Europe Archives - Page 11 of 13

Football for Development in the Czech Republic

Location and general information

Context

INEX is a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation founded in 1991 that supports international work and intercultural education. One of its flagship projects, Football for Development, engages young people in the Czech Republic by means of football-based informal educational activities. The project is run in various urban environments in the Czech Republic (Prague, Usti nad Labem region, Pilsen region, Ostrava region, Karlovy Vary region), where INEX partners with low-threshold clubs, social services, youth clubs, leisure centres, orphanages and youth detention centres. The target group comprises children and teenagers who are at risk of social exclusion or discrimination due to their ethnic background or where they live. Thanks to the work of these organisations, the children and teenagers enjoy a safe space for social interaction and personal development.

The aim is to provide a way for these youngsters to re-engage with society and develop skills they need to be active and responsible citizens. Experience shows that regular planned sporting activities are effective. Football is a comprehensive learning and preventive tool using rules and options to resolve conflicts without violence.

Project content

Because sport, and football in particular, is very popular among young people, it plays an active role in combating discrimination, intolerance, racism, xenophobia and violence. The Football3 methodology*, based on the principle of fair play, inclusion and mutual respect, is used to instil important social values, such as teamwork, discussion, and mutual understanding. It also develops the ability to create rules.

Objectives

The foundation’s support will enable a national network of Football3 leagues to be set up and extend the regional implementation of Football3 methodology into the everyday work of Football for Development’s partner organisations with their target groups. Each league will feature matchdays where groups from different organisations and backgrounds will play together in a spirit of respect and fair play.

4 matchdays in each of the four regions (these will count towards the total points at the end of the respective league competition)
1-day training in the use of Football3 methodology and to endorse the role of mediator
1 workshop per region before the league starts to prepare the participants for the special football format
2 national coordination meetings to arrange the schedule, participation criteria and guidelines and the evaluation process
1 national final matchday to be held in one of the regions and organised as a public event. Two teams from each region will qualify for the finals.

Expected results

Lay the foundation for regular Football3 league matches.
Create a sustainable and independent network of Football3 leagues throughout the Czech Republic.
Focus on educating youngsters in targeted communities and encourage their continued involvement in the activities after reaching adulthood.
These individuals will work as role models in their communities to share and multiply the ideas and principles of the project.

* Football3 methodology is used by the streetfootballworld network. It harnesses the educational potential of street football by ensuring that dialogue and fair play are integral to the game. Its overall objective is to promote life skills and empower young people to become leaders. The emphasis is on resolving conflict through dialogue.

Partners

Game Changers

Location and general information

Context

Young adults (16–24 year-olds) in London are better educated on leaving school than ever before. The proportion of 19 year-olds with qualifications has improved significantly in inner-city London, overtaking the English national average. Nevertheless, they are more likely to be unemployed and, even when in work, young adults are very likely to be low paid. Nearly 11% of 16–24 year-olds in London were unemployed in 2014, more than twice the level for 25–64 year-olds, while 77% of 16–20 year-olds and 41% of 21–24 year-olds are low paid. (Source: London’s Poverty Profile website)

At the same time, there are more than 1,450 football clubs with over 3,300 teams across the city. (Source: London Football Association website)

Kick It Out is primarily a campaigning organisation that enables, facilitates and works with the football authorities, professional clubs, players, fans and communities to tackle all forms of discrimination in football. It offers a wide range of educational activities to help pupils and college or university students understand about equality and inclusion within football and across society.

This project targets young adults who are looking for professional opportunities in the football industry. Sustainability is key to its success in providing a new pathway into football leadership and governance for communities that are under-represented in the game.

Project content

Training and development days

At the core of the programme will be eight full-day training sessions on the themes of empowerment, leadership, football governance, project planning, business, coaching, commercial/public affairs and law.

Kick It Out, in partnership with the Premier League, will source expert trainers from the football business, teaching staff from the University Campus of Football Business (UCFB) – a higher education institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees along with executive education in the football business, sport and events industries – and BPP University Business School, and experienced educators from outside the sector.

The programme will start with four full-day training sessions on the core learning themes of empowerment (Premier League trainers), leadership (Premier League trainers), football governance (FA trainers), and project planning (Mitre Group trainers). Participants will be expected to attend at least three of the four sessions and will be tested in these areas at the start and end of the project in order to measure how much they have learned.

In between these sessions, the participants will be given additional reading tasks, group discussion questions and other assignments based on the themes covered.

Raise Your Game (RYG) events

Participants will receive priority access to Raise Your Game career events throughout the year.

Raise Your Game is a unique Kick It Out programme that provides opportunities for people who aspire to work in the football industry, and is currently supported by the Premier League. Since its inception in 2012, the programme has helped numerous individuals find career pathways in roles such as coaching, media and communications, player engagement, physiotherapy, refereeing and sports science.

Equality and diversity in football awareness course

Kick It Out is working with Southampton Solent University to offer this unique course aimed at educating future leaders of football and increasing awareness of Kick It Out’s work in all sectors of the game. This course is designed for people who will lead the football industry to greater equality and inclusion.

Mentoring

Mentors will be sourced at the beginning of the project and introduced to participants after their induction. They will deliver a minimum of three coaching sessions to facilitate development at each stage of the programme. They will also support the participants at the end of the project by guiding them as they develop their action plans for the following six months.

The project will also include a scheme in which current members of the Game Changers programme will be able to pass on what they have learned. This peer-to-peer learning can be invaluable as it enables young people to learn directly from recent programme .

Objectives

Providing a new pathway into football leadership and governance for communities underrepresented in the game.
Create a tailor-made learning curriculum to promote the values of Kick It Out, such as the benefits of equality, inclusion, diversity policies and practices in football.
Create pathway opportunities for young adults with a good education and looking for job opportunities in the sports industry.
Develop broader awareness and acceptance of Kick It Out’s activities and its enabling and facilitating roles as a contributory force for good in football.

Project Activities

Pathways can be defined as opportunities available to leaders wishing to progress to senior positions, including .

During the project, Kick It Out will work to identify pathways for participants. Mentors will help each participant to access one of the following opportunities within six months of the project ending:

Boards pathway
County FA youth councils
Grassroots club youth councils
Professional club youth councils
Internships or work experience within the football industry
Leadership roles at grassroots or community level
Community leadership programmes run by professional football clubs, Premier League Communities and EFL Trust

Expected results

Key football stakeholders will be encouraged to address the issue of under-representation of women, disabled people and individuals from BAME and LGBT communities in leadership and governance positions in football.
A new pathway into football leadership and governance will be provided for communities under-represented in the game.
Learning and development opportunities will be offered to young leaders from communities under-represented in the game.

Partner

From Sport to Work

Location and general information

Context

From sport to work project
Sport dans la Ville works with 5,500 young people aged between 7 and 22 who live in disadvantaged areas of Lyon, Grenoble, Chambéry, Saint-Etienne, Lille and Ile-de-France.
The young participants live in areas targeted for urban regeneration, where access to training and employment is very limited. The average unemployment rate for 16 to 25-year olds in the areas in which Sport dans la Ville operates is 45%.
Young participants in the sports programmes run by Sport dans la Ville are able to join the Job dans la Ville programme from the age of 15. In 2017, the programme will help around 950 socially disadvantaged young people aged between 15 and 22 to find training and employment opportunities.

Project content

The Job dans la Ville programme uses five practical measures to help each young person obtain a qualification and long-term employment (work-study contract or permanent contract):

Individual training and employment support from a professional development coach, a permanent employee of Sport dans la Ville.
Visits to companies and training providers, partners of Sport dans la Ville.
Training and preparation for the world of work, in particular the rules of the workplace and job interview procedures.
Mentoring by company employees, who share their experience of work and support the young people with their professional integration.
Company placements in France and abroad, enabling each young person to gain initial work experience (internships, work-study contracts, fixed-term contracts, permanent contracts).

The Job dans la Ville programme aims to have an immediate impact on the young people by offering social and professional integration activities in the districts where they live, thus developing close relationships with the young people and their parents. By working with children in its centres from the age of six, Sport dans la Ville provides young people with long-term, continuous support (lasting an average of 10 to 12 years).

All year round, the programme offers:

workshops and company visits during school holidays;
programme presentation ceremonies in January and June;
‘Foot & Job’ events, where young job-seekers can meet company employees on the sports pitch and talk about their jobs;
employment forums, where young Job dans la Ville participants can meet our partner companies who are looking for new recruits (internships, work-study contracts, fixed-term contracts, permanent contracts).

Objectives

to increase the number of participants in the Job dans la Ville programme by opening ten new sports centres in three regions: Rhône-Alpes, Ile-de-France and Hauts-de-France. These new centres will be able to accommodate more young people in the Job dans la Ville programme (1,100 in 2018);
to increase the involvement of young people at the existing Sport dans la Ville sports centres.

Expected results

In 2017 and 2018, to continue the structuring and development of our programme at national level.
To strengthen our team of partners, whose objective is to ensure the financial sustainability of the Job dans la Ville programme and of the improvements we intend to make to the programme.

Partner

Youth advisory centres (‘missions locales’) and CIO (‘centres d’information et d’orientation’).
Second-chance schools, vocational schools, apprentice training centres, adult vocational training centres, universities and higher education establishments
Local and state authorities
120 private companies

A ball for all children, a goal for inclusion

Location and general information

Context

Visual impairment often raises questions or creates fear, especially fear of people who are different. Unfortunately, partially sighted or blind people are stigmatised and often seen or defined primarily as disabled rather than perceived as fully-fledged human beings. This attitude emphasises their exclusion and hinders their integration and inclusion in society, including that of the younger generations. Visually impaired children are often the target of taunts and thoughtless comments in schools. In Greece, schools’ lack of understanding or awareness is a barrier for inclusion.

Project content

Orama Neon Youthorama is a non-governmental organisation that has been operational since 2003. Following its international ‘Everybody Wins’ campaign, which promoted the Olympic and Paralympic values by using specially adapted footballs for the visually impaired, the organisation is now planning to launch the ‘A ball for all children, a goal for inclusion’ project. The project aims to inform and support schools, NGOs and the public sector organisations in order to create an inclusive society in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes. To this end, adapted balls that contain bells and feature the UEFA Foundation for Children logo will be distributed to the participants. These balls will play a key role in the project, in which the participants will play blind football, a sport that is truly inclusive. Every team must contain a mix of sighted and blind players, who must all demonstrate mutual understanding, trust and support as they work together as a team. Blind football also helps to promote a strong message of integration and social cohesion. By raising awareness, the project aims to change how visually impaired people are perceived. They should not be defined by their disability, but treated as fully-fledged players and people.

Objectives

To create a more inclusive society at local and international levels
To promote healthy lifestyles by improving access to sport for everyone

Expected results

To impact 1,000 schoolchildren through awareness workshops in 15 schools
To provide 500 balls to the project participants
To support visually impaired child refugees in refugee camps by giving them specially adapted footballs
To work in schools with a high number of blind and visually impaired children
To produce a promotional video in order to raise awareness of inclusion activities

Partners

Football With No Limits

Location and general information

Context

Cañada Real – a 16km long, 75m wide shanty town on the outskirts of Madrid – is one of the poorest areas in Spain. It is also the largest shanty town in Europe and is commonly referred to as the ‘slum of shame’. It is home to 30,000 people living in insanitary conditions, including large numbers of Moroccan and Roma families. This illegal settlement is also home to numerous drug dealers, who supply the local population. The general insecurity of life in Cañada Real is compounded by the negative impact on children’s education, with academic failure and drop-out rates 40% higher than the national average.

Project content

Against the background of the sometimes strained relations between the various communities that live together in Cañada Real, this programme organised by Red Deporte y Cooperación uses the power of football and the football3 methodology to foster dialogue with a view to resolving conflict. The programme also involves a concerted effort to get more girls playing football. By establishing mixed teams comprising players from various different communities, the organisers seek to remove the barriers and prejudices that divide the people living in Cañada Real. Moreover, in order to maximise the impact on the lives of the programme’s beneficiaries, Red Deporte y Cooperación also supplements its recreational sporting activities with educational workshops aimed at helping children to return to school or find work.

Objectives

Foster harmonious relations between the various communities living together in Cañada Real
Get more girls playing football
Boost beneficiaries’ self-confidence
Encourage children to obtain an education and/or provide them with the tools they need in order to find work.

Expected results

Organisation of 150 training sessions
Hosting of three football festivals for 1,500 children from Cañada Real
Organisation of 30 educational workshops on the subject of education, health and employability
Fostering of communication and cultural exchange through the organisation of tournaments in Cañada Real and elsewhere in Spain
Training of ten coaches, ten referees and three coordinators so they can run the Cañada CF football club

Partners

Allez les Filles!

Location and general information

Context

Mantes-la-Jolie is one of the four areas of the Yvelines department selected as part of the national urban regeneration programme. It is the third largest town in Yvelines and has a relatively young population. Average household income is €15,196 per year, although there are wide variations between districts. The rate of unemployment is more than twice the national average and is especially high among young people, in particular women, in the 15 to 24 age bracket. The town has one of the highest school dropout rates in Ile-de-France and a large proportion of current 15- to 24-year olds left school without any academic qualifications.

The Paris Saint-Germain Foundation is planning to work mainly in the Val Fourré district, an urban area in particular need of regeneration, by stepping up its efforts to develop women’s sport. In 2012 , for example, the Allez les Filles programme was created for girls who had no opportunities to play sport on account of their social or family background.

Project content

Designed specifically for girls aged between 8 and 12, Allez les Filles is a tailor-made, long-term programme comprising 15 sports and cultural education sessions and a holiday week.

Each Allez les Filles group is composed of 25 girls who are given the chance to learn and try out various sports, including football, handball, basketball, dance, combat sports, blind football and high-rope climbing, as well as cultural activities such as street art or museum visits.

Members of the Paris Saint-Germain women’s team, who are closely involved in the programme, act as mentors to the girls. During the season, the girls have the opportunity to talk to them and to attend training sessions and matches.

Objectives

The programme’s objectives are to:

encourage girls in the most deprived areas of Ile-de-France to play sport;
show them the wide range of sports that they could play;
help them to become more self-confident and share values linked to sport, such as team spirit, taking responsibility, respect for rules and other people, and hard work;
foster their social integration through sport.

At the end of the year, the girls are encouraged to continue with one activity. The hope is that they will choose a sport and join a club, with the Foundation covering the cost of their registration fee.

Expected results

With France set to host the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2018 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, the foundation is keen to expand the Allez les Filles programme by enabling more girls to take part.

Thanks to the support of the UEFA Foundation for Children, an additional 25 girls from the socially deprived French town of Mantes-la-Jolie in Yvelines will be able to participate in the programme.

Partner

Tackling youth unemployment

Location and general information

CONTEXT

In March 2017, 3.883 million young people aged under 25 were unemployed in the 28 EU member states. The situation is especially worrying in France, where almost one in four young people were unemployed (Eurostats, May 2017). Although the situation is less alarming in the United Kingdom, which has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, job insecurity in particular means that even young people who are employed find themselves in a precarious situation.

A lack of support for young job-seekers, inadequate qualifications and economic recession are all factors that prevent young people finding work.

PROJECT CONTENT

This two-year pilot project organised by the UEFA Foundation for Children, car manufacturer Nissan (Nissan Europe) and the streetfootballworld global network is designed to support Sport dans la Ville (France) and Street League (United Kingdom), two organisations that share the common goal of using the power of sport to help young people find employment. Hard work, discipline and respect for the rules are all values that sport can teach young people. Alongside sports activities, the project organises workshops that enable young people to develop their employability skills. As well as increasing their self-confidence and helping them to acquire key skills, the project gives young people the chance to participate in work placements and work-study programmes, to find employment with a well-known company and to take part in activities run by the Nissan Skills Foundation (which focuses on youth skills development).

OBJECTIVES

To reduce youth unemployment in France and the United Kingdom
To promote the social and professional integration of young people from disadvantaged areas by giving them access to training, employment and sports activities
To promote the benefits and values of sport as an instrument of social change

EXPECTED RESULTS

Lower school drop-out rate, higher employment and better training among young people aged between 15 and 24 in France and the United Kingdom.

PARTNERS

Field in a box – Mragowo

Location and general information

CONTEXT

Following the successful installation of the first Field in a Box football pitch in Cañada Real, the UEFA Foundation for Children decided to continue its work with FedEx, which financed the construction of a second pitch in the small town of Mragowo in northeast Poland. The global not-for-profit network streetfootballworld helped to identify the location for the pitch and select local charity Mazurskie Stowarzyszenie Inicjatyw Sportowych (MSIS) to maintain the pitch and ensure its sustainable use and positive impact.

PROJECT CONTENT

The UEFA Foundation for Children has been running the Field in a Box project since 2016, the aim being to provide an enclosed, fully functional artificial football pitch to communities in need. The system is environmentally sustainable and quick to install.

OBJECTIVES

By promoting this project, the UEFA Foundation for Children aims to improve the lives of young people and breathe new life into disadvantaged communities. By providing opportunities to play football, the foundation endeavours to promote children’s health and support their personal development, while instilling in them the values of football, such as respect and team spirit.

RESULTS TO DATE AND EXPECTED RESULTS

Organising football training using the football3 method
Maintaining and ensuring sustainable use of the pitch through the recruitment of an activities coordinator by local charity Mazurskie Stowarzyszenie Inicjatyw Sportowych (MSIS)
Facilitating the integration and social cohesion of different people living in Mragowo

PARTNERS

Field in a Box – Cañada Real

Location and general information

CONTEXT

The UEFA Foundation for Children exists to promote the fundamental rights of children all over the world. Health, education, access to sport and personal development are all areas in which children’s rights can be safeguarded.
By providing infrastructure such as football pitches, the Foundation aims to use football as a powerful tool for social cohesion.

PROJECT CONTENT

The Field in a Box project was launched in Cañada Real. Situated less than 15 minutes from the Spanish capital, Cañada Real is one of the largest shanty towns in Europe, housing a total of 30,000 people in deplorable conditions. Relations between the different communities that live there, especially between Roma and Moroccan immigrants, are often difficult.
Thanks to financial support from FedEx – the world’s largest logistics company and main sponsor of the UEFA Europa League – and coordination by the not-for-profit organisation streetfootballworld, the UEFA Foundation for Children donated a football pitch to the charity Red Deporte y Cooperación. The pitch was built using the Field in a Box system, in which all the components of a football pitch are supplied in two containers. The system provides a safe sports facility comprising an enclosed artificial football pitch, goals, floodlights and changing rooms.

OBJECTIVES

The project’s main objective is to enable young people in Cañada Real, where sports facilities are few and far between, to play sport. By promoting football in Cañada Real, the foundation hopes to curb the exclusion of marginalised communities and foster greater social harmony.

RESULTS

In the space of one year:

Participation of 400 children (90% boys and 10% girls) in football
Organisation of 500 matches
Pitch maintained by youth coaches from the local community

Field in a Box is funded as part of FedEx Cares, a wide-ranging campaign that aims to invest in more than 200 communities in Europe and beyond by 2020. By cooperating with the UEFA Foundation for Children alongside its sponsorship of professional football, FedEx hopes to support initiatives with a positive local impact.

PARTNERS

Brincar de Rua – Street Play

Location and general information

Terminé

Location Portugal

Start date 09/01/2016

End date 12/31/2019

Cost of the project €352,391

Foundation funding €63,749

Project identifier EUR - 0130

Partners Ludotempo, Higher School of Education and Social Sciences of the Polytechnical Institute of Leiria (Escola Superior de Educação e Ciências Sociais do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria), Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth (Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude - IPDJ), London Play (UK).

Context

In general, Portuguese children are swamped with organised activities (from school to extra-curricular activities), they have poor access to physical activities, little free time and almost no time for free play – but the thing they wish for most of all is to play freely outside. Portuguese parents would love to see their children play freely outside, however they are overly afraid that their children might get abducted, sexually abused, have an accident on the road or get into a fight with other children. The project aims to provide children with opportunities to naturally develop their motor and social skills and adopt healthier lifestyles, while offering their parents a safe and healthy way to occupy their children.

Brincar de Rua will provide free, active and non-digital play experience in urban areas to children aged 5 to 12. The children will be able to go to the play group in their neighbourhood and take part in activities that promote their health, development and well-being.

Brincar de Rua has developed a high-impact and scalable programme which:

trains monitors, volunteers and mentors who manage groups of children;
involves local partners;
provides a web platform that gathers all the group information (security, training, membership) and puts everyone in contact;
evaluates security issues for each play group and provides specific materials;
schedules a play calendar and manages the monitors present at each play-group session;
registers every child, provides each child with an insurance policy and gives each one a GPS locator to use in the sessions (this is managed through a mobile phone app that allows parents to know the exact location of their children).Children are happy to enjoy their neighbourhood, develop personal and social skills, and get active and healthy.

Ludotempo, the owner of the project, is a non-profit association based in Leiria. Its mission is to promote the right of children to play. Playing is essential to the physical, emotional and intellectual health of children and helps them develop into efficient, well-balanced adults.

The financial support from the UEFA Foundation for Children will assure the training, mentoring programme and part of the material needed for the play groups – all vital aspects for the implementation of the project.

Project content

Brincar de Rua started as a pilot project to test security issues, community activation processes, training strategies, technology issues and communication strategies. The results of this first step were excellent:

the demand to participate in the programme exceeded the number of places available by almost five times;
a lot of volunteers were ready to get involved in the project;
20 local partners were mobilised to help out with tasks such as community activation and project dissemination;
the project received good media coverage and engagement through the organisation’s website and social networks.

The positive perceptions of the project led to the development phase of the programme – preparation of all training content, strategies and methodologies, production of a training manual and establishment of the recruiting process protocol. Promotional campaigns, events, an exhibition and a round table about the importance of play and children in the city will involve local partners such as parents’ associations.

The Brincar de Rua model is a global programme that can be implemented in different places.

Objectives

create around 190 play groups across 11 Portuguese cities,
provide the facilities to involve 2,300 children in free-play activities,
create awareness of the importance of play, targeting 40 schools and more than 300 first to fourth-grade teachers,
lobby the local authorities in order to encourage play-promoting policies and initiatives, including the right for children to use public spaces and to play in total safety;
help to change the mentality of school directors and teachers, promoting the inclusion of free play in the day-by-day routine of Portuguese schools,
help to change the habits of Portuguese families
create new informal play groups outside the Brincar de Rua grid;
train more than 300 volunteers (potential community leaders) and 30 future trainers/ mentors to ensure the natural replication of new play groups,
encourage the involvement of local people in parallel pro-community activities;

Project activities

– Stimulate active and free play for children without the presence of digital games and devices

– Provide the municipalities and the neighbourhoods with an engaging programme that stimulates active and healthy behaviours and encourages community participation

– Lay the foundations for a new training methodology for volunteers based on online training and informal peer to peer training.

Expected results

Direct impact:

increase in the number of free and active play hours for the children;
increase in the number of physical activities per child (sport, outdoor activities, play activities with other children;
reduction in the number of screen hours of children (TV, digital games, etc.) four hours less a week (about 20% reduction);
increase in the number of hours of physicial activities in families – one more hour a week;
reduction in the number of overweight children by 10%;
increase in the number of activities organised by the programme leaders in their neighbourhoods – at least 20% of the play groups should organise or be involved in the organisation of one parallel activity in their community.

Other expected results:

Scientific dissemination of the importance of free play:

22,000 families impacted through activities in schools and 40,000 people through regional media coverage;
2,200 people directly involved in the dissemination activities;
300 teachers, school directors and other education professionals involved in the seminars.

Partner

GOAL PLUS

Location and general information

Context

PluSport is the umbrella organisation for disabled sport in Switzerland. For almost 60 years, it has been promoting the integration of disabled people through sport. The UEFA Foundation for Children is supporting PluSport’s Goal Plus – Play Football project, the main aim of which is to use football and the passion it creates to enable all disabled children, including those who use wheelchairs, to play football. Enabling disabled children to play football gets them active, helps them to have fun and develops team spirit – all of which are essential to their integration.

PluSport uses football to promote disability sport among its 12,000 amateur members through 90 regional clubs, offering a variety of sports disciplines and organising about 100 camps.

Project content

Focus on subproject Play Football
PluSport attaches great importance to the promotion of football and ball sports in general as integration tools. Virtually all children and teenagers would like to be able to play football; it gets them active, helps them to have fun and develops team spirit – all essential qualities that help disabled children to progress in their daily lives. With the 2018 FIFA World Cup just around the corner, we expect more disabled children and teenagers to show an interest in playing football.

Through the Play Football subproject, PluSport is aiming to develop and broaden the use of football as a tool for integrating and promoting the next generation. All children need to be able to enjoy playing football, make friends and socialise. Our football-related activities are constantly growing. Thanks to initiatives and requests from partners and institutions, we have been able to offer disabled children and teenagers new opportunities to play football, in addition to the tournaments that we already organise.

Our objectives could be achieved and the corresponding activities carried out this year. At present, it is a matter of continuing with the project in a sustainable way while developing it at the same time.

Action plan:

Integration of individual children and teenagers, or a whole group, into PluSport clubs or regional associations of the Swiss Football Association.
Continued creation and support of PluSport football groups throughout Switzerland.
These teams train regularly (weekly), with supervision and coaching by PluSport.
A series of regular tournaments has been successfully established, with five or six tournaments organised each year. The aim now is to offer more opportunities by adding two or three tournaments per year. These events should be held in different parts of Switzerland.
Special final tournament for the winning teams of the individual tournaments held during the season.
Football-themed afternoon gatherings for able-bodied and disabled children (schools, vocational schools, churches, associations, institutions).
Use of infrastructure for training/matches (halls, pitches, changing rooms, etc.).
Coach education and remuneration.
Organisation of football camps for children and teenagers.
Rewarding of volunteers (coaches, referees, athletes).
Sourcing of equipment for training sessions and tournaments (footballs, bibs, etc.).
Retention of the Goal Plus project manager.

Objectives

To use football as a tool for integrating and promoting the next generation. All children need to be able to enjoy playing football, make friends and socialise.
The project comprises the following elements:

facilitated access to ball games for disabled children and teenagers
Goal Plus is an integral part of the Swiss sports landscape
involvement of the various target groups in disabled football
creation of new ball sports groups for children and teenagers
full, systematic promotion and development of disability sport
involvement in the project thanks to partnerships
targeted image transfer thanks to social responsibility
social integration through sport

Expected impact and results

Creation of new football teams
Organisation of weekly training sessions with supervision and coaching by PluSport
Maintenance and development of regular tournaments (for disabled children and teenagers)
A special final tournament for individual tournament winners
Football-themed afternoon gatherings
Long-term promotion of football by developing it and extending it to everyone

Partners

Inter Campus in Israel and Palestine

Location and general information

Our aim

Inter Campus, FC Internazionale Milano’s social programme, seeks to foster social, religious and racial equality worldwide, with a specific focus on children’s rights. It uses football as an educational tool, training local coaches and giving thousands of deprived children opportunities to play the game.

In Israel and Palestine, the main issue concerns violence and the lack of integration between the various ethnic and religious groups. The main aim in this region is to foster integration and promote peace through dialogue and cultural exchange. This project harnesses the power of sport, giving nearly 200 Israeli, Arab-Israeli and Palestinian children the opportunity to come together and play.

Project content

Inter Campus works with Ghetton, an organisation which has been supporting Israeli children from Tel-Aviv, Arab-Israeli children from Jerusalem, Palestinian children from the West Bank and refugees from other ethnic backgrounds since 2013. This locally based partner runs training sessions four times a week, using the Inter Campus methodology to achieve important objectives that go far beyond physical exercise – seeking, for example, to maximise children’s spare time, promote integration between the various communities, and teach sporting values such as respect, loyalty and solidarity. Training sessions always target cognitive, social and emotional development, with children learning valuable life skills while playing and having fun.

Children also take part in a number of off-pitch activities, such as recreational visits to cultural sites that they would otherwise not have access to. The sharing of such experiences with children from different backgrounds is key to the promotion of mutual understanding and integration.

Inter Campus provides technical equipment, as well as official Internazionale shirts, which are given to all participants as an important symbol of inclusion. In addition, Inter Campus coaches share their sporting and educational knowledge with local coaches, visiting the region at least once a semester. Theoretical and practical sessions are organised during such visits in order to ensure that activities are conducted in the correct manner the rest of the time.

In June 2016, the six local coaches implementing the project were invited to Italy, where they spent an intensive week working with Italian children, together with other Inter Campus coaches from Mexico and Colombia. This was a great opportunity for cultural exchange.

Objectives

Promote integration and peace
Ensure that deprived children have opportunities to play football
Use football for educational purposes
- Teach respect (for rules, team-mates and coaches)
- Communicate sporting values (loyalty, sacrifice, punctuality and solidarity)
Provide continuity by organising a consistent activity in an unstable context
- Help children to acquire new trust in people
- Help children to recognise the role of coaches
Allow participants to develop their own opinions based on real-life experiences

Expected impact and results

Increase the amount of time that children spend playing
Develop children’s personalities and capture/retain their interest
Foster integration between the various ethnic groups and give children a fresh perspective on life
Open children’s minds by allowing them to form their own opinions based on real-life experiences
Overcome the prejudices that children are forced to live with on account of the views of society and their own families
Foster spontaneous dialogue between the various communities and promote respectful coexistence

Partners

Improving communication and education for autistic children in Europe

Location and general information

Context

The UEFA Foundation for Children has decided to allocate its annual support grant for 2015 to a project designed to improve communication and education for autistic children in Europe. This project, submitted by the International Foundation of Applied Disability Research (FIRAH), has been approved by the Board of trustees of the foundation. Inspired by the innovative approach of the project, the UEFA Foundation for Children has adopted the words of Mahatma Gandhi to use as the slogan for the project:

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Thus the project to improve the lives of autistic children and their families, and to give them hope for the future.

What we are doing

The FIRAH is working with a number of partners to run this project: representatives of international and national associations for autistic children and their families; educational, social and medical services that come into contact with autistic children every day; and universities and research centres.

The project has three pillars:

Facilitating access to the latest educational material and equipment such as robots and tablets, adapted to the specific needs of autistic children and their families.
Training families and professionals working with autistic children so that they can help autistic children make use of new technology, with online guides and training available to families and professionals.
Developing applied research projects to assess the impact new technology (robots, tablets, etc.) has on the every lives of autistic children in order to improve the equipment and apps available. All such research projects will involve the children, their parents and professionals to deliver concrete results based on the needs and expectations of autistic children and their families.

The project will be implemented chiefly in six European countries in order to keep it relatively local and focused on the real needs of families.

The children, their parents and professionals will be involved in evaluating the results.

Our partners

Royal Europa 90 Kraainem FC

LOCATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

OUR AIM

Kraainem football club is located just outside Brussels. Last year, the club decided to take action in the refugee crisis, believing in the power of football for social cohesion. The club’s officials contacted the Belgian federal agency for the reception of refugees and developed a programme to welcome unaccompanied minors to their training, offering French classes and a meal as well. The initiative was very well received and the club welcomed 350 young boys over the course of the year.

AID PLANS

The club is requesting funding to support the continuation of its pilot initiative to use football to support 700 unaccompanied minors aged 13 to 18. The youngsters will be offered the opportunity to participate in the club’s training sessions and take French language classes taught by local volunteers. In addition, they will receive training equipment and a meal.

To develop this project, the club wishes to lobby for their approach to be used by other clubs as well, and for its recognition as a leading example of the integration of refugees through football.

BENEFICIARIES

700 accompanied minors.

LINK

www.kraainemfootball.be

OUR PARTNERS

Organisation Earth

LOCATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

OUR AIM

Organisation Earth is a Greek non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 2010. Its mission is the development of the concept of environmental and social intelligence, by providing experiential, non-formal education for sustainable development for all ages, introducing key sustainability issues into everyday life, primarily through learning activities.

Education for sustainable development promotes knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a better future for society as a whole, using methods that motivate and empower the learners to change their behaviour and take action for a new economic model that takes into account the social and environmental impact.

AID PLANS

Organisation Earth is using the funding from the UEFA Foundation for Children as an incentive to introduce football activities into their work.

The organisation has a large amount of experience in working in refugee camps in Greece, providing services and opportunities to refugees that go beyond providing accommodation and food, but foster critical thinking and the ability to take informed decisions.

The organisation plans to provide a football field and activities to 100 young people aged between 10 and 18 who live in the Sounio refugee camp in Athens. The football field will be a safe place in the camp that will help the young people to improve their health and well-being.

BENEFICIARIES

100 children.

LINK

www.organizationearth.org

OUR PARTNERS

Movement on the Ground

LOCATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

OUR AIM

Movement on the Ground is a foundation responding to a humanitarian crisis affecting the innocent men, women and children forced from their homes by climate change, poverty and war.

The organisation wants to provide structural support to major transit camps on Lesvos and the Greek mainland in the form of heat, shelter and hot food.

AID PLANS

Movement on the Ground plans to build a football pitch in the refugee camp in Lesvos to introduce football3 activities to help camp residents deal with their traumatic situation.

Movement on the Ground is already working in the camp and therefore has access to the local infrastructure and is in contact with camp officials.

The proposal is part of a bigger vision – a plan to restructure the refugee camp into an open campus with numerous opportunities for long and short-term residents.