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

Hapoel Katamon’s Neighbourhoods League

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Israel, Jerusalem
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €304,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20200349
Partners Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem FC
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

The poorest city in Israel, Jerusalem is a microcosm of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with hardly any positive contact between the two populations. Arab children in Jerusalem desperately need improved formal and informal education, including leisure time and proper facilities. Most Jewish children taking part in the programme also come from poor neighbourhoods. Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem FC (HKJFC) shows the marginalised Jewish and Arab children from the east and west of the city a different reality that radiates potency, professionalism, optimism, joy and hope.

Project content

The Neighbourhoods League consists of football teams in schools across Jerusalem. HKJFC strongly emphases the inclusion of all children from all backgrounds and the creation of equal opportunity for all. Any school wishing to enrol its boys' team in the Neighbourhoods League is required to set up a girls' team as well.

Objectives

  • Bring children from different religions, nationalities and backgrounds together.
    in order to break down walls and stigmas.
  • Use football to promote values such as tolerance, anti-violence, anti-racism and female empowerment.
  • Give children from underprivileged backgrounds a better education and high-quality sports activities.
  • Promote women’s football in Jerusalem.

Project activities

Learning centres in schools: The Neighbourhood League holds learning sessions each week before practice. The learning centre staff and volunteers help the children with their studies. The centre also provides social activities so the children can learn to work better as a group, become friends and overcome problems that occur during practice.

Football training: Two football practices for children aged 9–14 are held each week during the school year. Here the children can play organised football, learn skills, improve their fitness and develop their social skills. There are no try-outs: all children are welcome to take part.

Tournaments: All the girls' teams and all the boys’ teams take part in monthly tournaments in mixed teams, bringing children together from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and religions. Games are played simultaneously and have no referees – it is up to the players to solve their arguments and differences by themselves.

Expected results

  • 750 children, 30 coaches, 20 volunteers and 10 tutors trained in conflict mitigation and management.
  • Creation of a ‘bubble’ of non-conflict that will radiate out to the community at large.
  • Enabling young people to take part in a positive and meaningful activity, regardless of their ability to pay.
  • Increased dialogue through football and education.
  • Girls in Jerusalem empowered to play football.

Partner

Youth Sports Games 2021

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Serbia
Start date 02/02/2021
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €4,634,393
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 20200528
Partners Association for Sport, Recreation and Education – Youth Games
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

The Youth Sports Games started in 1996 in Split, Croatia. The primary motive was to enable children to participate in organised sporting events and other free activities. The Youth Sports Games have become the largest amateur sports event for children and youth in Europe. More than 2 million children have competed in the 25 years since they began.

The games are held in three countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia. Primary and secondary-school-age children compete in ten sports disciplines free of charge, and the most successful individuals and teams get to travel to Split to participate in the international finals.

In addition to the games, the association organises regular sports and recreational activities for children to promote health, tolerance and ethical values. The association promotes a lifestyle based on understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair play as an alternative to addiction and deviant behaviour.

Project content

Sport is used as a medium to connect with the participants aged 7–18 through tournaments held in over 280 cities in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. The Youth Sports Games promote a healthy lifestyle and popularise all ten sports (football, street basketball, handball, volleyball, beach volleyball, tennis, table tennis, chess, dodgeball and athletics), as well as educating about sustainability.

Objectives

In 2020, 186,474 children competed. The objective for 2021 is to have 220,000 participants: 80,000 in Croatia, 50,000 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 90,000 in Serbia, and for 30% of the participants to be female. The association also aims to further develop football tournaments for girls and to be a preferred choice for young girls aged 12–15 years.

Project activities

From January to August 2021, there will be local tournaments held in the three countries, followed by national finals and then the international finals in Split, Croatia. There will also be marketing activities such as promotional campaigns, digital media activities, PR activities, live TV broadcasts and a TV show in each country.

Expected results

  • 35 girls football tournaments with a total of 11,000 participants in the three countries and young girl players aged 12–15 recruited.
  • Youth Sports Games football tournaments with a total of 110,000 participants in the three countries.
  • Youth Sports Games tournaments in the nine other sports (street basketball, handball, volleyball, beach volleyball, tennis, table tennis, chess, dodgeball and athletics) with a total of 110,000 participants in the three countries.

 

Partner

Football for Unity

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Denmark; Germany; Hungary; Italy; Ireland; Netherlands, United Kingdom
Start date 01/01/2020
End date 08/31/2021
Cost of the project €669,092
Foundation funding €69,100
Project identifier EURO2020_1
Partners European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund; streetfootballworld gGmbH; European Football for Development Network
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Personal development - Sponsors

Context

Factors such as cultural differences, language barriers and social stigmas can make it difficult for third-country nationals (migrants from non-EU countries) to integrate into their new European societies.

Over the past decade, the potential of sport has become increasingly recognised by the EU, with the Council of the European Union observing that “sport is a powerful social tool in many areas such as addressing increasing migrant populations, combating social exclusion or increasing solidarity between generations”. Sporting values, such as teamwork, respect, diversity, equality of opportunity and fair play, are equally European values.

UEFA EURO 2020 is the ideal opportunity to educate the European public about the social inclusion of third-country nationals. It is an occasion to celebrate unity in diversity, break down barriers to social inclusion, transform lives and inspire communities. Co-funded by the European Commission’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and coordinated by streetfootballworld, the Football for Unity project will utilise the tournament to promote a positive image of migration and help create strong incentives that will lead to a more constructive discourse on migration within European host communities.

Project content

Football for Unity will enable pan-European collaboration, cross-border exchange and peer-to-peer learning to help unite and develop the capacities of relevant European stakeholders, eager to improve their sport-based social inclusion programmes to produce more positive outcomes for third-country nationals in their local communities.

The aim is to unite and capacitate local stakeholder groups to plan, organise and implement their own local legacy sport programmes and impactful events in the context of UEFA EURO 2020. The project will bring together young third-country nationals and young Europeans in seven European capital cities in a series of local football-based programmes, youth forums, integration activities and football for inclusion tournaments (utilising methodologies such as football3) that will demonstrate football’s unique ability to promote equality and social inclusion. The young participants will be able to interact, learn from one another, acquire life skills and become agents of change and community building.

Objectives

  • Use UEFA EURO 2020 to bring football as a powerful tool for the social inclusion of third-country nationals to the attention of the wider European public
  • Build the capacity of local stakeholder groups to collaboratively organise seven awareness-raising festivals (five larger festivals and two smaller festivals) during UEFA EURO 2020 in seven strategic locations:
    1. Netherlands, Amsterdam with Johan Cruyff Foundation
    2. Germany, Munich with KICKFAIR
    3. Hungary, Budapest with Oltalom Sports Association
    4. Ireland, Dublin with Sports Against Racism Ireland
    5. United Kingdom, London with Street Child United
    6. Italy, Rome with Liberi Nantes ASD
    7. Denmark, Copenhagen with FC Nordsjælland
  • Sustainably improve the social inclusion outcomes of young third-country nationals in UEFA EURO 2020 host cities via opportunities for active participation, exchange and non-formal learning
  • Ensure maximum impact and sustainability of the multi-stakeholder collaborative approach beyond UEFA EURO 2020

Project activities

Local stakeholder groups will be created in each of the seven UEFA EURO 2020 host cities to organise the festivals. Each group will be comprised of local partners, such as civil society organisations, public authorities, football industry actors and local social inclusion experts.

The groups will organise legacy sports programmes with low barriers to entry to ensure sports activities aimed at the social inclusion of young third-country nationals continue after the UEFA EURO 2020 awareness-raising festivals.

They will also create action plans to ensure joint integration activities continue so that third-country nationals are actively given the opportunity to participate in society.

They will create an action plan for the continuation and sustainability of the multi-stakeholder cooperation and continue to implement integration activities, actively supporting their participation in society and aiding community building on the local level.

Expected results

  • Festivals will raise awareness about social inclusion of third-country nationals in seven EURO 2020 host countries
  • Local stakeholder groups (comprised of civil society organisations, public authorities, football industry actors, local experts on the topic of social inclusion) develop and implement joint activities at a local or regional level
  • Third-country nationals will take part in integration activities through which they will acquire life skills (communication, conflict resolution, leadership and intercultural knowledge) and become promoters of European values on and off the pitch
  • Local stakeholder groups will develop and implement joint activities and create action plans for utilising football as a tool for social inclusion

Partners

Football for Children with Down Syndrome

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Russia, Moscow
Start date 03/01/2021
End date 02/28/2022
Cost of the project €45,277
Foundation funding €34,850
Project identifier 20200451
Partners Syndrome of Love
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities

Context

In Russia, there are still many obstacles to the integration of people with Down syndrome into the community. Sport assists social integration since it develops physical and mental abilities, improves emotional and psychological well-being, and teaches teamworking and social skills. However, there are still insufficient clubs, coaches, methods and conditions to enable children with Down syndrome in Russia to engage in sports, including football.

The Football for Children with Down Syndrome project began in 2015, when the charitable foundations Syndrome of Love and Downside Up started to teach football to children and teenagers with Down syndrome in Moscow. Through active promotion of the methodology, the project has spread to 12 other major Russian cities. More than 1,300 sessions took place between 2015 and 2019, with over 200 children with Down syndrome benefiting from regular football lessons.

The project has proven its value and effectiveness for children with Down syndrome. Regular physical activity is vital as a means of physical, mental and social development.

Project content

Football for Children with Down Syndrome is the first initiative in Russia that teaches children with Down syndrome how to play as a team. They attend football training sessions several times a week, participate in friendly games and other sports events, and attend football matches.

The project plans to organise:

  • professional development courses at the Russian State Social University (RSSU) to train 15 coaches how to organise mini-football lessons for children with Down syndrome;
  • training camps for children with Down syndrome from Moscow and other regions;
  • an intensive training course in better competition preparation, sports form, and football skills;
  • a mini-football competition at the end of the project (in autumn 2021).

 

 

Objectives

  • Stimulate the physical development of children with Down syndrome and improve their communication and social skills through regular football playing
  • Popularise sports, physical activity and football among children and teenagers with Down syndrome and their families
  • Draw attention to sports for children with Down syndrome among parents and the professional community
  • Create a friendly and tolerant environment for people with Down syndrome that supports equal rights and opportunities

Project activities

  • Conducting regular football classes for children with Down syndrome
  • Organising training camps and refresher courses for coaches from Moscow
  • Conducting advanced training courses at RSSU for 15 trainers
  • Holding training camps for paritcipants from Moscow and other regions for a total of 150 people (children with Down syndrome, coaches, volunteers and organisers)
  • Holding mini-football competitions for children with Down syndrome

Expected results

  • Physical development in children and young people with Down syndrome
  • Broader range of communication skills to compensate for difficulties with speech
  • Active leisure time
  • Improved socialisation skills and independence
  • Raised awareness at government level of the need for sports development for children with Down syndrome
  • Increased tolerance towards people with Down syndrome and other disorders in Russian society

Partner

Cup of Trust

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Ukraine
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €235,799
Foundation funding €199,870
Project identifier 20200601
Partners Development of Football in Ukraine
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

In 2019–2020, the charitable foundation Development of Football in Ukraine developed the Cup of Trust project in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ukraine, the National Police of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Association of Football and the Ministry of Education and Science. The crime prevention outreach project, funded through a grant from UNICEF, was designed to engage police officers in sport for development activities with children.

In 2020, the project was supported by a grant agreement with the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme with the financial support of the governments of Denmark, Switzerland and Sweden. The project is continuing in 2021 in cooperation with the Luhansk Region National Police Headquarters, the Ukrainian Association of Football, and the Luhansk Region State Administration.

Project content

In 2021 and 2022, 100 police officers and 100 physical education teachers will take part in a sport for development workshop. They will be taught how to use sports, including football, to build trusting relationships, prevent teenagers from breaking the law, create healthy habits and introduce teenagers to ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Sport for development is a global UNICEF initiative that aims to help children develop the values of team effort, trust, mutual respect, and participation over victory, so that they can fully realise their potential.

Objectives

  • Teach police officers and physical education teachers how to use sport as a child safeguarding tool
  • Promote friendly and trusting relationships between children and law enforcement officials
  • Encourage girls to play football
  • Create a safe environment in the community through public awareness lectures on:
    • leading a healthy lifestyle
    • street safety and traffic rules
    • preventing internet and phone fraud
    • preventing and counteracting domestic violence and child abuse
    • environmental awareness (recycling and reduced consumption)

Project activities

  • Increasing the educational capabilities of police officers and physical education teachers through five two-day workshops on the sport for development methodology and the UEFA online course on child safeguarding
  • Facilitating the creation and training of mixed teams of children by the police officers in collaboration with the physical education teachers
  • Organising public awareness activities for the participating children and other schoolchildren led by police officers
  • Organising regional matches and tournaments, a press conference, a final match and a final survey

Expected results

  • 100 police officers and 100 physical education teachers will complete the sport for development workshop and the online child safeguarding course
  • 202 sets of sports and football equipment will be distributed among the police officers, physical education teachers and workshop trainers
  • 100 mixed teams of children aged 13 to 14 will be created by the police officers in collaboration with the physical education teachers – a total of 1,200 children (600 girls and 600 boys) will be involved
  • The public awareness activities will reach 60,000 children
  • Each year, 50 teams will take part in regional competitions and the five best teams will take part in the finals

Partner

Adopt a Ball for All

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Greece and more than 170 countries across five continents
Start date 01/01/2021
End date 01/01/2021
Cost of the project €100,000
Foundation funding €95,000
Project identifier 20200573
Partners Youthorama
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

There is a challenge globally to include pupils with visual impairment in physical education (PE) in general primary schools. There is generally only one type of PE class for all pupils and there are limited inclusive sports tools. As a result, pupils with visual impairment do not participate in PE at the same level as their sighted classmates. This project meets this global need and provides a sustainable solution. It supports children’s right to education and their right to play as well as Sustainable Development Goals 4 (quality education) and 10 (reduced inequality).

Project content

Youthorama’s founder invented an innovative lightweight sound ball. The unique mini ball for all children is not for sale – it is only donated. In Greece, an educational programme using the mini ball was approved by the ministry of education for all schools – both general and special – and all grades. This project aims to establish a network of schools across the world that will promote inclusive sports through this new educational package.

         

Sierra Leon                                                              India

Objectives

  • Produce and donate up to 2,000 mini blind footballs for children
  • Create a more inclusive society through the use of these balls as a non-formal learning tool
  • Educate mainstream nursery and primary schools, NGOs and public structures on inclusive sport
  • Create a manual of up to 40 good practices
  • Launch an Adopt a Ball pilot initiative for schools to raise awareness of sports for all
  • Establish an Inclusive Football Network across the world (currently spanning 172 countries)

Project activities

  • Donation of the innovative mini blind footballs – the only ones available on a global level and not for sale – to children in need and their schools across 5 continents
  • Designing an inclusive educational package
  • Delivering up to 200 sports workshops in general and special nursery and primary schools to promote personal development, empathy and inclusion
  • Evaluation of the project’s success in achieving its aims
  • Launching the Adopt a Ball campaign and promoting open four-a-side events

Expected results

  • 100 schools in disadvantaged areas across the network delivering the educational programme
  • 25,000 sighted and visually impaired pupils in mixed classes
  • 500 schools registered in the Adopt a Ball network
  • 2,500 questionnaires
  • 500 PE teachers and volunteers using the accessible e-learning platform
  • 3,000 participants in the open four-a-side events
  • 2,000 mini blind footballs donated
  • 1 social message documentary for TV

Our vision is for the ball to be heard in every visually impaired child’s home and school around the world!

Partner

Health Goals Liverpool

Location and general information

to be started
Location United Kingdom
Start date 11/06/2020
End date 11/06/2021
Cost of the project € 211,428
Foundation funding € 80,000
Project identifier 2019708
Partners Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

Football is often used to promote sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries. In fact, the Liverpool Football Club Foundation (LFC Foundation) and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) are in the second year of their 2.5-year Health Goals Malawi project. The project’s initial goal was to reduce the incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) among teenage boys and young men in Malawi.

They have decided to run a similar project in disadvantaged areas of Liverpool because the city has the second-highest rate of new STI diagnoses in northwest England. Rates of early pregnancy are also higher than the national average. There is a strong correlation between early pregnancy and socio‑economic deprivation. Teenage pregnancy can be both a cause and a consequence of health and education inequalities. High-quality relationship and sex education is therefore crucial to address such inequalities.

The main drivers of these inequalities are:

  • Persistent school absence before year 9 (pupils aged 13 and 14)
  • Relatively slow academic progress
  • Poverty

Football is used for three reasons:

  • The strength of the Liverpool FC brand in the city engages these socially vulnerable children aged 11 to 16.
  • As football is the most popular sport in Liverpool, participants will be highly motivated to attend in order to develop their skills.
  • Football drills and games can lead to discussions about key topics.

Project content

The project will focus on:

  • relationship and sex education programmes in schools and colleges, with targeted prevention for at-risk youngsters of both sexes
  • training on relationships and sexual health for health and non-health professionals, e.g. sports coaches
  • using the influence of community sports coaches and the LFC Foundation brand to engage young people, emphasising the importance of positive male and female role models
  • developing an innovative method of delivering relationship and sex education, with a particular emphasis on overcoming health and educational inequalities by reaching out to the most at-risk young people

Objectives

A clear and comprehensive curriculum will be developed with coaching materials and resources. If this project is successful, the curriculum will be integrated into the day-to-day work of the LFC Foundation with schools throughout Liverpool.

If this approach proves to be effective, the teen pregnancy rate could be reduced.

Project activities

  • Six weeks of football training and coaching provided in different schools
  • Football tournaments
  • Project evaluation with the children and coaches involved
  • Annual survey of participants

Expected results

Some 300 children aged 11 to 16 years, 50% of whom are to be girls, are to take part in project activities. The participants will include children with disabilities and poor mental health.

Partner

Living Together – Turkey

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Şanlıurfa, Izmir, Turkey
Start date 06/15/2020
End date 12/31/2021
Cost of the project €377,234
Foundation funding €367,234
Project identifier 2019024
Partners Turkish Football Federation, Bonyan Organisation, Tiafi Community Center
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims

Context

Turkey has taken important steps to integrate more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees. But the youth population – which represents at least half of that number – presents special challenges that have received insufficient attention. Syrian youth displaced to Turkey face enormous difficulties. Too many are not in school. Most are coping with anger, trauma and loss. Failure to meet the needs of this population today could feed tensions for years to come.

Şanlıurfa, is a case in point. The province’s original two million inhabitants already faced high levels of poverty, wide educational gaps and severe unemployment. Now, with over 450,000 Syrians, most of them young and traumatised, Şanlıurfa is unable to provide sufficient jobs, bring children to schools, and ensure social cohesion. So, promoting peaceful relations between Turkish and Syrian youngsters is a valuable investment for the future of both communities.

To that end, football and other sports can play an important role in alleviating the pain of those who have been displaced by conflicts, especially children. They are at risk every day, so it is important to provide them with a safe environment and organise activities that keep them busy, teach them life skills and build their resilience through football, while also ensuring they have the opportunity to stay children, play and enjoy pleasant moments.

Project content

The project targets several different groups and addresses their specific needs. As mentioned above, Şanlıurfa has a very young population and the city lacks recreational facilities for children and teenagers. The renovated school playgrounds will fill this important gap both for the children attending the schools and those living in the vicinity, for many years to come.

Secondly, under the project, physical education teachers in 100 schools in Şanlıurfa will be trained how to utilise sports and football as a tool for peace, integration and ultimately lasting social impact. This will lead to a whole new concept of physical education classes and potentially turn it into one of the cornerstones of social integration between Turkish and Syrian youngsters, while making teachers agents of change.

More specifically, the project will bring Turkish and Syrian boys and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds together for three football tournaments. These will be played in accordance with the football3 methodology, which promotes healthy competition among players and focuses on the acquisition of communication and problem-solving skills.

The project will also benefit male and female teenagers, as they will be involved as volunteers, coaches and mediators. Before their full involvement in the project, the volunteers will be trained to build human capacity and develop their skills and confidence so that they can also put these skills to good use in their own communities and projects.

Finally, the project will engage with parents, who are also a target group of the project. Through information sessions on the sidelines, the project will aim to increase parents’ awareness of the importance of good parenting and education for the well-being of their children.

Objectives

The project’s overall goal is to use football as a tool for building peaceful coexistence between children while refurbishing infrastructure at schools in Şanlıurfa.

Specific objectives

  • Provide vulnerable Turkish and Syrian children with increased regular access to sports facilities and create opportunities to interact in a more meaningful way;
  • Promote life skills for children and teenagers, including leadership, conflict resolution, teamwork and communication;
  • Increase the ability of physical education teachers to adopt the football3 mentality in their classwork;
  • Promote positive life outcomes for participating children including increased educational attainment, enhanced social cohesion, prevention of crime and radicalisation;
  • Empower youngsters to make them role models and engaged citizens.

Project activities

The project has five main components:

  • Renovation of school playgrounds

Pitches at ten schools in the three central districts of Şanlıurfa will be renovated so that children, whether attending the schools or simply living in the area, can benefit from these facilities and engage in sports activities that will promote peaceful coexistence and improve their life skills.

  • PE teacher training

Turkish and Syrian PE teachers will be trained in social cohesion activities that can be integrated into their classwork. The project will target 100 schools, with an average of two Turkish and one Syrian PE teachers involved the training. In total, 300 teachers will be trained in 12 sessions (25 teachers for each session). Training for Syrian teachers may be held separately.

The schools will also be provided with PE materials, the football3 guidelines and training kits so that in all schools the activities can be carried out during PE classes in line with the football3 approach.

  • Volunteer/mediator training

Mediators play a key role in successfully running the tournament component of the project. They prepare and facilitate football3 sessions, mediate any conflicts arising between the teams, and act as positive role models for the children. It is therefore important to train mediators who can explain football3 to players.

  • Football3 tournament

Three leagues will be set up. The first league is for 7–10 year-old boys, the second for 11–14 year-old boys, and the last for 9–13 year-old girls. All teams will involve both Turkish and Syrian students. They can be any children in Şanlıurfa, but priority will be given to more vulnerable ones: out of school, engaged in child labour, subject to bullying, etc. Each league will comprise 36 teams of six players. A total of 72 games will be played in each league to declare the champion.

  • Parent and caregiver sessions

These sessions may be held concurrently with the football games or separately. The purpose is to raise awareness of education, promote social cohesion, and introduce good parenting practices.

Expected results

  • Pitches will be refurbished at 10 schools in the three central districts of Şanlıurfa.
  • 100 schools will benefit from the football programme.
  • 300 teachers will be trained.
  • PE materials, football3 guidelines and training kits will be distributed to the 100 schools selected.
  • Three leagues will be set up.
  • Three sessions will be held for parents, to raise awareness of education, promote social cohesion, and introduce good parenting practices.

Partners

Score For Education

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Albania
Start date 10/01/2020
End date 09/30/2022
Cost of the project € 268,883
Foundation funding € 225,588
Project identifier 2019623
Partners Save the Children
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

School children in Albania face complex challenges reflecting the country’s long and difficult political transition in the early 1990s. In conjunction with Save the Children’s existing programmes, this project aims to tackle two main issues:

  • unhealthy lifestyles and exclusion;
  • discrimination against the most deprived children, including children with disabilities, girls, minorities and those experiencing

Many schoolchildren in Albania have health risk factors due to poor nutritional status, unhealthy diet, poor eating habits and inadequate physical activity. Some schools still fail to meet the obligatory three hours of physical exercise a week, mainly due to lack of infrastructure. Only one third of the 37 schools surveyed have teachers trained in physical education, and 60% do not assess children’s physical abilities.

Bullying is common among schoolchildren and is one of the most overt forms of violence against them. Teachers reported that about 70% of schoolchildren and teens were bullied by their peers because of their physical appearance, weight or clothes (National Survey on Bullying and Violent Extremism in the Education System of Albania, Council of Europe 2017).

A strategy for the development and promotion of teaching – School as a Community Centre – was introduced for the period 2014–2020. The aim is to achieve friendly schools for all. Schools should be transformed into places where partnerships are created between families, schools and communities to develop the full potential of each pupil.

However, the concept is difficult to put into practice, as teachers and administrators admit that the lack of equipment and infrastructure is often an obstacle to performing their work and turning their schools into community centres.

Project content

The project aims to contribute to a better school environment that promotes and supports healthy lifestyles to enable children to develop their full potential. It is based on the idea that sports, and especially football, play a crucial role in helping people develop healthy practices and attitudes and in improving treatment of the most deprived children.

 

 

Objectives

The overall aim of the project is to promote and support healthy lifestyles in school environments in Albania. Its objective is to provide children aged 6 to 14 in three regions of Albania with equal access to sports facilities and a healthy childhood.

 

Project activities

The support of the UEFA Foundation for Children will help to improve the accessibility and quality of sport facilities for children in Albania. Additionally, training sessions on healthy practices, diets and physical activity will improve teachers and educators' skills and their teaching methodologies. The project will also focus on the involvement of children in sport activities and on the promotion of inclusiveness and social acceptance in communities through sport. Other components of the project include:

  • support for mini sports clubs that offer children activities in a variety of disciplines;
  • capacity building to give sports teachers ways to nurture life skills through sports;
  • workshops with parents and children on the benefits of sports for a healthy lifestyle.

Expected results

Improvements in the health, academic and social outcomes of school-aged children are expected. Other expected outcomes include:

  • a one-week event to promote the importance of sports for child wellbeing;
  • parent information sessions to raise awareness of the importance of education and physical activity;
  • improved playgrounds, gyms and sport facilities;
  • a football championship.

Partner

Play Proud

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Europe, Asia, Africa
Start date 03/01/2020
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project €100 463
Foundation funding €100 463
Project identifier 2019524
Partners streetfootballworld
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Sports environments are often settings where discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community is magnified, whether involuntarily or voluntarily. As a result, the unparalleled power of sport to engage youngsters and create mutual understanding can be inaccessible to children and teenagers who identify as LGBTQ+ – those who need these spaces the most.

In one study, 63% of LGBTQ+-identified respondents had experienced homophobia in sports environments, and 57% said that they would be more likely to take part in sports activities if they were more LGBTQ+-friendly. LGBTQ+-identified youngsters are twice as likely to be bullied and/or physically assaulted. The continual threat for their mental and physical safety means that the majority of LGBTQ+ youth do not openly disclose their gender and sexual identities. Unfortunately, many coaches struggle to cope with the challenge of including these children and teenagers and their needs, mainly due to a lack of skills, training, and knowledge.

Project content

Play Proud is a coach-centred exchange programme with the objective of making grassroots sport more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) community, especially children and teenagers that have previously been excluded from such programmes. The direct beneficiaries of Play Proud activities are coaches who work with community organisations around the world. These coaches engage with disadvantaged children and teenagers, offering them a safe place on the football pitch to form friendships, develop life skills, and feel a sense of acceptance.

Play Proud targets both organisation and programme levels, recommending explicit policies and sports activities that foster more inclusive processes by identifying and training coaches who will push the gender-sensitive approach forward, reaching thousands of youngsters.

This year the programme is made up of organisations from Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and India. Two representatives from each organization will engage in virtual exchanges, a 5-day in-person residency in South Africa and a 5-day in-person residency in India, as well as receiving ongoing mentorship and support.

 

Objectives

Play Proud can save lives. In 2020 and beyond, Play Proud will continue to pursue its objective to train more coaches using evidence-based methodology. This will enable us to strategically advance Play Proud around the world. We aim to create a global network of grassroots sports and LGBTQ+ organisations that apply the Play Proud methodology, reaching more coaches and youngsters every year.

We believe that we can make Play Proud the leading programme for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sports sector. We will train more coaches and organisations to implement and share Play Proud so that we can continue to create a movement in local communities worldwide and ensure LGBTQ+ youth are safe, represented, and included, on and off the field.

Project activities

  • Football coaches receive 100+ hours of training from experts in the field, take part in capacity-building workshops and virtual mentoring, and visit the sports programmes run by local organisations.
  • Football coaches develop action plans on the topic of LGBTQ+ inclusion in their own organisations and communities.
  • Football coaches run LGBTQ+-inclusive programmes for children and teenagers and work with their organisations to improve internal and external safeguarding policies.
  • Grassroots sports organisations improve their inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth and their internal and external safeguarding policies.

 

Expected results

  • Three grassroots sports organisations in Europe and Asia join the Play Proud network.
  • Coaches in the participating organisations receive 100+ hours of training from experts in the field, take part in capacity-building workshops and virtual mentoring.
  • The project impacts the lives of over 250 disadvantaged children and teenagers in marginalised communities across Europe and Asia.

Partners

Living Together Greece

Location and general information

Terminé
Location Greece
Start date 09/16/2019
End date 12/31/2020
Cost of the project € 467,500
Foundation funding € 300,000
Project identifier 2019023
Partners Aiolikos FC, Cosmos FC, the Barça Foundation, Movement on the Ground, Iliaktida, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Personal development

Context

Over 45% of the refugees and migrants who arrived in Greece in 2019 landed on the Greek island of Lesbos, which is separated from Turkey by a 10km channel and is home to 88,000 people. In winter, incidents at sea are an almost daily occurrence. Many lives are lost as a result of shipwrecks off the coast of Lesbos.

The increasing influx of arrivals has put extreme pressure on the island, where there are more than 40,000 refugees and migrants, despite the official reception capacity being limited to 2,800. Some 18,000 are staying in Mória (capacity of 2,300) and 2,500 in Kara Tepe. There is no longer space in these official reception and registration sites, so makeshift shelters have been built in a rubbish-filled olive grove around the camp.

The number of refugees and migrants on the islands is extremely high and there is a severe lack of adequate shelter, sanitation and site management, which exposes refugees and migrants to severe risks. The majority of refugees and migrants are families and a third of the population are children, most below the age of 12. Thousands of women, men and children are currently living in small tents, exposed to cold and rain with little or no access to heating, electricity or hot water.

Hygiene and sanitation conditions are unsafe. On top of that, registration backlogs in Mória and Kara Tepe and the overcrowding of reception facilities have led to tensions among refugee groups and between refugees and the police. Towards the end of 2019, local communities also started protesting and demanding urgent action to alleviate the pressure on the island. Friction is growing between local people and asylum seekers landing in boats from Turkey. Anti-immigrant sentiment has increased with non-governmental organisations also being targeted.

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The Live Together project is made up of three sub-projects

1) Two teams, one world

  • Cost of the sub-project: €119,000
  • Foundation funding: €119,000
  • Partners: Aiolikos FC and Cosmos FC

Context

Cosmos FC, a refugees’ football club, was founded in September 2016 on the initiative of a Lesbos native and ex-footballer who saw the potential for sports to alleviate the tensions caused by the refugee crisis on the island. Football can be more than just a game. Since 2016, the club has involved over 400 adults and minors – including girls, and regardless of religion and race – from 17 different countries.

Over the last two and a half years, Cosmos FC has been a sanctuary for people arriving on Lesbos (the island with the largest refugee population in Greece) on their way to the so-called ‘promised land’. Regular training and friendly matches against local clubs provide people with a sense of normality. At the same time, the club has gained the appreciation and respect of the local population of Lesbos.

In January 2019, Francis Kalombo, a 15-year-old Congolese boy and member of Cosmos FC became the first refugee to obtain an official licence to play in a European club, Aiolikos FC. His story instantly went viral, spreading throughout Greece and beyond and helping locals and refugees together raise awareness about refugees’ limited or non-existent access to sport. Subsequently, the Greek parliament passed legislation granting the right to participate in the amateur league and amateur cup matches not only to recognised refugees, but also to asylum-seekers, stateless persons and migrants who have a residence permit or have applied for a residence permit.

Project content

With the Two teams, one world project, Aiolikos FC and Cosmos FC are working together with the UEFA foundation to support more young refugees, including unaccompanied minors, teenagers and young adults.

The project will give 250 to 300 unaccompanied minors and other refugees aged 13 to 18 the opportunity to learn more about football through regular training. Regular exercise will help improve their physical and mental health, and football, as a team sport, will help them gain a sense of belonging, learn about teamwork and improve their self-confidence.

Friendly matches with local clubs will be combined with educational field trips to teach refugees about Greek and European societies and lifestyles, with a view to helping them adapt and integrate more easily. Refugees and Greek people from all backgrounds will play together, regardless of politics, religion or ethnicity, thus bridging possible divides between refugees and locals and creating the ideal opportunity to get to know one another.

An annual tournament (Cosmos Cup) will also be organised, involving either national or local clubs depending on the funding available, with the aim of combatting social exclusion and negative perceptions about refugees in society.

 

 

Objectives

  • Improve refugees’ living conditions and securing their fundamental right to personal development through sports and social interaction
  • Build a stable environment in which young refugees can overcome psychological disorders and build self-confidence
  • Cultivate a spirit of teamwork and solidarity
  • Integrate refugees into a European society and mainstream football
  • Reach female refugees, most of whom did not have the chance to play football or any other sport in their country of origin, because of the cultural and/or religious context
  • Combat social exclusion and negative sentiments about refugees in society
  • Use regular training and tournaments to create opportunities for refugees and locals to play together
  • Act as a pilot programme, raising awareness and encouraging and supporting other clubs to launch similar programmes, particularly on the other North Aegean islands (Samos, Chíos) that accommodate large number of refugees

Project activities

  • Knowledge-sharing between Cosmos FC and Aiolikos FC, the only professional football club on Lesbos
  • Regular football training for 300 unaccompanied minors and teenage refugees aged 13 to 18
  • Educational field trips combined with friendly games with local teams
  • Cosmos Cup tournament
  • Encouraging other clubs and refugee camps to launch similar projects, especially on the other North Aegean islands (Samos, Chíos), which also accommodate a large number of refugees

Expected results

  • Regular football training held for at least 300 unaccompanied minors and teenage refugees aged 13 to 18
  • One annual Cosmos Cup tournament
  • At least four educational field trips combined with friendly games with local teams each year
  • Increased participation of girls
  • Development of similar programmes at other football clubs

2) FutbolNet: Sports, life skills and values for unaccompanied refugee minors

  • Cost of the sub-project: €167,500
  • Foundation funding: €45,400
  • Partners: the Barça Foundation, Movement on the Ground and Iliaktida

Context

In the context of refugees, unaccompanied minors are children and young people under the age of 18 who make the journey to Europe without family or social support networks. In 2019, there were an estimated 21,000 refugee children in Greek reception and identification centres and accommodation sites, of whom an estimated 3,500 were unaccompanied minors. These children languish in reception and identification centres, protective custody or detention, in shelters for unaccompanied minors or on the waiting list for a shelter. They face a unique set of challenges and are considered to be the most vulnerable of all refugees.

This FutbolNet project proposes to work with unaccompanied minors on the Greek island of Lesbos.

Project content

With support from the UEFA foundation, the Barça Foundation will provide a year-long, socio-educational sports programme for unaccompanied refugee minors on the island of Lesbos. The aim of the programme is to create safe spaces to improve the physical and emotional well-being of unaccompanied minors, as well as fostering their social interaction and inclusion. At the heart of the programme is the FutbolNet curriculum, which imparts the FC Barcelona values and life skills through sports and cooperative games.

This project builds on an existing project through which Movement on the Ground provides daily FutbolNet training to children from the Kara Tepe refugee camp and a local school. The UEFA foundation will support Movement on the Ground to enrol 150 unaccompanied minors from Mória in its programme. The UEFA foundation will also support a new NGO, Iliaktida, to start delivering the FutbolNet programme to 45 unaccompanied minors from their centres. To this end, 40 Greek and refugee coaches and educators will be trained in the methodology to equip them with the knowledge, skills and tools to deliver the full curriculum.

Objectives

  • Create safe and appropriate spaces for 195 unaccompanied minors to learn, play and exchange experiences
  • Improve the physical and emotional well-being of unaccompanied minors, through improved confidence and self-esteem, and reduced fear and stress
  • Foster positive social interactions and social inclusion among unaccompanied minors

Project activities

  • FutbolNet training seminars with Movement on the Ground and Iliaktida staff and volunteers to equip them with the knowledge, skills and tools to deliver the FutbolNet methodology
  • FutbolNet programme delivered to unaccompanied minors from Mória at Spanos Academy (Movement on the Ground)
  • FutbolNet programme delivered to unaccompanied minors residing in Iliaktida shelters in Mytilíni and at Spanos Academy (Iliaktida)

Expected results

  • Safe, accessible and regularly available spaces to learn, play and exchange
  • Strengthened capacity of staff and coaches working with unaccompanied minors
  • Communication skills, self-esteem, confidence and values learnt and developed by unaccompanied minors
  • Unaccompanied minors participate and feel comfortable in their communities

3) Support for schools: refurbishment of sport facilities

  • Cost of the sub-project: €73,000
  • Foundation funding: €73,000
  • Partners: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

 The UEFA Foundation for Children has also decided to support the host country, which is overstretched by the situation, and to support its schools by:

  • providing sports equipment and other materials for football and other activities, including balls, bibs, cones, whistles, stopwatches, pumps and foldable goals.
  • restoring sport facilities, offering reliable infrastructure and safe facilities for children to play in.

The schools targeted by this last component of the project are primary schools hosting local and refugee children, in order to help build social cohesion among the youngsters.

Partners

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