Refugees Archives - UEFA Foundation

Open Fun Football Schools – Playing for Water

Location and general information

Ongoing

Location South Sudan

Start date 12/01/2018

End date 12/31/2019

Cost of the project €229,583

Foundation funding €162,000

Project identifier AFR-2018487

Partners Cross Culture Project Association, South Sudan Football Association, NIRAS, NIRAS in South Sudan

Context

South Sudan is witnessing the fifth sad anniversary of a vicious civil war. The conflict raging in the country has resulted in the deaths of nearly 400,000 people and the flight of millions of others. Since 2014, South Sudan has experienced one of the largest refugee crises in the world. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 1.9 million people have been forced from their homes due to the country’s fragile security situation. The country is also facing considerable humanitarian challenges. As a result, many adults and children are forced to survive on their own, without any protection of their human rights.

Project content

The Cross Cultures Project Association is collaborating with the South Sudan Football Association to provide access to fun football activities for children affected by decades of war and conflict, and to contribute to peace and reconciliation across ethnic divides. The project will focus in particular on the integration of school dropouts and the large number of internally displaced children returning to their home areas after many years. The activities will be run by a cohort of youth leaders, youth volunteer coaches and coach assistants who will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities that foster the social improvement of their communities.

The project also plans to improve youth employment opportunities by partnering with NIRAS, a private company which holds a contract for a large water programme in South Sudan. The idea is to give youth volunteers the chance to develop income-generating activities or small businesses, and to take on a responsible role in vital water management committees established by NIRAS for the benefit of their communities.

Objectives

The project aims to use football, business management skills, leadership and communication/mobilisation skills to actively engage people in activities that contribute to peaceful inter-ethnic relations, improve livelihoods, health and the protection of the environment and natural resources of the local communities in Juba and Torit in South Sudan.

Project activities

A train-the-trainers seminar will be held for people wanting to become instructors in the Open Fun Football Schools approach (how to use grassroots football as a vehicle for integration, peaceful inter-ethnic relations and social change).
A three-day capacity-building seminar for voluntary coaches will be conducted by the youth football ambassadors and relevant international CCPA staff.
A one-day seminar for assistant coaches will be organised, consisting of a mix of practical physical exercises and interactive workshops.
A five-day Open Fun Football Schools course will be offered to vulnerable, socially challenged and isolated children.
Training and coaching will be provided to the football ambassadors, coaches, assistant coaches, parents and older children from the Open Fun Football Schools on how to plan and implement environmental awareness campaigns focusing on the protection of water resources and the safe disposal of liquid and solid waste.
The youth football ambassadors will hold health and hygiene training on water-borne diseases and other related illnesses, which, after poor nutrition, are the leading causes of human suffering and death in South Sudan.
Traditional classroom training and coaching sessions on business management will be held in order to ensure people have the necessary skill set to plan and run a sustainable business in a conflict environment.

Expected results

16 young people trained to become instructors and football ambassadors.
Recruitment of 96 voluntary coaches and 96 voluntary assistant coaches through the work of the 16 football ambassadors.
1,600 children aged between 6 and 12, with a minimum of 50% girls participating, will be recruited to participate in the five-day Open Fun Football Schools courses (eight festivals, each comprising 200 children).
The Open Fun Football Schools process is formalised and operational providing a sustainable support structure for the volunteer-led sports activities.
16 young football ambassadors will be trained in water point management.
The young football ambassadors will be trained in health and hygiene in a train-the-trainers event.
194 voluntary coaches and assistant coaches will be trained by the instructors in health and hygiene.
16 young instructors and football ambassadors will be given the opportunity to be trained and coached in business management, vocational and livelihood skills, including the facilitation of potential funding opportunities.

Partners

Refugee Life Skills and Employment Training Soccer Programme Atlanta

Location and general information

Context

Commonly known as ‘Ellis Island of the South’ or ‘the most diverse square mile in America’, the small southern US town of Clarkston has welcomed 40,000 refugees over a period of more than 25 years. Whereas in the past they tended to come from Bhutan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Liberia and Vietnam, most current refugees are Syrian or Congolese. Whatever the country of origin, migrating to another country is often a difficult process, notably on account of cultural and linguistic differences. Sport, however, is a universal language that can act as a bridge between different communities: in our case, football provides the scenario for youth to both adapt and become part of the local community fiber. It also gives people an opportunity to integrate: having fun and making new friends at the same time. Nevertheless, the high prices charged by sports clubs, the high level of poverty and the lack of sports facilities in Clarkston are hindering the personal development and social integration of child refugees. The anti-immigration policies directed at Syrian refugees in recent years in the state of Georgia are exacerbating the problem, resulting in a lack of investment in sport and health in refugee communities.

Project content

Soccer in the Streets is a sport for development organisation that supports inner city children and young people living in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Our programs combine football sessions and youth development activities to create positive social change for underserved children. It gives them the chance to play football regardless of their ethnic origin, socio-economic status or religion. By adopting a holistic approach, the project is not limited to football on the pitch. It goes further than that, in particular by enabling personal development and education, with participants taking part in small-group sessions, hands-on activities or youth leadership councils. The project provides out-of-school activities that combine football with basic life skills. Older children are also invited to take part in workshops as part of the ‘Life Works’ programme. These sessions prepare teenage refugees for the world of work by helping them acquire employability skills. The project also plans to broaden its activities to include and have a positive impact on girls by helping them to boost their self-confidence and ensure their rights are respected.

Objectives

To facilitate the integration of young refugees and their families living in Clarkston
To promote a healthy lifestyle among children in precarious situations
To have a positive impact on the town of Clarkston by overcoming prejudice towards refugees
To increase the employability of young refugees living in Clarkston
To increase the participation of girls in the project’s activities
To provide opportunities so program participants can broaden their horizon by seeking to enter higher education institutions (Universities, Technical Colleges)
To develop community leaders
To connect youth with appropriate partners providing key services

Expected results

To work with a total of 200 youth, including 80 girls
To graduate 20 participants from our employability program
To train/certify 10 coaches or 20 referees from refugee communities and provide them with an income

Partner

Brave Hearts

Location and general information

Context

Jojug Marjanli is a village of Jabrayil district, one of the seven surrounding districts of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, located on the contact line with Armenian armed forces. Recently the village was liberated. After regaining de-facto jurisdiction over the village, the government of Azerbaijan immediately started rebuilding roads, schools and hospitals in order to create acceptable living conditions for everyone and to allow internally displaced people and refugees to return.

The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) is sensitive to charity causes and social responsibility projects are one of its main priorities. The association works closely with UNICEF on the promotion of healthy lifestyles, children’s rights and the eradication of violence against children, and also has a national disability football team.

Project content

As a universal game, football is an excellent way to provide internally displaced people and refugees with an enjoyable and unifying pastime.

The Brave Hearts project aims to improve the health and well-being of people living on or close to the border. Whether in a refugee or in a school camp, in the street or in the pitch, the project wants to give them the opportunity to play football anytime and anywhere.

Three-day football festival with monthly follow-up mini-tournaments in different refugee camps in Jojug Marjanli and nearby locations will involve the installation of mini-pitches, small-sided football games and other football activities, other games, face art, personal development workshops and training, a concert and the distribution of football kits and equipment. The festival will be open to the whole population and will brighten up the lives of adults and children, uniting and encouraging them to stay strong, continue achieving their goals and lead healthy livestyles in turbulent times. Afterwards, every three months, there will be a one-day long mini-tournament in Jojug Marjanli, until the end of the project.

«Brave Hearts» Football Festival

Partners

Empowering refugee and marginalised children in Lebanon and Jordan

Location and general information

Context

The number of Syrian refugees in Jordan is estimated to be about 1.4 million: 20% live in five camps, 80% in urban areas in northern provinces and around Amman. Two-thirds of all registered refugees in Jordan are children or teenagers.

Lebanon has the highest refugee-to-host population ratio in the world: over 1.1 million registered refugees for 6.2 million inhabitants. One-third of the total refugee population is 5–18 years old, making this largely a regional crisis affecting underage youngsters.

Challenges are numerous and complex both for refugees and for host communities.

Young refugees live in situations of high uncertainty and often suffer from past trauma.
Many refugee and displaced children have no access to school or even non-formal education programmes, due to their critical living situation, and they often lack the necessary skills to enter or remain in educational programmes. Those who do attend school often suffer from low motivation due to a lack of future prospects and psycho-social support from role models.
Despite the effort of governments to provide formal and non-formal learning opportunities, access to both remains scarce for young refugees, and especially for girls and young women.

streetfootballworld addresses these challenges using the innovative non-formal education methodology football3. Named after its ‘three halves’ – a pre-match discussion, football game, and post-match discussion – football3 incorporates key life lessons, such as dialogue, fair play and gender equality, into every match. As football3 is played without referees, players must learn how to resolve conflicts by means of dialogue and compromise.

The streetfootballworld methodology harnesses the universal potential of sport by ensuring dialogue, fair play and gender equality both on and off the pitch. football3 brings together young refugees with youngsters from Lebanese and Jordanian host communities and allows barriers such as language, religion and culture to be surmounted. Young refugees outside and on the margins of formal education structures acquire the skills (e.g. strengthened resilience, conflict-management skills) and life skills (leadership and communication skills, self-confidence, increased willingness to include others and respect for women and girls, a sense of responsibility and accountability) to cope with critical challenges, lead self-determined lives, integrate more easily into the host society, be physically and emotionally healthy, and create positive change in their communities. As a result, these youngsters are more likely to stay and enrol in school, or pursue formal and higher education.

Project content

In Jordan and Lebanon streetfootballworld and its project partners have successfully implemented a variety of targeted football programmes for refugees at local level with support from the German government and the UEFA Foundation for Children. Having created synergies with local grassroot structures, the next step is to extend good practice from the pilot projects to regional level to support and empower vulnerable children and teenagers whose lives are affected by war and the refugee crisis.

Now we intend to increase reach and impact by taking the proven approach to new underserved areas affected by the refugee crisis and in dire need of innovative programmes for children. Local grassroots sports organisations will be equipped with the necessary skills, social networks and safe spaces to work at regional level with improved organisational capacity to foster social cohesion in a fragmented society. The capacity-building elements sustainably increase access to sport, promoting dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and friendship between young refugees and host communities.

To ensure a sustainable impact, the project comprises the following five activities:

Capacity development: train volunteer youth leaders and coaches 18–22 years old to become role models in their community.
Trauma-relief training for multipliers: to improve the lives of youngsters in Jordan and Lebanon, local experts will be trained specifically in trauma relief.
Inclusive football3 sessions and festivals: with regular training sessions using football3 methodology tailored to each target group, boys and girls will develop life skills that include health, hygiene, personal development and awareness of their rights. During festivals, children, teenagers and their families are brought together, to involve the entire community and increase the reach of the project’s messages and engage more participants, in particular girls.
Regional dissemination of lessons learnt and best practices: bring together NGOs in other countries that are also using football to help children and teenagers with the intention of creating a community of practice to improve support and knowledge transfer.

Objectives

Improving the lives of Syrian, Jordanian and Lebanese children living in the project communities and taking part in the inclusive football3 and life-skill training programme
Amplified personal development and self-realisation for programme participants
Increased dialogue, social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities
Civil society structures (institutionalised inclusive sports activities) have been set up so that multipliers can offer weekly football and life-skill training for marginalised children. Multipliers are able to identify trauma, know how to cope with traumatised children and are able to instruct others. They act as role models and are able to inspire others.
All local partner organisations are empowered to consolidate and increase their capacities in the respective regions by increased sharing of knowledge of peace building and international understanding among local players and strengthened networks involving local project partners, governments, football associations and civil society.

Expected results

39 local multiplier courses held – multi-day workshops in Lebanon and Jordan
790 local multipliers trained – volunteer youth leaders and coaches aged between 18 and 22
9,300 regular inclusive football3 and life-skill sessions and 20 football3 festivals held
21,000 children took part in the weekly football3 training ( 60% refugees and 40% host community; 60% boys and 40% girls; ages 6–17) as well as another 6,400 children in festivals
Three regional seminars, 30 regional football3 experts trained.

Affiliated partners

Partner

Football for Respect!

Location and general information

Context

Hungary has been reluctant to keep its border open to the influx of refugees since 2015. This difficult situation is a major obstacle to the integration of these people and in particular refugee children.
This project targets:

underprivileged children and teenagers, e.g. those living in the slums of Budapest and the most deprived north-eastern region of Hungary together with their families
children and teenagers living in institutions
refugees and asylum-seeking children and teenagers

Project content

Regular football training: Regular exercise improves physical and mental health and overall well-being. Team sports help children enlarge their social network and gain a sense of belonging, which is very important to their mental health. The success they lack in other areas of life can be found in football, boosting their self-confidence.

Continuous social support: Social workers are present at each training session and football activity. Through this contact the participants can receive support services for housing, employment, education, healthcare, mental health and administrative issues. Close cooperation with teachers provides support for the children’s education.

Girls’ club: This club will provide special support for girl players. Experience shows that they face different challenges from boys and lack sufficient support on account of their underprivileged background. Experts will hold ten monthly sessions on specific issues, such as prevention of early pregnancy, drug prevention, knowing your rights, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking.

Employability programme: Tailored support is provided, such as individual job coaching and weekly English classes to improve employability. International tournaments are great opportunities for players to practice their English in real-life situations and that increases their motivation to learn.

Young leader scholarship programme: Experience shows that special emphasis needs to be put on supporting young leaders who have been taking part in the football programme for a long time. Throughout the project, ten young leaders will be selected to take part in the scholarship programme. Their task will be to organise football activities, while they will also take part in the employability programme and receive a monthly allowance to cover their accommodation and living expenses, which will enable them to study without needing to work full-time. Young leaders play a key role in the sustainability of the project, as they will be able to hold training sessions and organise football events independently.

Fair Play Football roadshows: Special emphasis is placed on marginalised participants, especially refugees, playing football with other social groups. Peace-building and social inclusion of underprivileged groups are fostered by six Fair Play Football roadshow events, at which teams from different backgrounds play each other using football3 rules that teach players respect, improve their tolerance, help them articulate their interests, and negotiate with others. They learn how to manage their anger and their communication skills improve. Playing against others helps challenge stereotypes and reduces social exclusion.

Summer football camp: A summer football camp will be organised in a remote village called Hejce in north-eastern Hungary. A total of 40 children, 5 staff members and 5–8 volunteers will take part in the five-day camp that will give the underprivileged children a holiday. Besides various sporting activities, the camp is a great opportunity to make new friends, enhance their social inclusion and improve their Hungarian.

International tournaments: Taking part in an international tournament boosts motivation that can then be invested in studying: learning English, starting or re-starting education, setting new goals in life.

Monitoring and evaluation study: The Oltalom Social Network (OSN) database records data on all participants (training attendance, physical state, school results, training activities, any needs or issues, training memo, etc.). The OSN is a client-centered system to monitor the work done, achieve greater transparency, and improve the quality of the work.

Objectives

Regular training and tournaments provide a prejudice-free experience for refugees and local youngsters where they can get to know each other by playing football together.
The knowledge of Hungarian and customs improves through social contacts with locals.
Tournaments provide great opportunities to make new friends and improve language knowledge.
Regular sport contributes to the well-being of refugees suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome.
New qualifications, good knowledge of English and positive experiences give young people more self-confidence and the opportunity to escape from their current situation.

Expected results

Regular football training in six locations. (three pitches in Budapest, and one each at the correctional institution for girls, the home for unaccompanied minors in Fót, and a local school in Abaújkér)
Special support for girls with ten monthly theme sessions to help them face various challenges
Support ten specially trained young leaders by means of a scholarship programme
rganise six Fair Play Football roadshows bringing various social groups together to play football, challenge stereotypes and reduce social exclusion.
40 children invited to a summer camp.

Partners

FIFA Football for Hope, Fédération hongroise de football, Oltalom Charity Society, streetfootballworld, Homeless World Cup

Sport for protection and social inclusion in Egypt

Location and general information

Context

By January 2017, Egypt had taken in over 191,000 UNHCR-registered refugees and asylum-seekers, 40% of whom are children. Of these children, 60% are Syrians, 17% Sudanese and 6% Ethiopians. The remainder are from Iraq, Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. In 2016 the total population of concern was 50% higher than in 2015. Together with workers from other regions such as Asia and clandestine immigrants, the International Organisation for Migration estimates that the overall number of refugees and migrants in the country is probably as high as one million.

A difficult socio-economic environment, increasing living costs, discrimination and language barriers all make it difficult for refugees to integrate. Their physical safety is also cause for concern.

Limited livelihoods and a loss of hope of returning home have contributed to an increase in the number of refugees attempting to reach Europe. At the same time, the child-protection situation is alarming. In addition to the physical and psychological suffering experienced by refugee and migrant children, they are subject to gender-based violence, violence in schools and child labour, and many drop out of school. The lack of educational opportunities contributes to a sense of hopelessness and isolation.

Project Content

Target population

1,500 young people (between the ages of 15 and 22) regardless of nationality, gender and refugee status, migrants and host communities. This makes an average of 150 youngsters per location, with special attention to girls (50%) and children with disabilities (when appropriate support is available).
70 coaches (men and women) – 20 professionals and 50 young leaders / parents – 7 per location
750 carers
2,000 local community members – 200 per site

Project location

Terre des Hommes will run this project at ten sites within the governorates of Greater Cairo and Damietta:

in the seven existing family centres
in mobile units – youth centres, public spaces, community schools

In its sport for protection and social inclusion programme, Terre des Hommes focuses on community support for refugees and migrants, children and young people, as well as vulnerable Egyptian communities. Sport, and football in particular, plays an important role in healing and helps people cope with physical health issues as well as social, psychological and developmental needs, especially young people who suffer stress and anxiety as a result of their displacement.

The programmes provide a safe, structured and friendly environment for children to share their emotions, strengthen social cohesion, and reinforce educational messages. Girls and young women have the opportunity to take part in sports activities from which they were previously excluded. Recently, activities have been extended to parents, to free them from their daily routine and strengthen family relationships.

Objectives

Design a training programme for coaches, including not only technical football skills but also soft skills such as intercultural competence, leadership, conflict resolution, team-building and communication.
Organise weekly sports sessions for boys and girls in a safe and child-friendly environment. Once or twice a week per location.
Continue to provide weekly psychological activities. The combination of artistic and sports activities has proved to be worthwhile in terms of the impact on the psychosocial wellbeing of children and teenagers. Six days a week.
Provide teenagers with life skills and the knowledge they need to adapt to Egyptian society. Three days a week.
Provide intergenerational sports activities.
Organise cultural and sport events. Once a month.
Organise football tournaments. Every six months.
Create awareness of child protection, social inclusion and social cohesion during the weekly sessions and campaign during sporting events.
Use social media for local communication, featuring short videos and success stories.

Expected results

Refugees and migrant children and teenagers become active community agents to improve their wellbeing and their social inclusion
Sustainable sport together with psychosocial and life-skill activities increase social inclusion and community-based protection for vulnerable children and teenagers
By the end of the project, 70 local coaches, professionals and youth leaders will have enhanced their technical and leadership skills so that they can help youngsters to act as agents of change in their refugee, migrant and host communities
Through social sport activities, 1,500 young people have improved their psychosocial wellbeing (self-esteem, self-confidence) and peer support, allowing them to be more confident when interacting with peers
1,500 youngsters and 2,750 parents and locals are mobilised to take part in activities that promote community and social cohesion, including gender and disability

Partners

We welcome young refugees

Location and general information

Context

The Royal Europa Kraainem Football Club is an amateur club in the eastern suburbs of Brussels. With 350 young players of 42 different nationalities, the club stands out as a true model of multicultural diversity. This is reflected at every level, from the children to the managers, coaches and volunteers. The club puts this diversity to good use.

Kraainem FC has always been proactive in its efforts to promote social integration and is convinced that football is more than just a game. As a grassroots sports organisation, it feels it has an important role to play in inculcating all the social and societal values of sport in its young players, to make them not only better footballers but also better citizens.

In the wake of the migration crisis of 2015, the club decided to become an example of proactive social integration, by adapting its everyday activities so that it could involve underage refugees in the life of the club. Kraainem now provides football training, language classes and various other activities. Its work with these young refugees has become an essential pillar of club life.

The project specifically targets unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Belgium. As the home countries of these children are wracked by war or great instability, they are likely to stay in Belgium, where they find themselves in in new surroundings with a completely different lifestyle yet lacking the cultural or linguistic knowledge they need to fit in. So, we need not merely to welcome them but also give them the tools they need to successfully integrate into Belgian society and professional life.

By the end of 2016 FEDASIL, the Belgian agency for the reception of asylum-seekers, and its partners had taken in 22,903 refugees, 2,032 of whom were unaccompanied minors. The vast majority are boys (15–17 years old) from Afghanistan who have fled the war without their parents.

Project content

The club welcomes about 30 unaccompanied refugees a week, aged from 10 to 18, under a partnership agreement between Kraainem FC and FEDASIL. Three times a week, a group of five to ten children are brought from one of the asylum centres to spend the afternoon at the club. The youngsters share in the normal life of the club, training with a qualified coach and attending teaching sessions. They also receive free equipment and lunch at the club’s cafeteria.

The initiative has been a tremendous success for the club, the reception centres and most importantly the young refugees. Local, national and European media have regularly covered the Kraainem project over the past two years. This has encouraged the club to take it a step further, and it not only intends to consolidate its own project, but also to raise awareness and support other Belgian clubs wanting to follow suit.

Objectives

Invite 30 unaccompanied minors, aged 10 to 18, to join in the club’s activities each week.
Encourage other clubs and refugee centres to launch similar projects, in collaboration with the Royal Belgian Football Association.
Exchange experiences with other Belgian clubs working with refugees. A conference was already held in December on this subject.
Organise the second annual Football and Freedom tournament in the spring 2018, with teams comprising 50% refugee players.
Organise football weeks during school holidays for club players and refugees. Mornings will be dedicated to training sessions and afternoons to excursions and cultural exchanges.

Expected results

The project will become a leading light in integrating youngsters through grassroots sport.
Kraainem FC will play a leading role in duplicating this pilot project throughout the country.
The recognised success of this programme will encourage the continuous support of important partnerships, such as with the Belgium Football Association and FEDASIL. This will enable us to maintain this project in the coming years.

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

A new start for refugee kids in Lebanon

Location and general information

Context

Since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011, Lebanon has taken in an increasing number of refugees, with the UNHCR reporting almost 1.1 million Syrian refugees having arrived in the country.

Considering the excessive damage inflicted to housing and other infrastructure inside Syria, many refugees can be expected to remain in Lebanon until reconstruction and political stabilisation in Syria makes their return feasible.

One out of every two of the registered refugee population is under the age of 17 – a risk group acutely exposed to the effects of trauma. Guaranteeing access to education for this target group is a key priority for the Lebanese government, UN agencies and non-governmental aid agencies.

The overall objective of this project is to support the capacity of the Lebanese state to provide assistance to Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees who suffer from the effects of displacement in the fields of education, trauma mitigation and social cohesion.

Project content

The increasing number of refugee families residing in Lebanon presents significant challenges. Among the needs, a particular concern is to ensure that Syrian refugee children are able to access education while in displacement. This not only serves the purpose of safeguarding a need for continuity in formal education but also for providing a platform that mitigates traumatising stress elements. The volume of the influx of refugees is increasing the pressure on Lebanon’s education system as well as, in general, its society, economy, politics and security.

‘FutbolNet’ is a programme of the FC Barcelona Foundation that uses football as a tool to promote values among young people through an innovative teaching methodology, serving as a catalyst for capacity development, community resilience and social cohesion. It is a very attractive socialisation initiative that offers locally adapted training and content aiming to strengthen local level capacities.

This project proposes to work with child refugees and non-refugees as a way of improving the coexistence between schoolchildren and reducing existing aggressive behaviours. Given the huge increase of refugees who enter the Lebanese public-education system, tensions inevitably affected cohesion in schools. Our proposal aims to train Physical Education teachers to enable spaces to build relationship between refugees and non-refugees as an investment for an improved future coexistence between the population living in Lebanon.

Objective

The overall objective of the project is to support the capacity of the Lebanese public school system to provide assistance to Lebanese host communities and to help refugees cope with the effects of displacement in the fields of education, trauma mitigation and social cohesion.

Project activities

1. Diagnosis and preparation: The FC Barcelona Foundation needed to gain an understanding of the context, target and the venues in which the activities would take place.

2. Content adaptation: An adaptation process between the FC Barcelona Foundation FutbolNet experts and the local partner took place to adapt the FutbolNet methodology to the local reality, culture and society without compromising the basics of the FutbolNet programme.

3. Seminar

a. Coaches seminar: three-day seminar delivered locally by FC Barcelona Foundation official instructors. Included both theoretical and practical sessions.

b. Continuous learning: Periodic visits by FCBF coaches to support the local coaches and prepare special training sessions for the participants.

4. Implementation: The project was implemented in coordination with a number of Lebanese educational and social stakeholders.

5. Monitoring and evaluation.

Expected results

The project benefited 7,907 children, 55% boys and 45% girls, 79% of whom were Lebanese nationals and 21% refugees, mostly from Syria. The project also benefited 85 physical education teachers from 79 Lebanese state from the six regions of the country.

Other results were:
– The Lebanese state school system benefited from the increased competencies of physical education teachers and from the provision of sports equipment to the schools.
– Sports activities mitigated the trauma of refugee children and reduce aggressive behaviour.
– Sports activities benefited Lebanese and refugee children as a mechanism to promote social cohesion, both among refugees and between refugee and host communities in mixed environments.
– The project discouraged school drop-out rates among registered refugee children and encouraged unregistered refugees to attend school.

Partners

Social Cohesion through Football in Lebanon

Location and general information

CONTEXT

Lebanon’s refugee crisis, which is now into its sixth year, has surpassed all of the very worst predictions made. Lebanon now has the highest refugee-to-population ratio in the world, hosting nearly 1.2 million registered refugees. With about 28% of those refugees between the ages of 10 and 24, this crisis is having a disproportionate impact on children and young people.

The crisis has also had a significant impact on Lebanon itself – be it politically, economically or socially – and the country’s fragile security has been placed under considerable strain.

In such circumstances, adolescents and young people are extremely vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. In addition to being susceptible to risky behaviour, they are also at risk of being recruited by criminal gangs and militia groups fighting in local and regional conflicts. And yet, largely as a result of the sheer scale of the Syrian crisis, humanitarian aid and relief efforts have focused primarily on younger children and prioritised their needs instead. Programmes aimed at older children and young adults have been both fewer in number and smaller in scope and scale.

PROJECT CONTENT

Using sport to foster development and social cohesion has proved to be a particularly effective means of engaging with vulnerable young people. As several assessments have confirmed, inter- and intra-community sports activities/events are a powerful tool in this regard, bringing together vulnerable children and young people from different backgrounds and allowing them to interact and play together in a safe neutral environment. Sport has also been shown to foster self-confidence, personal development and teamwork, benefiting all areas of an adolescent’s life.

This programme does more than just help individual young people and organisations; it encourages those beneficiaries to become agents of change within their own families and communities. Thus, the project is constructed in such a way that its impact will extend far beyond the number of direct beneficiaries, continuing to have a positive effect long after the programme has officially come to an end. Those beneficiaries are given all the skills and grassroots support that they need in order to impart their knowledge to other marginalised young people and implement programmes of their own, with the ultimate aim of spreading the football3 message across the country and encouraging the fostering of personal development through sport.

Sport has a particularly important role to play when it comes to children with special needs and girls in general. Stereotypes, social norms and traditions have traditionally resulted in football – and sport in general – being off limits to them. Opening up sports programmes to those children, giving them the opportunity not only to learn key life skills, but also to explore avenues that are typically closed to them, will help them to integrate into wider society and encourage them to actively question social norms. The football3 methodology encourages all participants to address issues such as inclusion, tolerance, fair play and equal rights – and for girls in particular, it gives them a tangible opportunity to exercise their rights, both on and off the field.

OBJECTIVES

1) Identify and train 185 sports providers (volunteer youth leaders and coaches), teaching them the football3 methodology and complementary skills (including life skills, communication skills and conflict management techniques)

2) Have 4,500 boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 14 (50% refugees and 50% from the host community; 60% male and 40% female) participating in regular sports activities fostering social integration, with an additional focus on life skills and health messages

3) Have at least 2,400 boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 14 participating in thematic tournaments and community sports events that foster social cohesion and integration into host communities

4) Develop a nationwide strategy encouraging the fostering of social cohesion through sport, in cooperation with existing partners and NGOs

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

- Train coaches and youth leaders in conflict management, complementary skills and the football3 methodology

ANERA is training 90 coaches and 95 youth leaders to work on sports-for-education in 100 popular football clubs across Lebanon. The coaches are already active in the sports clubs, teaching new techniques and methodologies. The youth leaders will be youth identified in ANERA’s current program as active youth who demonstrate leadership capacity in the community. This training programme aims to improve outreach, increase capacity, provide ideas for better, more professional sports activities and improve coaching. This is achieved through 60 training/coaching sessions addressing both technical sports skills and life skills.

- Organise 150 sports courses, reaching 4,500 adolescent and youth girls and boys

Trained coaches and youth leaders run sports courses for children with a view to promoting and establishing sports activities in areas where access to sport is limited or non-existent. Those sessions are tailored to the needs of each target group, with eight to twelve 90-minute sessions being run each month (i.e. with a minimum of 12 hours of instruction a month), and they can be repeated if there is sufficient demand. The sessions also cover life skills and issues of hygiene, fostering personal development, with coaches and youth leaders passing on everything they have learnt in their own training.

- Organise eight thematic inter- and intra-community tournaments and sporting events, with a minimum of 300 boys and girls participating in each event for a total of 2,400 adolescents and youth (with themes including nutrition, hygiene and life skills)

ANERA is also supporting eight sports tournaments (three in Beirut, four in the Bekaa region and three in the south of the country), with a total of at least 2,400 boys and girls taking part in inter- and intra-community activities aimed at fostering social cohesion and integration. This initiative empowers young people and youth-led groups to organise sports events and tournaments, helping to nurture relations between sports clubs and youth-led groups from different areas. These events, which represent an opportunity to bring together representatives of refugee populations and host communities, feature specific elements aimed at fostering peace, communication and social cohesion (rather than rivalry) between participants from different backgrounds.

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.

BENEFICIARIES

2,500 to 5,000 child refugee.

LINK

www.movementontheground.com

OUR PARTNERS

Football Friends

LOCATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

OUR AIM

The tumult and violence of the nineties crippled all aspects of society in the republics of the former Yugoslavia, and the region’s young people continue to be affected by their countries’ recent past. In 2005, Football Friends was created to help this younger generation transform their lives and to help heal the fragmented societies in which they are growing up.

In cooperation with organisations such as the British Council and various town councils, Football Friends facilitates educational initiatives in conjunction with non-formal educational institutions to enhance youth development. The organisation currently runs football programmes across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia which have served more than 4,500 participants since 2005.

AID PLANS

Programmes named ‘With a little help of Football Friends’

To use football as a vehicle to foster social inclusion and cohesion.
To target communities with a high proportion of refugees and migrants.
Core activity: the Football Friends City League, with mixed-gender teams competing on selected weekends and playing in leagues within their cities.
The highest-ranked teams will be invited for a two-day grand finals tournament.
Besides football, participants will have a chance to participate in educational activities.

BENEFICIARIES

336 children aged between 14 and 18.

LINK

www.streetfootballworld.org

OUR PARTNERS

Cross Cultures Project Association

LOCATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

OUR AIM

Cross Cultures Project Association is a politically independent non-profit organisation that exists for the purpose of promoting peaceful coexistence and social cohesion between people of different cultures and backgrounds. Since 1998 its activities have involved more than 950,000 children, 52,000 parents and 79,000 local volunteers.

AID PLANS

Seven-day summer camp for 60 young people aged between 16 and 20.
From those attending, 50% are young internally displaced persons from South Ossetia and Abkhazia and 50% of each group will be young women.
To foster personal exchange between the internally displaced persons and young people from the host communities.
To improve the participants’ life skills and give both groups the chance to be trained as youth coaches to volunteer in the Cross Cultures Project Association Open Fun Football Schools during the 2016/17 season.
1,200 additional indirect participants (aged 8 to 12) through activities led by project graduates.

BENEFICIARIES

60 young adults aged 16 and over.

LINK

www.ccpa.eu/

OUR PARTNERS

Sport dans la Ville

LOCATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

OUR AIM

Sport dans la Ville is France’s leading non-profit association serving disadvantaged young people aged 7 to 25, through sports and job-readiness training. Founded in 1998, Sport dans la Ville operates in 26 urban neighbourhoods and has touched the lives of more than 12,000 young people across France.

Through free football and basketball programmes, Sport dans la Ville imparts the values of teamwork, self-confidence and determination, leading young people towards brighter futures. Its programmes are supported by partnerships with local and national governments, corporations, individuals and international exchange partners in the US, the UK, Brazil and India. Its professional skills training and job placement programme is moving young people from unemployment to opportunity.

AID PLANS

Sport dans la Ville plans to integrate 50 refugees into its regular programmes:

Young refugees will be offered weekly football-based education activities.
Participants aged 14 and over will have the chance to take part in employability and job training workshops.