Fostering Youth Leadership

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kenya and Uganda
Start date 02/01/2024
End date 01/31/2025
Cost of the project €32,734
Foundation funding €15,900
Project identifier 20231140
Partners Power for the People
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

In a world where education is increasingly accessible, it's crucial to look beyond mere enrolment numbers and focus on the quality of experiences within schools.

While strides have been made in getting more girls into classrooms worldwide, there's still work to be done to ensure that education reaches beyond attendance to personal growth and empowerment.

Gender norms often limit girls’ opportunities for socialisation and personal development, leaving them with less leisure time and fewer chances to explore their potential. Boys, too, can be left behind by aid initiatives that primarily target girls' education.

PFP believes in creating inclusive spaces where all children can thrive. It has created the PFP Boys and Girls Clubs initiative, a convenient and effective way of supplementing traditional education. The clubs offer a holistic approach to education, encompassing everything from sports and physical health to digital literacy and environmental stewardship.

Project goals

  • Set up 15 PFP Clubs in three schools, leading to improved pupil attendance and attainment.
  • Engage school staff as teacher ambassadors who will offer mentorship and encouragement, increasing teacher and pupil engagement.
  • Recruit and train 30 student ambassadors (ten in each school) who will improve their leadership skills.
  • Enable 900+ pupils across the three schools to participate in an extra-curricular club offering them informal learning opportunities, peer support, personal development and improved physical and mental health.
  • Connect the participating schools to foster shared learning opportunities.

Project content

PFP Clubs will be set up in three schools to provide opportunities for boys and girls to develop personal leadership skills and learn essential life skills, like decision-making and communication. The clubs will provide safe and supportive spaces for young people to discuss issues they say are important to them: menstrual and sexual reproductive health, mental health, sports and physical health, environmental stewardship and digital literacy. They will learn to challenge gender norms and advocate for equality.

Each club will have two student ambassadors who will have access to a leadership and personal development programme. They will be tasked with developing and implementing a year-long programme to engage other pupils in activities. They will be given a small budget to manage, creating opportunities to take responsibility and be accountable to their school and their peers.

Regular online calls will connect pupils and teachers in the three participating schools so that they can learn together. The programme will culminate in an annual innovation prize to foster student-led solutions to the challenges they have identified.

Partner

Provision of psychosocial support to vulnerable children, adolescents and parents through sport (PORUCH)

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Poltaa and Sumska oblasts, Ukraine
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €1,019,850
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 200230654
Partners United Around Football
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Since the start of full-scale war in February 2022, the children of Ukraine have experienced violence, trauma, loss, destruction and displacement, not to mention the stress of constant air raids and shelling. The living conditions, everyday news and general situation take a toll on their mental and physical health. According to official sources, by the morning of 29 November 2023, 511 children had been killed and more than 1,148 physically injured.

Recovery through sport is the ethos of PORUCH, a joint initiative by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and UNICEF Ukraine to use sport, in particular football, to provide psychosocial support to children, teenagers and families affected by the war. They have teamed up with the Ukrainian Association of Football, foundation partner United Around Football, and Football Development in Ukraine, another charitable foundation.

Physical education teachers (sports coaches), psychologists and healthy lifestyle coaches (medical volunteers) engage participants in a form of play that will hopefully lead to regular physical activity and help them develop a range of skills and values in a positive, holistic way. This approach is considered effective in supporting psychological recovery after a traumatic experience and overcoming fears.

A similar project was implemented in 15 oblasts between March 2022 and May 2023, reaching 90,417  vulnerable children and 34,663 parents and guardians (indirect beneficiaries).

Project goals

General

  • Provide group psychological support to vulnerable children and teenagers through sport

Specific

  • Develop the methodology and materials for targeted psychological support through sport
  • Deliver group psychological sessions to 25,000 vulnerable children and teenagers in 2 oblasts (Poltava and Sumy) in central and northeastern Ukraine
  • Boost the capacity of professionals to provide targeted psychological support

 

Project content

Sports grounds will be divided into three zones or stations, where children will take turns playing mobile games with a football, working with a psychologist, and learning from medical volunteers about healthy lifestyles and what to do in case of injury.

  • Zone 1 – Sports coach
  • Zone 2 – Psychologist
  • Zone 3 – Medical volunteer

Approximately 30 children affected by war will participate in each session, in three groups of ten. Each group must visit each station twice.

Partner

Future Ball – Football and Education for Sustainable Development

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Germany
Start date 03/01/2023
End date 09/30/2024
Cost of the project €125,508
Foundation funding €52,000
Project identifier 20230801
Partners Spirit of Football e.V.
Categories Access to Sport - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Spirit of Football takes young people’s concerns about climate change seriously by connecting football to environmental concerns. Especially within the context of schools, clubs, community centres and stadiums, this NGO tries to make the necessary changes with fun and interactive methods to strengthen people’s motivation and make it clear that it is more effective to act, preferably as a team, than to be overwhelmed by seemingly unsolvable problems.

Project goals

Spirit of Football aims to call young people’s attention to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through workshops in schools and stadiums with interactive, fun and inspiring methods, especially focusing on SDGs 5, 12,13 and 17. This means that everyone should have equal chances in sport and elsewhere, responsible consumption and production, and climate action should be practised in everyday life. It is also important to show that change is only possible through strong, committed and creative partnerships.

Project content

  • 2 train the trainer sessions for teachers and trainers, to provide them with methods combining football and education for sustainability
  • 24 workshop days in schools and stadium education centres on sustainability and sport, including team-building methods, role-play, fair play football and communal murals at two sites
  • A 30-day Future Ball Tour through Germany by train and bicycle during EURO 2024, holding mini-workshops, collecting signatures for a more climate-neutral lifestyle, and attracting media attention on football and education for sustainability.

Partner

Kick for Hope

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Azraq and Zaatari, Jordan
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €420,000
Foundation funding €175,000
Project identifier 20231224
Partners Association Football Development Programme (AFDP) Global
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

The Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps have been hosting Syrian refugees since 2011. The refugee camps are as big as ever, and 50% of the population are children. The Kick for Hope project, established with UEFA in 2011, continues to support those children and young adults by providing meaningful football activities intertwined with social support, to harness the positive impact of sport on children.

Project goals

  • Engage with Syrian refugee children and young adults by organising football and other sports activities
  • Train and educate Syrian refugee coaches and referees and provide them with tools to run their own activities
  • Integrate a specific life skills curriculum based on the context and needs of the children involved
  • Establish football clubs within the camps
  • Empower children, cultivate leadership skills, and promote physical and mental well-being
  • Establish a Zaatari Camp Youth Club and enable members to participate in local competitions

Project content

AFDP Global has a team of coaches at the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps who manage daily football activities for over 6,000 children and young adults. The organisation runs an education programme for the coaches to ensure they have the skills required to coach young people to the standard expected of them.

This work is bolstered by friendly competitions organised within the camps, giving the youngsters the opportunity to put their training into practice.

AFDP Global also organises activities that promote positive social change. These activities are integrated into the coaching curriculum to ensure a seamless transfer of knowledge and capitalise on the youngsters’ enthusiasm for football.

The organisation also works with other NGOs in the camps, sharing knowledge and participating in complementary initiatives to encourage more football activities and improve the quality of all the activities provided.

Partners

SMS – “Sportsmanship in a Multicultural Society”

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Israel
Start date 02/21/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €49,513
Foundation funding €29,871
Project identifier 20230231
Partners A New Way (ANW)
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Israeli society is riven by widening gaps among different population groups. Of these, the tension between the State’s Jewish and Arab citizens is acknowledged as the most significant. One cause of this tension is the fact that Jews and Arabs have few opportunities for positive, meaningful interaction. Israel’s divided education system exacerbates these gaps, preventing meaningful encounters, reinforcing fears and misconceptions, and thwarting the creation of a basis for future collaboration. “A New Way” (ANW) acts as a unifying force and challenges the existing rifts in Israeli Jewish-Arab relations.

The October 7th attack and the war that ensued has thrust us into uncharted territory, amplifying the importance and urgency of our work. Now, more than ever, we must begin healing and reconciling Israeli society by mending the intricate fabric of Jewish and Arab relations. By creating a critical mass of individuals dedicated to working together, we can pave "A New Way" forward—a path towards a more peaceful future for Jews and Arabs in Israel.

Project goals

  • Promote a peaceful, tolerant and inclusive society.
  • Create a good first experience of multicultural collaboration among Arab and Jewish school students developing their desire and ability to work together.
  • Bring knowledge regarding the ‘other’ society and promote shared values and ideas that will foster understanding a more tolerant and sustainable future for Israeli society.
  • Strengthen Israeli society and promote a new generation that, through collaboration and joint action, will improve Jewish-Arab relations.

Project content

Project Structure: In the schools where we operate, ANW holds educational programs and multi-year processes that allow children and their teaching staff to meet and get to know their counterparts from the ‘other’ community, learn and be exposed to the neighbours’ culture, develop a common dialogue, find shared values and work together towards common goals and objectives. As part of the educational process and in order to enable students to work together, there is an essential need to hold workshops that will prepare the children and help them to develop the necessary skills and basic ability to act together and engage in real multicultural cooperation. Recognizing the power of sport to create collaboration between children from different groups and sectors, our organization chose to focus on tools from the world of sports and use them to build the ability to collaborate during the initial stages of the program. The project presented here is aimed precisely at addressing this need. As part of the project, we will hold unique workshops that create collaboration using tools and methods we have developed with our partners. This collaboration phase is built on three different activities to maximize our flexibility and ability to adjust each day of activities to the unique nature, age, needs, and level of development of the different participants in our educational process.

• “Challenges in Nature” day in collaboration with "Rikmae Enoshit" (Human Texture in English) - a local group of experts that develops collaboration workshops based on sports and outdoor challenges. “HUMAN TEXTURE - A house of meaningful group activity. We specialize in group bonding activities which include sports and outdoor challenges, leading to cooperation, teamwork, leadership development, initiative, imagination and creativity. We believe in passing on a message through experience, allowing close communication and inviting the participants to go through a thorough and meaningful process in a joyful and accessible way.”

• Acro-Yoga: The activities and tools used during this workshop were built with the assistance of “The Association for the Development of Circus Arts in Israel.” Circus and acro-yoga are non-verbal art forms that can overcome the barrier of language, while simultaneously reducing fears and building trust. The joint physical activities necessitate mutual acquaintance and trust, and in a human pyramid everyone is equal, without differences of race or religion. Moreover, acro-yoga requires that participants must work with each other and learn to know and trust one another. Just one day leads to remarkable changes in the way Israeli Jewish and Arab school students relate to each other.

• Fair-Play Football: The fair-play football workshop was built with the assistance of Iddo Diamant, former director of activities in "Tzav Pius", a leading specialist in educational development through sports. "Iddo has an MBA in Social Leadership from Ben Gurion University and has vast experience in the field of education both as a program manager and a content developer. Iddo believes in working in an interdisciplinary way to merge sports and education as a single field bringing together his experience as a basketball coach, educator and academic.”

Partner

Inclusive Sport and Life Skills

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kenya, Nairobi
Start date 02/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €82,474
Foundation funding €10,886
Project identifier 20231046
Partners Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Mathare slum is one of the poorest and most densely populated slums in Africa, where drugs and crime are ever-present. A lack of adequate sports facilities and organised grassroots sport for children and teenagers in informal settlements means that many turn to crime, substance abuse and all kinds of vices. There has been an increase in gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies and new HIV infections owing to poverty and a lack of knowledge and information.

Project goals

  • Promote behaviour change among children, teenagers and women, to help reduce the issues affecting youth
  • Create a social support structure for marginalised groups, including the urban refugees, and facilitate acceptance in their host communities to promote peaceful coexistence
  • Mainstream gender in sport and address issues affecting young women and girls in sport
  • Create a safe space for marginalised groups including urban refugees

Project content

  • Sports for All football league: We will run an inclusive football league in the community that we serve, where everyone will be allowed to participate, irrespective of their social economic status, religion, education background, gender, sexual orientation and culture.
  • Capacity-building: We will enhance the skills of our community coaches, teenagers and children through capacity development training.
  • Life skills education: We will provide training in life skills for children, teenagers and women living in informal settlements in Nairobi.
  • Coordinated meetings: We will hold monthly meetings with the stakeholders to check on project progress.
  • Community outreach: We will conduct community outreach to raise awareness of issues affecting their communities, g. sexual reproductive health, substance abuse, etc.
  • Monitoring and evaluation: We will evaluate the progress of project activities every three months.

Partner

Football for All

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Vietnam
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €59,165
Foundation funding €48,306
Project identifier 20230184
Partners Football Association of Norway/Football for All in Vietnam (NFF/FFAV)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Men and boys enjoy a sociocultural advantage among many of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities, while girls – expected to grow up to be wives and mothers – are often deprived of education, forced into early marriage and given few opportunities. Despite national laws and international conventions prohibiting it, child marriage remains a widespread phenomenon in Vietnam, particularly in rural areas. Although the practice is in decline, it was estimated as recently as 2019 that 14% of women in the country had been married before their 18th birthday.

Moreover, boys benefit from a cultural preference for males rooted in customary laws and practices, such as the belief that only men can perform ancestral rites. Children see themselves and their roles and relationships through the lens of socially constructed gender norms, which directly affects their own attitudes and behaviour.

In the Quảng Tri and Cao Bằng provinces, football is perceived as being only for boys, which is a form of gender discrimination that excludes girls and limits their opportunities.

Project goals

To raise awareness of gender rights, foster equitable practices among ethnic minority groups, empower women and girls, and equip them with leadership and life skills by supporting their equal participation in a football and life skills programme.

Project content

  • Set up 15 grassroots football clubs in Quảng Tri and 15 in Cao Bằng, replicating the FFAV model developed in Hà Giang. FFAV uses football to challenge stereotypes, promote gender equality and provide all children with an enabling environment by developing school-based clubs where equal participation of girls and boys is mandatory. Training sessions are held once or twice a week and, in parallel, girls are mentored by Women Win in Goal facilitators who teach them about economic empowerment, leadership, gender rights and reproductive health. This life skills programme helps to build girls’ self-esteem and gives them positive role models and trusted women to turn to for support.
    • Train teachers, volunteers, parents and other interested locals in coaching and refereeing, as well as teaching them how to attract participants and make their clubs fun, safe and inclusive. The training takes place over four days and is delivered by the Vietnam Football Federation using its grassroots coaching manual.
    • Train female teachers as Women Win in Goal facilitators in a three-day course delivered by FFAV’s key facilitators.
  • Continue to provide technical support and football equipment to the 30 football clubs in Hà Giang province.
  • Organise 30 Fun Football Festivals where both boys and girls can play football matches as well as games teaching life skills that they might have not experienced before. These festivals are also an opportunity to promote the clubs, attract supporters and volunteers and introduce the life skills campaign to more people.
  • Hold two internal evaluation and planning workshops for all clubs using a participatory approach, whereby coaches and Women Win in Goal facilitators evaluate their club’s activities, share experiences and learn best practices. The outcomes will be documented in a final report used for advocacy and to inform the activity plan for the coming years.

Partner

Inclusive football based education for disabled children

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Indonesia, Jakarta
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €30,000
Foundation funding €20,000
Project identifier 20230282
Partners ASA Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Indonesia is now one of the world’s largest plastic waste producers, producing over 3.2 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. The country also struggles with high levels of poverty, poor health and education, inadequate sanitation and nutrition, and discrimination against women, girls and those with disabilities. These nationwide issues affect both rural and urban populations, including the 30.5 million people living in the capital city of Jakarta.

Disabled children face numerous barriers to education and consequently are less likely than their peers to start and complete school. Inclusive sport can improve their well-being and self-esteem and can transform how communities view disabled people.

Football is Indonesia’s most popular sport – played by children and adults alike – and is gaining popularity among women and girls.

Project goals

  • Improve the emotional, psychological and social well-being of beneficiaries
  • Develop a cohesive society that fights exclusion and promotes upward mobility
  • Enhance inclusive education through awareness and skills training in health, life skills, gender equality and the circular economy
  • Encourage female participation (at least 50%) to promote female empowerment and equal access to opportunities, resources, decision-making and autonomy
  • Improve access to education and learning outcomes for disabled children through inclusive sports and education development activities
  • Achieve a cleaner, greener society by encouraging local government ministries and schools to adopt the programme’s circular economy and recycling management processes

Project content

15 male and 15 female teachers from schools for disabled children, mainly from particularly disadvantaged areas of the capital, will be selected to attend a two-day training of trainers workshop at a carefully selected special needs school in Jakarta. They will be introduced to a collaboratively designed football-based curriculum, available in both Bahasa Indonesia and English, covering life skills development and gender equality, health and well-being, the circular economy, and waste management development. They will also learn to lead simple activities geared towards long-term sustainability, such as how to recycle plastic materials to produce sports training equipment.

The teachers will then return to their schools to lead weekly extracurricular training sessions for disabled boys and girls. The teachers will be supported, mentored, monitored and evaluated by master trainers on a weekly basis and will attend a refresher training day after six months.

Partner

Young Coach Education Ecuador

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Ecuador, Ibarra
Start date 11/01/2023
End date 03/24/2024
Cost of the project €198,341
Foundation funding €52,610
Project identifier 20230885
Partners Scort Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Once a safe haven in South America, the situation in Ecuador has visibly worsened over the past few years, with widespread insecurity and a vast increase in violence across the country, which nonetheless continues to host numerous refugees and migrants from Colombia and Venezuela. Almost 1 million people are exposed to violence, poverty and displacement. Children’s mental and physical well-being are particularly affected, with a heightened risk of discrimination, exploitation and abuse. Inclusive and safe spaces where children can play, learn, de-stress and simply be children are essential. Football in particular has proven to be an important means of restoring social connections, promoting learning and supporting psychosocial well-being.

For this reason, the Scort Foundation and its partner the Football Club Social Alliance (FCSA) have teamed up with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and local organisation Fundación de las Americas para el Desarrollo (Foundation of the Americas for Development, FUDELA) to train 45 committed young adults to become grassroots football coaches and community leaders. The Young Coaches not only learn how to provide safe and structured sports activities for children in their communities, but also how to use football to promote resilience and foster inclusion.

Project goals

  • Educate 45 young adults to become role models and coaches for children in vulnerable and/or conflict-prone communities
  • Promote access to quality, fun, educational activities for over 5,000 girls and boys from refugee and host communities
  • Promote social cohesion through sport
  • Promote access to sport for girls and disabled children
  • Strengthen the network of Young Coaches (and other organisations) within Ecuador using sport for protection

Project content

The Young Coach Education project empowers committed young coaches in their roles as proactive community leaders, on and off the pitch.

During their training, the Young Coaches learn how to use football to create a safe environment for children, promoting health, inclusion, social cohesion and protection. The project combines football and educational games to improve children’s life skills as well as their physical and mental well-being. It aims to be as inclusive as possible, including disability-specific educational content. This can help break down barriers and promote the inclusion of disabled children in the regular activities run by the Young Coaches.

The training consists of three modules: two five-day face-to-face modules in Ecuador, and one online. Interactive and illustrative learning is at the heart of the programme. During the on-site modules, a strong focus is placed on practical learning, in order to make optimal use of the FCSA instructors’ expertise and provide the Young Coaches with their first tools. While the instructors initially show solutions, they increasingly demand creative problem-solving from the Young Coaches, who come up with strategies in groups. The lessons are immediately put into practice at two festivals held during each on-site module for children from the local community. Additional workshops are delivered by experts on topics such as child protection and safeguarding, first aid, and the role of sport in strengthening resilience and mental well-being.

Between the two on-site modules, the Young Coaches are expected to apply what they have learned in their communities and independently complete the additional online module. Regular live webinars provide a space for mutual support and a deeper understanding of the content.

Partner

Employment for girls and young women leaving in rural areas

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Democratic Republic of Congo, Kalebuka
Start date 02/01/2024
End date 01/31/2025
Cost of the project €104,000
Foundation funding €60,000
Project identifier 20230592
Partners Malaika
Categories Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Girls and young women in rural DRC have limited career options. Even for those fortunate enough to have completed their schooling, the path to economic independence is fraught with risks of violence, sexual exploitation, dependency and abuse.

Cultural norms and gender stereotypes also play a significant role in restricted career choices. Many young women are forced to enter the informal sector of low-paid and often exploitative jobs that offer little security and limited prospects for upward mobility, trapping them in a cycle of poverty and vulnerability.

Entrepreneurship is a potential pathway to economic empowerment and job creation. However, little funding is available to support aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly young women, who struggle to access the necessary capital and resources to start and scale their ventures.

Entrepreneurship is rarely considered as a viable career option due to a lack of early entrepreneurship education and a supportive infrastructure. The absence of mentors and role models makes it difficult for aspiring female entrepreneurs to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape.

Project goals

  • Increased entrepreneurial awareness, with students and community centre beneficiaries demonstrating a keen understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur
  • Improved self-confidence, illustrated by at least 70% of participants expressing a heightened belief in their ability to succeed as entrepreneurs or gain employment
  • A rise in the number of aspiring young entrepreneurs
  • Creation of a mentorship network of at least five successful female entrepreneurs actively mentoring and guiding future female entrepreneurs
  • Access to professional training at the Malaika community centre for more than 1,500 young women and girls, equipping them with the skills they need to find decent and dignified employment

Project content

Malaika has launched an entrepreneurship and leadership programme for girls aged 13–19 in rural Kalebuka. Girls at the Malaika school will be introduced to the world of work, coached to develop their professional aspirations and equipped with practical skills to prepare them for employment.

Teachers will receive tailored training, entrepreneurship clubs will be set up, and a mentorship scheme will provide additional support and guidance. At the community centre, young women will receive vocational training, including in male-dominated industries, and guest speakers will be invited to share insights.

A thorough assessment of the challenges and opportunities for female entrepreneurship in Kalebuka will be conducted and a sustainability plan will ensure that the project has a lasting impact for young women in the community.

Malaika aims to forge partnerships with local businesses and organisations to provide internships and job-shadowing opportunities. Additionally, support will be provided to help the young women to develop business plans and present their entrepreneurial ideas to local investors and business leaders.

Partner

Mighty Members

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Cambodia, Battambang
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 01/01/2025
Cost of the project €61,400
Foundation funding €15,000
Project identifier 20220444
Partners SALT Academy
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Generation after generation of young people in Cambodia experience neglect, trafficking and abuse as a result of poverty.

Mighty Members sets out to break this cycle through education, football and mentoring, with 40 carefully selected young adults cascading the programme in their communities and creating a positive cycle that impacts thousands of people a week.

Project goals

Empower young people to be change makers through sport

  • Build self-efficacy
  • Promote good health, nutrition and physical activity
  • Educate and create future job opportunities
  • Instil character strengths and moral values

Project content

Mighty Members is a full-time programme designed to empower young men and women who have experienced poverty, domestic violence, abandonment, child labour and trafficking. We have 40 members – 20 male and 20 female – between the ages 13 and 20. The programme uses education, mentoring and football training to give the 40 Mighty Members real-world, marketable skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

What makes the programme special is that, as the Mighty Members rise up, they themselves take what they have learned out into their communities, coaching, mentoring and teaching life skills to others.

Partner

Promoting togetherness through girls in football

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kosovo, Priština
Start date 01/01/2024
End date 01/31/2025
Cost of the project €90,550
Foundation funding €78,550
Project identifier 20231077
Partners KFV Prishtina – Prishtina Girls Football Team
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Despite strides towards peace in post-conflict Kosovo, social divisions persist in some communities, which makes cooperation harder, especially among the younger generation.

This project seeks to use football as a tool for social change with the power to transcend geographical, cultural and gender boundaries. Interest in women's sports is growing in Kosovo, but the participation of young women and girls remains low due to gender stereotypes and other barriers.

Project goals

  • Boost the involvement of young women and girls in football, including those with disabilities
  • Create a safe environment for girls to play football, free from bullying and discrimination
  • Foster trust and unite girls from diverse communities
  • Break down barriers and create a cohesive environment
  • Improve the well-being and develop the life skills of girls through football
  • Ensure representation from every community by creating girls football teams in all primary schools
  • Raise awareness about gender equality, diversity and discrimination prevention, and about the positive impact of sports on mental health, well-being and confidence
  • Achieve community engagement and involve local and national partners

Project content

  • Girls football teams in all primary schools so that all girls have access to free training twice a week
  • Tournaments where girls from different ethnic backgrounds can play together
  • City football teams for girls with disabilities, set up in close collaboration with Down Syndrome Kosova
  • Volunteer outreach, whereby older girls from KFV Prishtina volunteer in activities with younger and disabled girls
  • Targeted training programmes designed to improve communication, teamwork and leadership skills among girls from various ethnic communities
  • Mentoring sessions with role models to educate girls about the sustainable development goals, including gender equality and environmental conservation
  • Training for sports teachers and staff on the UEFA Child Safeguarding Policy, in order to create a safe and inclusive sporting environment
  • Meetings with an ombudsperson to raise awareness of discrimination
  • Partnership agreements with local government bodies, the media and academia and collaborating with national organisations working to prevent discrimination
  • Gender inclusivity workshops, community football events and advocacy campaigns designed to engage the community
  • A joint tournament to mark the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
  • A World Children’s Day tournament in Brezovica using football to bring together different ethnic communities

Partner

Game with Mum and Dad

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Europe
Start date 06/06/2023
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €270,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20230188
Partners Children of Prisoners Europe
Categories Gender Equality - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

More than two million children in Europe are separated from an imprisoned parent, often causing them overwhelming sadness, grief and anxiety. The incarceration of a parent will affect a child’s self-esteem, undermine feelings of affection and mental health. It creates social barriers and feeds into exclusion, discrimination and poverty. Given the small number of visits permitted with children, it is necessary to create joyful moments, in which parents and children have the opportunity to spend time together.

Project goals

The project’s main aim is to reinforce trust, love and the bond between children and their parents. Joyful memories will contribute to a child’s well-being, by fostering inclusion and empowering them. The project also aims to bring about structural transformation within prisons, so that the rights and best interests of the child are taken into consideration at all times during the parent’s incarceration.

Project content

Game with Mum and Dad brings families together for a day of play, hugs, and laughs – all over Europe. The children are actively involved in preparing each event, which culminates in a game of football with their parents inside prison walls.

The games take place during late summer and early autumn, in multiple locations throughout Europe. The Europe-wide campaign raises awareness about children of prisoners on local, national and international levels.

Partners

Life Champions 2.0: We are all champions

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Croatia
Start date 12/01/2023
End date 11/30/2024
Cost of the project €250,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20230315
Partners Development Center for Youth
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

The commercialisation of sport has diminished its pedagogic role: instead of education, healthy lifestyles, and positive social values, it is mostly about top performance. An increase in negative phenomena such as intolerance, discrimination and hate speech also suggests sport is departing from its role as a corrective force in society.

The Creating Life Champions project honed in on sport’s role in education and the promotion of positive values, empowering coaches to act as educators again. Not all young sportspeople will be top athletes, but all should be top people. Children go to school because they must and play sport because they want to: this is an important indication of the role sport plays in every child’s upbringing.

Including different stakeholders in the coordination and implementation of Creating Life Champions helped us to better understand how to spread the concept and what issues need addressing most urgently. Consequently, Life Champions 2.0 focuses on more actively involving girls and young women in football, i.e. creating female ‘life champions’.

Project goals

Overall objective

To continue revitalising the educational and pedagogic role of football, leveraging football coaches’ influence on children and adolescents, their upbringing, education, and self-development, with an emphasis on gender equality in and through sport

Our intention is to promote the active participation, visibility and acceptance of girls and women in particular, encouraging our participants to adopt positive principles of gender equality in sport and in all other areas of life.

 Specific objectives

  • To add 30 new coaches to the Life Champions network, focusing on gender equality and accessibility for all
  • To work towards better ratio of women to men in sport, with a view to achieving genuine gender equality, starting at grassroots level
  • To involve at least 500 parents and caregivers and thereby create a strong base of support to further spread the Life Champions concept.

Project content

The project will involve various activities:

  • initial training for 30 new Life Champion coaches,
  • an online networking event for new and existing Life Champion coaches,
  • 6 regional information days focused on girls in sport and promoting their involvement in the international camps,
  • 5 international educational sports camps for more than 700 participants,
  • online activities introducing parents to the concept and specific topics of the Life Champions programme,
  • an end-of-year conference to present the results of the other activities organised over the course of 2024 and make plans for 2025.

All materials will be shared with national, regional, and European counterparts.

The activities will all be accompanied by the strong promotional campaign ‘We are all champions’, focusing on girls in football. The campaign is expected to reach around 5 million people thanks to an ongoing partnership with Arena Sport, the main regional TV sports network, and a number of other media agreements reached in 2023.

While growing the network of Life Champions coaches from 30 to 60 people overall, our focus is on the gender ratio within the network and in all our activities. This means at least 15 female coaches, and at least 250 girls (out of 700 participants in total) in our international camps. In addition, we will involve an additional 500-600 people (youngsters, coaches, club managers, parents, local government, and media) in the six regional info days, and 40 selected stakeholders in the conference.

This year’s concept should pave the way to more active involvement of girls and young women in football, showing that football truly is a sport for all. In doing so, it should open the concept to other minority groups whose involvement in sport is often restricted, such as young migrants, Roma children and other children and adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing ‘life champions’ for all.

Partners

Football for Unity 2.0

Location and general information

En cours
Location Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Spain
Start date 09/01/2023
End date 08/31/2025
Cost of the project €833,223,98
Foundation funding €83,322,39
Project identifier 20232024
Partners European Commission (DG HOME); Common Goal
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Strengthening partnerships

Context

EC-UEFA Arrangement for Cooperation

The EC-UEFA Arrangement for Cooperation that was signed in October 2022 by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin and Margaritis Schinas, vice-president of the European Commission and the commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life, follows two other cooperation agreements signed in 2014 and 2018. This third EC-UEFA Arrangement for Cooperation refers specifically to Football for Unity as an example of how the agreement can be successfully implemented by the two parties.

Football for Unity 1.0

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first UEFA European Football Championship, the European Commission's DG HOME, UEFA, the UEFA Foundation for Children and Common Goal joined forces through the EU's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) to implement the Football for Unity project during UEFA EURO 2020. In response to its success, the European Commission, UEFA, the UEFA Foundation for Children and Common Goal have decided to expand their collaboration, with Football for Unity 2.0 including activities outside the framework of the European Football Championship.

 

Project goals

A multi-stakeholder collaboration spearheaded by the UEFA Foundation for Children and Common Goal will foster pan-European exchange and networking, cross-sectoral collaboration, capacity development and peer-to-peer learning with a view to raising awareness, inspiring desired behaviour and leading thinking on how sport can enable and accelerate the empowerment of young refugees/migrants and vulnerable young people in host communities in Europe.

Football for Unity 2.0 seeks to fundamentally transform the way sports clubs, grassroots organisations and national football associations work with young refugees and migrants. The project will offer a systemic approach to the scaling-up and dissemination of impact-proven, innovative sport‑based social inclusion practices, working with 190 coaches, educators and youth/social workers at organisational, local, regional, national and European level.

Those actors, in turn, will seek to engage with 2,900 of the hardest-to-reach young Europeans, refugees and migrants through structured sport-based integration initiatives and non-formal education programmes. That strengthening of cooperation, capacity and professionalism at transnational level will help sports clubs, national football associations and grassroots organisations to foster social inclusion and equal opportunities, especially by setting quality standards for innovative practices.

A consortium of 14 project partners in 11 EU Member States (Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Romania, Spain, Latvia, the Netherlands and Italy) will establish expertise and a common understanding in the areas of social inclusion/integration, anti-racism and the tackling of discrimination through sport. Each of those partners has great experience because of many years of successful work at local and regional level, ensuring sustainability, ownership and societal transformation both on and off the pitch.

Football for Unity 2.0 will be guided by the following objectives over the two-year project period:

  1. Tackle racial discrimination against young migrants and refugees in European football – on the field, on the side lines, in the stands and across our communities
    1. Development and launch of an online curriculum for Switch the Pitch in German and English
    2. Use of the Switch the Pitch online platform and in-person workshops for 40 coaches working with three to six local football teams in Germany and 20 coaches working with four organisations in four other EU Member States (Austria, Latvia, Italy and Spain) to increase their knowledge and awareness of inclusive coaching and the fight against discrimination and xenophobia in football
    3. Training for four European grassroots football organisations, a number of NGOs and the national football associations of four EU Member States (Austria, Latvia, Italy and Spain) to increase their knowledge of Common Goal’s anti-racism methodology and prepare them for pan-European dissemination
    4. Three training sessions for 30 fan group leaders (e.g. Football Supporters Europe) and 100 fan zone volunteers (in Berlin) to increase their awareness of diversity, equality and inclusion and give them practical tools to address discrimination at fan events.
  2. Improve the safety, protection and well-being of young migrants/refugees and young people in host communities, helping them to cope with crises and supporting their recovery
    1. Implementation of sport-based integration sessions (using methodologies such as football3) in seven EU Member States (Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Greece, Romania and Spain) in order to build trust, dialogue and understanding between young migrants/refugees and young people in host communities, seeking to foster sensitivity to the needs of other people (respect, empathy, cooperation, equality, etc.)
    2. Implementation of a ‘train the trainer’ programme, helping 130 coaches, teachers and young leaders to deliver training independently and pass knowledge and skills on to young refugees/migrants and young people in host communities in two EU Member States (Poland and the Czech Republic)
  3. Make the European public aware of the diversity that exists within Europe and the contribution that successful integration makes to the well-being, prosperity and cohesion of European societies
    1. Raising awareness of issues surrounding the integration of refugees and migrants across Europe and promoting a positive image of migration

In addition, UEFA, as a formal supporter of this project, will promote knowledge generated by the project within the wider football ecosystem in the hope that European football will continue to increase its inclusion of and support for refugees and migrants.

Project content

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Football for Unity 2.0 will enable the implementation of (i) Switch the Pitch and (ii) Team Up for Solidarity.

Switch the Pitch

Our Switch the Pitch curriculum unites the football community behind anti-racism education and action; it aims to create a more inclusive and anti-racist environment for coaches and players of all ages. Its comprehensive action-oriented approach to educating players and coaches across the youth game is a revolutionary way of combating racism in the sport. One of the central components of Switch the Pitch, an ‘inclusive coach’ training programme, revolves around six topics – empathy, safety, vulnerability, appreciation, awareness and authenticity. For every topic, expert trainers explain three essential skills in a video, giving coaches tools that can immediately be incorporated into their training plans. In addition, an anti-racism curriculum consisting of 36 team activities enables youth coaches to engage their teams in a series of on-field team challenges that are designed to educate, activate and facilitate conversations around key topics such as racial identity, allyship, activism and leadership. We are launching a full European pilot for Switch the Pitch, and Germany – the host of EURO 2024 – has been chosen owing to the potential to activate Switch the Pitch as part of that tournament. In addition, a European scaling plan for Switch the Pitch will be developed and implemented.

Switch the Pitch Europe

We believe that the Switch the Pitch methodology should be utilised across Europe. As part of the Football for Unity 2.0 programme, we will therefore host a cohort of European grassroots organisations and national football associations to develop a European scaling strategy for Switch the Pitch. That cohort (comprising organisations from Italy, Austria, Latvia and Spain) will participate in two three-day events (one in the summer of 2024 and one in early 2025), which will be hosted by a German football club (Fortuna Düsseldorf). At the first of those workshops, they will receive training on the Switch the Pitch methodology, and our curriculum experts will help them to develop an implementation plan for Switch the Pitch in their community. Over a period of six to eight months, each cohort member will implement its version of Switch the Pitch in its community, and there will be regular online check-ins and further learning opportunities across this period. The cohort will then reconvene at the second workshop in early 2025 to discuss their experiences with implementing Switch the Pitch and develop a sustainable scaling plan for the methodology.

Expert partners: RheinFlanke (Germany), Fare (pan-European) and Breaking Grounds (Austria)

Implementation partners: Latvian Football Federation (Latvia), Balon Mundial (Italy), Dragones de Lavapiés (Spain) and Breaking Grounds (Austria)

Team Up for Solidarity

Team Up for Solidarity involves active collaboration with local organisations, using sport as an impactful, cost-effective, and low-threshold methodology in a structured and systemic way. Our project creates inclusive spaces that improve the safety, protection and well-being of young migrants and refugees across Europe, facilitate emotional and social stabilisation, foster the acquisition of new skills and abilities, strengthen resilience and create short to long-term opportunities in the areas of health, education and training. Sport-based integration/inclusion methodologies create a dynamic informal learning environment for young people, reinforcing formal educational curricula. They promote confidence, trust and safety, enabling players to put values they learn into action and become engaged in their communities. Engaging with those methodologies encourages informed decision-making and stimulates interest in how social challenges can be overcome. An emphasis on dialogue and conflict resolution enables players to grasp the power of consensual decision-making, allowing them to bridge cultural differences in a social environment marked by a constant inflow and outflow of community members. Furthermore, individuals who have been involved in sport-based integration/inclusion programmes also show greater dedication and responsibility and are more accountable to themselves and their communities.

Implementation partners: Trenuj Bycie Dobrym (Poland), Fundación Fútbol Más (Spain), Breaking Grounds (Austria), INEX – Sdruženi Dobrovolných Aktivit, Z.S. (Czech Republic), Oltalom Sport Association (Hungary), Organization Earth (Greece) and Romanian Football Federation (Romania)

 

Leveraging EURO 2024 to increase visibility and impact

Leveraging UEFA’s strong footprint across the continent in order to maximise visibility and impact, EURO 2024 will (i) harness football’s potential as a catalyst with a view to improving the social, mental, emotional and physical well-being of young refugees and migrants, and (ii) generate awareness and knowledge of sport’s potential to be an effective driver of integration, gender equality, anti-racism, fairness, respect, inclusion and youth empowerment.

EURO 2024 will provide an opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds across the EU to come together and celebrate their love of the sport, promoting understanding and respect between cultures. Additionally, the project will also provide a platform for players, officials and clubs to speak out against racism and discrimination, which will help to raise awareness of the issue and encourage others to act.

EURO 2024 will serve as a platform to make European citizens aware of how sport can enable young migrants/refugees and young people from host communities to acquire transferable skills, supporting their integration into society and strengthening their ability to make conscious decisions about their livelihoods. The tournament will have a profound impact on global and European audiences through its visibility and the media, allowing us to target the European public, policy-makers, media representatives and stakeholders in the fields of sport, education, gender equality, youth empowerment and social inclusion/integration. By mobilising global and European influencers, relevant agencies, and local or thematic influencers, the objectives of the programme will be communicated widely across Europe and around the world.

Partners

Kick for Trade Festival

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Basra, Iraq
Start date 12/01/2022
End date 06/30/2023
Cost of the project €110’814
Foundation funding €110’814
Project identifier 20220939
Partners Palestine: Sports for Life
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Iraqi children have limited opportunities to take part in projects that support individual development and foster employability. This hinders them from becoming successful and engaged individuals and citizens. 

Project goals

  • Increase employment rates among young people in Basra. 
  • Promote young people’s life skills, personal development, employment opportunities and entrepreneurship 
  • Increase the leadership skills of young leaders 
  • Improve the coaching skills of coaches 
  • Provide an inclusive environment and access to sports for ethnic minorities 

Project content

The Kick for Trade Festival is an expression of the successes of the K4T programme and has sport at its heart. 

The K4T project applies a unique approach to tackling youth unemployment by engaging young people through football. Sport acts as an entry point, offering a safe space for learning and personal development, leading on to further engagement in vocational programmes and entrepreneurship opportunities. Young people are linked to potential investors and employers from the Iraqi private sector through entrepreneurial and employability activities using Kick for Trade teams and tools.  

Football3 and the Kick for Trade curriculum sessions include adapted-rules football matches that enable the youngsters to develop and implement transferable skills that are relevant for employment, such as teamwork, leadership, communication, self-discipline and resilience. The sessions are for children and young people from ethnic minorities and from marginalised rural areas and disadvantaged districts of Basra. 

Partners