage. These inequalities often impact school performance, physical and mental well-being and personal development. Experiences at an early age set the tone for life. Getting involved in sport and developing language skills while young can support ongoing skills development and future educational success.
Project goals
Overall goal
Provide equal access to opportunities for education and development and foster the social integration of children, especially girls, from a migrant background through sport.
Specific objectives
- Provide children with regular access to exercise and sport
- Enhance children's language and learning skills through a movement-based learning approach, using football as a motivational tool
- Encourage the development of personal and social skills through sports and play-based learning activities
Project content
The project Football for Life uses football to support 8 to 13-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. The project consists of weekly football training sessions that foster language development and regular cultural events, such as a children's press conference with professional football players.
The training sessions and cultural events are organised and delivered by multidisciplinary teams comprising students from Bern University of Teacher Education, coaches from local grassroots sports clubs and teachers from participating primary schools.
The weekly training sessions, which take place at the primary schools, address topics relating to football in a playful and interactive way and offer dynamic opportunities for language use. Activities designed to enhance the children’s language skills include discussing player roles and team dynamics and working collaboratively to develop game strategies. At the same time, the sessions develop motor skills and football-specific techniques and promote values such as fairness, teamwork and self-confidence.
All project activities are based on the Swiss Academy for Development’s well-established, award-winning approach, which fosters life skills through sport and play.
Partners
