Mbo Mpenza Challenge

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Belgium
Start date 10/01/2020
End date 06/30/2022
Cost of the project €163,770
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20200480
Partners Impala Performance ASBL
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Belgium does not currently have a satisfactory strategy to integrate vulnerable young people, particularly refugees, disabled children and institutionalised children. The Mbo Mpenza Challenge project has been working to rectify this for the past three years by using football to promote the sporting values of respect, solidarity and pushing yourself.

Project content

The Association of Francophone Football Clubs will hold selection trials in early 2021 for over 2,000 girls and boys aged 10 and 11 from all backgrounds at the football fields of Decathlon stores. The Mbo Mpenza Challenge project will educate the children about combating racism and provide high-quality coaching focused on integrating every child. All children will be able to take part in these trials thanks to support from children’s institutions, vulnerable children’s coaches and carers of disabled or refugee children.

The 120 children selected will take part in a big one-day tournament involving small individual challenges and a final.

 

 

 

 

Objectives

The Mbo Mpenza Challenge seeks to educate children at an early age about discrimination and use football to instil the fundamental values of respect, team spirit, fair play and pushing yourself. The challenges are designed to foster team spirit by removing difference-related barriers.

Project activities

  • Training sessions for over 2,000 girls and boys aged 10 and 11 from all backgrounds
  • Small challenges at Decathlon football fields
  • Trials for a one-day tournament
  • Tournament activities: orientation for the children, training by qualified coaches, formation of twelve teams of ten children who have never met before, football challenges, a final in which the winning team will be selected based on criteria including fair play and pushing beyond limits

Expected results

  • Positive experiences will boost the confidence and self-esteem of the children
  • Excellent support will encourage the children to practise sport
  • Difference-related barriers will be removed allowing children from all backgrounds to mix
  • 2,000 children will directly benefit from the project and over 5,000 will benefit indirectly through 500 amateur clubs
  • At least 10% of the beneficiaries will be girls
  • A large number of disadvantaged children will benefit from the project and the club registration fees of the most disadvantaged will be paid for

Partner

Let’s Play Outside!

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Chadyr-Lunga, Moldova
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/01/2021
Cost of the project €58,352
Foundation funding €47,000
Project identifier 20201372
Partners Football Association of Moldova
Categories Infrastructure and equipment

Context

The target area in Chadyr-Lunga has a population of 4,000 (a quarter of the town’s population), but no modern sports facilities. The existing facilities are run down and the only large open space is the sports ground in the school yard that was created in 1985. The secondary school (Lyceum N2) has pupils with special educational needs and some of the pupils are orphans.

Project content

This project will create a football field at the Lyceum N2. In a survey, the local community, represented by parents, pupils and local residents, determined that the development of football facilities was a priority need to create a healthy next generation.

Objectives

The main objective is to provide young people with an alternative to computer games, television, alcohol and tobacco abuse and unhealthy relationships. The project hopes to help the young generation to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Project activities

  • Constructing a mini-football field for children to allow them to play sports and improve their quality of life
  • Organising extracurricular activities for children

Expected results

  • Access to sports for 700 children from the Lyceum N2 and two nearby kindergartens
  • Extracurricular activities for the children
  • Football tournaments for the children
  • Football training sessions for the children

Partner

Education and sport for street-working children in Afghanistan

Location and general information

Closed
Location Afghanistan
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €296,936
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20200614
Partners Action for Development
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Violence, extreme poverty and food insecurity are everyday problems for many Afghans. The country’s critical situation, exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic, hits the most vulnerable groups, such as children, the hardest. The children who work on the streets have the starkest future prospects, due to their lack of access to education among other factors.

Project content

This project aims to improve the health, quality of life and access to education of children working on the streets in Afghanistan. Action for Development (AfD) has developed teacher training modules on literacy, numeracy, social behaviour, and advocating for children’s rights in Afghanistan. The focus is on empowering children with education, making the government aware of their special needs, providing meals and football lessons for their social development, and helping them to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

 

Objectives

  • Provide children working on the streets with access to a quality, tailor-made education programme, with the aim of improving their overall wellbeing in the short term, and reducing poverty and child labour in the long term.
  • Give 200 street-working children aged 5–13 access to education and food by the end of 2021.
  • Strengthen gender equality.
  • Further develop special training methodologies.
  • Adapt to the challenges posed by COVID-19.
  • Establish a vocational training programme for 20 students aged 14–15.

Project activities

  • Continuing to organise awareness sessions and promote education and sport for girls.
  • Continuing to provide one healthy meal per day to the children.
  • Increasing the number of football lessons to accommodate more children.
  • Improving the current teaching methodology and bringing the curriculum in line with the formal school curriculum.
  • Continuing to train the teachers to deliver student-centred lessons and learning through fun.
  • Training the teachers in special education provision and providing them with material for tailor-made classes for street-working children.
  • Providing English language training to teachers and children.
  • Prevent the spread of COVID-19 by reducing the number of students per classroom; providing hand sanitisers, face masks and thermometers; and designing a distance learning strategy in case of a new lockdown.
  • Recruiting new teachers.
  • Designing a vocational training programme for older students and working with local partners to design modules on in-demand skills (mechanics, carpentry, gem cutting, etc.).
  • Increasing synergies with local government schools to learn from their expertise, support AfD’s teachers and help integrate the children into the formal education system.
  • Identifying and setting up new centres close to the areas where children work.
  • Introducing regular health checks and proper growth monitoring and vaccinations in collaboration with AfD's Comprehensive Health Centre.
  • Equipping classrooms with technology (iPads/PCs and projectors).

Expected results

  • 200 children receive quality education, daily meals, health checks and play football.
  • 20 older students get access to vocational training.
  • Gender parity increases in classes and football training, most staff members are women and awareness of female education increases.
  • Teacher training is enhanced.
  • The curriculum is further aligned with the governmental one.
  • The project is resilient to COVID-19 challenges.

Partner

Girls on Track

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Tanzania
Start date 07/01/2020
End date 04/30/2021
Cost of the project €447,646
Foundation funding €48,739
Project identifier 20200526
Partners Right to Play
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment

Context

In Tanzania, nearly one third of the population live below the poverty line and the country has one of the highest birth rates in the world.

Tanzanian girls do not have the same educational and life opportunities as boys. Despite girls enrolling in primary education at the same rate as boys, only 73% complete it and less than 26% progress to secondary education. Literacy and numeracy skills in Tanzania are poor, with 19% of children finishing primary school classified as illiterate, and the situation is worse for girls with national primary pass rates of 49% compared to 56% for boys. For women and girls, improvements in the quality of education will have direct and long-lasting benefits to health, such as a huge reduction in under-five mortality.

 

Mara and Morogoro are two of the most marginalised regions of Tanzania, with household income below the national average. Mara has the lowest Kiswahili literacy pass rates in the country, the fourth lowest primary school leavers pass rates, and the third worst ratio of school toilets to girls, at only one per 192 girls. Morogoro has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children, the majority of whom are girls. High number of girls in these regions drop out of school due to socio-cultural practices, negative attitudes toward girls’ education, early marriage, high levels of gender-based violence, and the stigma attached to teenage pregnancy. This is exacerbated by poor gender responsive education and a lack of conducive learning environments for girls.

Project content

The project will improve the quality of education for children, especially girls, in Tanzania. Better education and life skills will empower girls to transition to womanhood, become better parents in the future and break the cycle of poverty endemic in the target regions. Investing in quality education will also pay dividends in health and gender equality.

Objectives

  • Improve children’s life skills to support their educational attainment.
  • Promote gender-sensitive and safe learning environments in primary schools to improve the engagement and performance of girls.
  • Enhance local community support for girls’ education to reduce barriers and tackle negative gender norms.

Project activities

  • Supporting teachers to develop gender-sensitive, play-based learning through training, mentoring and support, and the provision of learning aids and sports equipment.
  • Facilitating peer exchange among teachers and government education staff to help integrate gender-sensitive, play-based learning into teaching practices.
  • Organising community play days and sports tournaments to raise awareness of gender equality.
  • Rehabilitating sanitation facilities in schools to reduce barriers to girls attending school.
  • Engaging community groups in dialogue on gender equality and the value of education for girls and boys.

Expected results

  • 60% of girls in target locations demonstrating an increase in leadership, confidence, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities.
  • 60% increase in the number of girls with improved knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
  • 80% of teachers applying a gender-sensitive, play-based approach to curriculum subjects and life skills development.
  • 6% increase in school attendance rates.
  • 2% increase in girls’ transition rates to secondary school.
  • 50% of parents/caregivers regularly participating in community awareness campaigns on the value of education for girls.

Partner

EFDN STEM Football and Education Programme

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location The Netherlands, United-Kingdom, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Poland
Start date 12/01/2021
End date 11/30/2022
Cost of the project €279,495
Foundation funding €200,000
Project identifier 20200793
Partners European Football for Development Network
Categories Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

The importance of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education is becoming more apparent every day. Demand for STEM jobs tripled between 2000 and 2010, and it has continued to grow exponentially over the past decade due to developments in technology and artificial intelligence.

The EFDN STEM Football and Education Programme aims to provide STEM learning opportunities for children from disadvantaged areas through football-based activities. It seeks to enhance their self-confidence and teach them skills that will improve their future employability.

Some of the project partners have experience delivering similar projects in their local communities and will be able to use this to good effect.

Project content

This ten-week, football-based educational enrichment programme for children aged 9 to 12 will be delivered by football club foundations in collaboration with local schools and supported by local and international companies. It aims to use football as a tool to inspire and educate the participants about STEM. The project partners will achieve this by pairing strategic STEM-based activities with essential gameplay and current topics. The target group will learn how to program, code and understand technological devices. External partners will provide educational robots to assist the delivery of the programme and to add an element of fun to the learning experience.

Objectives

  • Improve the digital skills of digitally excluded groups (including migrants and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds) through partnerships between schools, business and non-formal sectors, including public libraries
  • Reach a minimum of 4,800 participants aged 9 to 12 from disadvantaged backgrounds
  • Disseminate the project to over 100 clubs, leagues and FAs across the European continent
  • Produce an effective and user-friendly practitioner’s guide and methodology
  • Positively impact education policies across the partner countries

Project activities

  • Five international project meetings for project managers and coaches to share best practices and establish a practitioner’s guide
  • Three 10-week programmes delivered to schools in disadvantaged areas: these will include inclusive educational and practical workshops alongside football-based activities to educate participants about the importance of STEM
  • One mid-term dissemination event and one final international dissemination event

Expected results

  • Awareness raised of the importance of inclusive education
  • Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds will have been given opportunities to access high quality, innovative education
  • STEM learning opportunities provided to those who do not usually participate in them
  • Engagement of other organisations in the development of their own football-based STEM education programmes
  • Higher educational standards to benefit the future European labour market
  • Better equal opportunities in employment

Partner

RISE – Beyond Goals 2

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Greece, Athens, Thessaloníki
Start date 03/01/2021
End date 08/31/2022
Cost of the project €121,050
Foundation funding €99,260
Project identifier 20200333
Partners ActionAid Hellas
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Two out of five children in Greece live in low-income households at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The situation is exacerbated by the migration crisis, with 50,000 refugee and migrant children in Greece. These children face numerous challenges, including domestic violence, high levels of school dropout and high levels of stress and depression. They also lack basic resources, educational support, and creative and life-skills education, resulting in fewer opportunities and social exclusion.   

Project content

Beyond Goals 2 is the second phase of ActionAid Hellas’ RISE programme aimed at deepening and scaling up its impact. The programme is led by international football player Dimitris Papadopoulos, who was inspired to create a football-based programme that would provide marginalised children with life values and skills affording them a better life with dignity and greater opportunities to develop themselves and their communities.  

Objectives

RISE's mission is to empower disadvantaged children by providing them with skills and access to opportunities in order to build their resilience and thus the resilience of their communities. This second phase aims to deepen and mainstream RISE’s impact by:  

  • developing football and youth club activities in Athens to address youth disengagement, social exclusion and community-building issues; 
  • providing targeted dissemination/capacity building to sports, education and CSO professionals across Greece. 

Project activities

  • Foodball3 training and matches: Access to sports and motivation through positive role models (professional athletes and peers) for marginalised youth
  • National football3 tournament
  • Psychosocial and educational support services
  • Youth civic engagement activities (local youth action groups, capacity building and youth-led civic initiatives)
  • Community-building activities bringing onboard families
  • RISE model transfer workshops (physical and digital)

Expected results

  • 50 disadvantaged children aged 12–17 will participate in football activities, receive support and be actively engaged in youth club activities in the long term 
  • 15 children aged 14–17 will build leadership skills and act as youth mediators for their peers 
  • Five youth-led local initiatives 
  • Ten schools and 200 representatives from sports clubs, CSOs and schools across Greece will receive information, training and support in implementing the RISE model 
  • At least 1,250 children will benefit indirectly from transfer of the RISE model 

Partner

Team GOALS

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Haiti
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €221,326
Foundation funding €15,935
Project identifier 20210108
Partners Global Outreach and Love of Soccer
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

The GOALS organisation uses football to engage young Haitians in programmes focused on education, health and the environment to improve their quality of life. Through leadership development and social change initiatives, GOALS is creating stronger, healthier communities in areas where no other non-profit or government services exist. People in these severely deprived areas have no electricity or running water and 80% of the players’ parents are unemployed.

Project content

Team GOALS is a sport-for-development programme focused on football, education and community service. It is designed to develop leadership skills, spark change, and promote equality. The emphasis is on teaching life skills such as literacy, health literacy, conflict resolution and gender equality. It takes a holistic approach and actively engages each of the participants. Through their love of playing the game, they learn how to be engaged members of their community.

Objectives

Team GOALS aims to improve physical and mental health as well as the environment. Each objective relates to GOALS’ overall mission to create healthier and more stable communities in the long term, so that every child in rural Haiti can realise their potential and follow their dreams. By using football as a platform for development, GOALS reaches children who are left behind by conventional educational systems.

Project activities

  • Football: daily practice using specialised curricula (CAC and SFW games) to teach inclusion, conflict resolution and gender equality; friendly matches; and rural outreach.
  • Health education: disease prevention; sex education; and proper hygiene.
  • Climate action: tree planting; recycling; and community gardens.
  • Leadership training: youth leaders identifying community issues and solutions.
  • Education: literacy programme and high school scholarships.
  • Community service: volunteerism.

Expected results

  • Improved physical and mental health of GOALS participants.
  • 92% of participants will have played sports for the first time.
  • 77% of underweight children reached the normal weight range.
  • Annual pregnancy rate in GOALS areas under 1% compared to a 7% country average.
  • 35 literacy class graduates, 25 scholarship recipients and average test scores up from 13% to 71%.
  • 300 trees and three community gardens planted.
  • 400 youth aged 8 to 18 will have increased their self-confidence, health literacy and awareness of social issues through purposeful play.
  • Six youth-led community improvement projects.

Partner

Open Fun Football Schools in Syria

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Syria
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 06/30/2021
Cost of the project €200,000
Foundation funding €200,000
Project identifier 20200868
Partners Cross Culture (CCPA)
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Syria is still one of the worst humanitarian crises in human history, with 6.1 million internally displaced people, including 2.5 million children.

Many families have started to return to their homes and are trying to get back to a ‘normal’ life. However, organised sports activities are still rarely accessible to children.

Project content

The Open Fun Football School initiative has proved to be an excellent tool to mobilise local communities and volunteer coaches in some of the most politically uncertain and conflict-sensitive areas across the world.

CCPA will use the Open Fun Football School (OFFS) initiative as a tool to enhance peace education, safeguarding and resilience among children and teenagers throughout Syria.

Objectives

The overall objective of Open Fun Football Schools in Syria is to enhance resilience and encourage a culture of peace and non-violence, gender equality, child protection, an appreciation of cultural and social diversity and of culture’s overall contribution to sustainable development.

    1. Mobilise a network of young Syrian leaders and coaches and build their capacity to independently organise Open Fun Football Schools and other community-based fun football activities
    2. Organising Open Fun Football Schools and other fun football activities for children aged 6-12
    3. Anchoring the network in sustainable and community-based clubs that organise day-to-day Open Fun Football School activities throughout Syria

Project activities

Open Fun Football Schools will focus on following areas : Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hamah, Latakia, Tartus

  1. Introduction to the CCPA child-centred and community-based approach for eight Open Fun Football School leaders/trainers-of-trainers who will receive training in theory and practice.
  2. 60 hours of Open Fun Football School coaching seminars for 96 coaches to teach them the approach. The seminars will be led by the eight leaders/trainers-of-trainers under the supervision of the CCPA and its associated partners from CCPA Lebanon, CCPA Jordan and CCPA Iraq.
  3. 30 hours of seminars run by the eight leaders for 96 young coaching assistants aged 14–18 to teach them the approach.
  4. Eight six-day Open Fun Football Schools organised by the leaders in cooperation with the trained coaches and coaching assistants for 1,600 children aged 6–12.
  5. One-day fun football festivals organised by the leaders in cooperation with the trained coaches and coaching assistants for a total of 1,600 children (show-ups) aged 6–12.
  6. Three-day seminar for 60 Open Fun Football School leaders and coaches so they can set up football clubs.
  7. Regular fun football training sessions organised by the Open Fun Football School leaders in cooperation with the trained coaches and coaching assistants for a total of 1,000 children.

Expected results

8 Open Fun Football School leaders /trainers-of-trainers

96 Open Fun Football School coaches

96 coaching assistants aged 14–18

  • gender balance: minimum 30% females
  • social balance: minimum 50% refugees/internally displaced persons/socially disadvantaged individuals

3 capacity-building seminars

3,200 children aged 6-12 years in 8 Open Fun Football Schools and Festivals

1 club-formation seminar

60 clubs set up

Partner

Kick the Ball, Save Our Wildlife

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Kenya
Start date 12/01/2020
End date 05/01/2021
Cost of the project €15,054
Foundation funding €13,054
Project identifier 20200447
Partners Water4Wildlife
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The Maasai Mara ecosystem is one of the largest wildlife conservation areas in East Africa and is home to several conservancies that make a significant contribution to Kenya's tourism revenue. The Lemek conservancy is home to many marginalised children with a passion for sports. Most local public schools are attended by underprivileged children and lack basic social amenities. There are no football pitches but there is plenty of land on which to build one. Water4Wildlife Maasai Mara identified a public primary school as the ideal location to build a modern sports ground to serve children from the various conservancies. By playing football, 300 children aged 4–16 will be able to build new friendships, nurture their talents and learn teamwork skills. Through learning about wildlife conservation, it is hoped they will grow up to be future conservationists.

Project content

Water4Wildlife teaches the children about the various dangers facing wildlife and the threat of extinction. They are also taught about the dangers of poaching and eating game meat, and reassured that they can report it to the rangers in safety. During football tournaments, the game rangers will have a chance to kick a ball with the schoolchildren and talk about the importance of wildlife conservation.

Football games are also organised at local hotels and lodges between the visitors and the children. This gives the children the opportunity to meet the visitors, share their dreams and gain an understanding of why the visitors come to the Maasai Mara to see wildlife.

The project will build the local community's first football pitch at a public primary school. Better recreational and community sports opportunities for the children will not only improve their health and help them to acquire a variety of skills, but also help to break the cycle of idleness, vice and child labour.

Objectives

  • Construct a football pitch that will connect all the children from various conservancies in the Maasai Mara ecosystem.
  • Promote sports and community development in the young population.
  • Use sports as an avenue for wildlife conservation from an early age.

Project activities

  • Creating public awareness about wildlife and children’s sports.
  • Conducting site clearance and an environmental survey.
  • Constructing the pitch and procuring sports equipment.
  • Launching the project at the annual inter-conservancy sports competition.
  • Continuous monitoring of the project for the first three years before handing over to the local conservancy communities.

Expected results

  • 300 girls and boys will have access to the sports field.
  • A safe environment for children.
  • Improved relationships between communities and with tourists.
  • Improved wildlife conservation due to greater awareness.
  • Children will be more integrated thanks to better social skills, greater self-confidence, teamworking skills and stronger friendships.
  • Children will be taught discipline through sports.
  • Children will apply the dedication and hard work acquired through sports to their studies to achieve greater academic success.

Partner

SCORE

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Ivory Coast, Abidjan, Bouaké and Man
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 06/30/2022
Cost of the project €131,578
Foundation funding €86,197
Project identifier 2019969
Partners La Balle aux Prisonniers (LaBAP)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Ivory Coast’s efforts to reintegrate young offenders into the community have been largely unsuccessful. After observing young people locked up all day in the juvenile detention centres with nothing to do, LaBAP approached the authorities about setting up activities that meet international standards aimed at helping the detainees prepare for reintegration.

The SCORE project targets young people, especially girls, in the Abidjan, Bouaké and Man juvenile detention centres. The detainees, mostly boys, are aged between 12 and 17 and have usually been sentenced to 3–6 months, although some end up being detained for longer or have been given longer sentences. The turnover of detainees is high, with the population changing almost daily – every 18 months, at least 220 minors pass through the three centres.

Project content

LaBAP’s programmes are inspired by the fundamental principles of sport and recognise sport as a driver of social change, education and development. It provides young offenders with an escape from daily life in detention and promotes cooperation, solidarity, tolerance, understanding, social inclusion and health. Combined with other activities, such as vocational and literacy training, sport is a first step towards their reintegration.

Objectives

  • Help juveniles to reintegrate socially and professionally through training and support.
  • Create social cohesion between juveniles in detention and society through sport.

Project activities

  • Developing sports programmes for juveniles in detention (weekly football training and introductory sessions).
  • Sports events with outside teams.
  • Celebration and media coverage of human rights days.
  • Providing materials and logistical support to the centres’ literacy programmes.
  • Practical training in income-generating activities.

Expected results

  • 324 weekly football training sessions and 18 introductory sessions giving juveniles in detention a place of freedom where the harmful effects of detention can be counteracted.
  • Three detention centres will have a suitable area and the equipment needed for playing sports.
  • Events will provide opportunities for socialisation and for society to change the way it views young offenders: 12 events with outside teams providing interaction with 120 external players and 3 gala matches.
  • All detainees will have access to high-quality, inclusive education and lifelong learning opportunities and 20 detainees will be registered for exams.
  • 6 tables and 120 benches/chairs will be provided or restored and each centre will receive a literacy kit.
  • Male and female detainees will acquire skills to help them reintegrate into the workforce: training 20 juveniles in patisserie and 60 juveniles in rabbit farming in Abidjan and Bouaké, 15 juveniles in fish farming in Abidjan, and 30 juveniles in poultry farming in Man.

Partner

Finding My Potential

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location England, Liverpool
Start date 03/01/2021
End date 07/31/2022
Cost of the project €62,618
Foundation funding €49,440
Project identifier 20201366
Partners Liverpool School Sports Partnership (LSSP) Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Personal development

Context

Liverpool is the fourth most deprived area in England and has unfortunately remained stubbornly so for some time. The unemployment rate for young people is 10.8% and only 51.4% of young people achieve five C grades and above in their secondary education. This is coupled with the fact that young people seem to be shouldering the brunt of the impact of COVID-19 on the job market, with those who struggle academically likely to fall further behind.  Young people in Liverpool need to be given every opportunity to succeed.

Project content

Sport has the power to fully engage young people. Through engagement in this project, they will gain both specific knowledge, skills and qualifications and soft skills such as integrity, responsibility, planning and leadership to help them thrive in adulthood. By achieving a coaching and officiating qualification, followed by valuable work experience in a supportive environment, they will not only develop their confidence but also gain access to employment opportunities in their local community. The project will provide equality of opportunity regardless of circumstances.

Objectives

  • Increase the confidence and self-efficacy of 160 young people aged 14–21 years and develop their employability and leadership skills by providing training and accredited qualifications to enable them to coach and lead sport and physical activity sessions in the local community.
  • Provide a mentor/LSSP coordinator to support the young people in coordinating, planning and delivering a six-week community sports programme (‘nurture clubs’).
  • Ensure a minimum of 96 nurture clubs are delivered to 500 inactive young people aged 8–12 years to help them become more active and improve their health and wellbeing.

Project activities

  • Team building: This will focus on developing an understanding of different forms of communication; what makes a good team; conflict resolution; and working together.
  • Youth Sport Trust Active in Mind training course: This will be delivered by an athlete mentor and the young people will gain an understanding of the CARE (creativity, aspiration, resilience and empathy) model of leadership.
  • National Governing Body (NGB) qualifications: The young people will select a suitable NGB award to achieve.
  • Nurture clubs: The nurture groups, composed of pupils who are struggling to integrate in school, will receive a minimum of six sessions and be rewarded with a certificate for full attendance.
  • First aid and safeguarding.

Expected results

  • 160 young people trained.
  • 500 nurture club attendees.
  • A minimum of 96 community sessions delivered.

Partner

Smiles for Children – Disability and the COVID-19 health crisis

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Switzerland, Rolle
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €150,000
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20200121
Partners Just for Smiles
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities

Context

There are over 150,000 children with disabilities in Switzerland. The COVID-19 pandemic has isolated them at home. To help them reintegrate and readjust, Just for Smiles plans to expand its sailing programme to reach more beneficiaries.

Project content

Children are enrolled in a sailing activity to suit their preferences, abilities and needs in terms of motor skills and sensation. They spend a half day laughing and feeling the thrill of being on the lake. This adapted sports activity is particularly useful in the treatment of neurological conditions such as spinal injury, head injury and stroke.

Objectives

The aim of the project is to give children with disabilities the greatest possible access to sailing and wellbeing. Just for Smiles seeks to have a lasting impact on the participants and their independence.

Project activities

The sailing trips take place in the warmer months, consisting of two two-hour trips per day.

Expected results

2,400 children will go on a sailing trip from Rolle harbour.

Partner

Fairplay4life

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Portugal, Lisbon and Spain, Barcelona
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €31,625
Foundation funding €31,625
Project identifier 20200516
Partners Ayuda en Acción
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

Most families in the neighbourhoods of Camarate (Portugal) and Sant Ildefons (Spain) are at a social, cultural and economic disadvantage, and many children have an unhealthy lifestyle and poor eating habits. Fast processed food, incomplete breakfasts and little physical activity are commonplace.

Practical training in healthy habits among the youngest is the best prevention and the most effective and efficient way to contribute to a better world for these children and young people. Research suggests that teenagers, their parents, and teachers alike feel that technology can be a good ally in encouraging healthy habits. The use of technology is effective in helping them to improve and maintain their self-esteem in a fun way and using their own communication codes (mainly audiovisual), based on a holistic and integrated perception of health.

Project content

Fairplay4life is focused on helping teenagers in vulnerable situations lead a healthier lifestyle. Four steps to improve teenagers’ quality of life through healthy lifestyle habits:

  • increase their physical and intellectual performance,
  • achieve and maintain a healthy weight,
  • adopt sustainable consumption habits and
  • reduce food waste.

Face-to-face or virtual workshops will be held at six schools and a health monitoring app will support the process.

Objectives

The project seeks to pilot a methodology for face-to-face and virtual intervention that will help to ensure children and teens at risk of social exclusion have a healthy diet by increasing their knowledge, self-esteem and self-awareness. The idea behind the activities developed is to give them the skills they need to keep up these habits, including teamwork and sport.

Project activities

A total of ten workshops will be held at six schools in Camarate (Portugal) and Sant Ildefons (Spain) providing theoretical and practical training in healthy habits and sports. Groups of 20 children will attend four sessions. A health monitoring app will be adapted to support the workshop with related content and challenges. The game elements of the app will help the participants put what they have learned into practice in their family environment.

Expected results

A methodology for promoting healthy lifestyle habits will be developed. A total of 200 children and teenagers (in six schools in Portugal and Spain) will benefit from the workshops and health monitoring app. If successful, the workshop may be scaled up to 90 centres.

Partner

Youth in Action

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
Start date 12/12/2020
End date 12/01/2021
Cost of the project €100,000
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20200593
Partners Rio Ferdinand Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Personal development

Context

Black, Asian and minority communities across the island of Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) face racism, prejudice and inequality. Young people from minority communities are more likely to live in poverty than their peers, often in insecure housing (including reception centres), and face added language barriers. Families and communities are housed across borders (Britain, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland), and face increasing racism – in Northern Ireland alone, 40% of reported hate crime was race related.

Project content

The project’s mission is to tackle racism in Ireland and promote community cohesion and the integration of ethnic minority and migrant communities through sports and education.

 

Objectives

The programme aims to promote inclusion and friendship and tackle racism and prejudice on the island of Ireland, by working with young people, ethnic minority representative groups and refugees and asylum seekers housed in local communities. Young people will be given the opportunity to share experiences, cultural values and interests. Education programmes will use football and football culture as a pathway to explore the themes of race and racism.

Project activities

  • Delivering sports and educational activities that give people shared experiences and engage them in dialogue on solutions to racism, xenophobia and prejudice.
  • Delivering inclusive sports activities that create community cohesion.
  • Delivering education programmes that explore the themes of race, racism and prejudice
  • Training community role models and actors to deliver social action projects
  • Capacity building of ethnic minority and refugee groups to deliver services and engage with government agencies and civic society
  • Building a network of local community actors and organisations that will embed the approach in communities
  • Sharing best practices and building an ongoing support network across Ireland and the UK.

Expected results

  • Improved awareness of racism and racist behaviour.
  • Improved cohesion and integration of ethnic minority and refugee groups into communities.
  • Trained actors from across the community delivering social action projects and a shared methodology throughout the island of Ireland.
  • Greater skills in ethnic minority led organisations to deliver services and engage with civic society.
  • A support network across Ireland to advocate and lead on this agenda on a local and regional scale.

Partner

Football versus Discrimination

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Republic of Ireland
Start date 12/01/2020
End date 03/31/2023
Cost of the project €212,000
Foundation funding €110,000
Project identifier 20201607
Partners Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI)
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Recently, Ireland has been under international scrutiny for falling short of its human rights commitments to tackle racial discrimination. Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) programmes give children from diverse ethnic minority and indigenous Irish backgrounds the opportunity to take part in physical activity, meet people from different cultures and learn about human rights and racism.

Project content

SARI coaches – both male and female and from diverse ethnic backgrounds – will visit primary schools across Ireland to deliver anti-discrimination workshops to pupils. The workshops, lasting 60–75 minutes, gather children on the sports field or in the playground to play football, boost their health and fitness and develop ball skills, while considering and challenging all forms of discrimination, including racism, sexism and homophobia. The idea is for the children to take what they have learnt on the pitch, such as teamwork, respect, commitment and cooperation, and apply it off the pitch.

Objectives

  • Increase mutual understanding between children and young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
  • Help combat racism and xenophobia.
  • Promote the integration of immigrants into Irish schools and society.
  • Promote the involvement of immigrants in sport, volunteering and cultural activities.
  • Promote gender equality in sport and society.
  • Educate children about Human Rights.

Project activities

  • Role playing games for the children to understand and experience how it feels to be discriminated against.
  • Fair play football designed so that the players take responsibility for their own actions: there are no referees and the players are encouraged to resolve disagreements amongst themselves through dialogue.
  • An in-class questionnaire for the children about what they have learnt and their attitudes towards all forms of discrimination.

Expected results

SARI aims to deliver the workshop to over 10,000 children across the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland.

Partner

Sport in the Service of Peace: Playing Fair, Leading Peace

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Israel
Start date 12/01/2020
End date 11/30/2021
Cost of the project €79,500
Foundation funding €35,000
Project identifier 20200724
Partners Peres Center for Peace and Innovation
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

Ties between Arab and Jewish citizens in Israel are marred by ongoing conflict that has led to discrimination, fear, and distrust of ‘the other’ on both sides. Many of Israel’s municipalities and institutions, including schools, are uni-cultural, leaving few opportunities for integration between Jewish and Arab children that would allow them to challenge existing preconceptions and build mutual trust and the foundations for shared living. This has been exacerbated by isolation during COVID-19.

Project content

The Peres Center’s Sport in the Service of Peace: Playing Fair, Leading Peace project uses football as a peacebuilding tool. It recruits exceptional university-aged Young Leaders to participate in anti-discrimination, peace education and leadership training. These Young Leaders also develop and implement football activities for ‘twinned’ classes of Jewish and Arab schoolchildren using an award-winning sports-based peace education methodology. These activities include cross-cultural exchange, Hebrew/Arabic language learning, and joint football matches using the innovative FairPlay method where the players determine the rules of the game, referee themselves, and resolve conflicts on the pitch through facilitated dialogue. The project also provides educators with tools for promoting children’s rights and development through access to sport.

Objectives

  • Promote integration, anti-discrimination and dialogue among Jewish and Arab children and youth in Israel.
  • Train Jewish and Arab Young Leaders in leadership development, conflict management and the use of football as a tool for peace education.
  • Encourage positive changes in perceptions and the elimination of stereotypes through joint football and peace education activities for Jewish and Arab children.
  • Promote the children’s rights toolkit for educators and a nationwide network of Jewish and Arab educators using football as an educational tool.

Project activities

  • Recruitment and training of 17 outstanding Young Leaders (half Jewish, half Arab, and half male, half female) from across Israel.
  • School outreach developed and implemented by Jewish-Arab pairs of Young Leaders for classes of Jewish and Arab schoolchildren ages 8–12.
  • Provision of distance-education support for teachers in light of COVID-19 to help them provide children with safe quality online activities focused on the themes of diversity, tolerance and inclusivity.

Expected results

  • Enhancement of the personal and professional leadership skills of 17 Jewish and Arab Young Leaders, as well as their mutual understanding and trust.
  • Promotion of cooperation, trust, and understanding among 240 Jewish and Arab schoolchildren through joint football activities and peace education.
  • Integration of anti-discrimination education into the school curriculum (both online and in the classroom) in 8 participating Jewish and Arab schools across Israel.

Partners