Play to Belong: Using Sports to Create a More Inclusive Society

<< Background >>We applied for this funding because the three organisations shared the same need: to improve the social and cultural integration of young migrants and refugees in our territories. In Italy, Spain and Turkey, youth workers reported difficulties in intercultural communication, an increase in discrimination and a lack of practical tools to work effectively on inclusion. At the same time, many young people with a migrant background experienced isolation, low participation and few opportunities to interact with local peers.The partners recognised sport as a powerful means of overcoming language barriers, reducing prejudice and creating safe spaces for interaction, but there was a lack of structured methodology and common resources to guide youth workers. This is why we requested Play to Belong: to offer specialised training, equip organisations with practical tools and create a structured guide capable of supporting the socio-cultural inclusion of migrants through sport, fully aligned with the priorities of inclusion and quality of youth work in the original proposal.<< Objectives >>With the implementation of Play to Belong, we wanted to contribute directly to the social and cultural inclusion of young migrants and refugees in Italy, Spain and Turkey. Our main objective was to use sport as an accessible and universal tool to create safe spaces where local young people and young people with a migrant background could live together, interact and build relationships based on respect.To this end, we sought to improve the skills of youth workers through specialised training in intercultural mediation and the use of sport for inclusion; to develop and disseminate a practical guide based on non-formal education methodologies that would enable the implementation of inclusive sports activities in different contexts; and to launch real actions with young people that would reduce prejudice, promote intercultural understanding and facilitate the social participation of migrants and refugees. We also work to raise awareness among young people and the community about the European values of inclusion, diversity and non-discrimination.Overall, the project aimed to strengthen social cohesion and provide organisations with lasting tools to improve their capacity to work on inclusion through sport, in line with the objectives<< Implementation >>To achieve the project objectives, we implemented all the planned activities, following the established sequence. We started with the Kickoff Meeting in Italy, during which the three partners defined the general planning, the distribution of responsibilities, the calendar and the communication and management mechanisms.We then developed a hybrid training programme for youth workers, combining online sessions and local activities led by intercultural mediators, with the aim of strengthening skills in inclusion, cultural diversity and the use of sport as an educational tool.With the knowledge acquired, youth workers from the three countries contributed to the creation of a practical guide for the inclusion of migrants and refugees through sport, divided into research, methodology and activity proposals.We then carried out the testing and piloting phase of the guide through fortnightly activities in Italy, Spain and Turkey.Finally, we organised a Sports Festival in Italy as a final event to present the results, promote inclusion through sport and highlight the overall impact of the project.<< Results >>The project generated a series of concrete and measurable results that directly responded to the set objectives. First, we trained the nine youth workers involved, who developed new skills in intercultural mediation, non-formal education and the use of sport as a tool for inclusion.One of the main results was the practical guide “Inclusion of Refugees through Sports”, a structured and accessible document available in English and the languages of the partners. The guide includes a theoretical framework, a methodology, practical guidelines and a series of sports activities aimed at promoting social integration.During the pilot phase, we implemented sports and intercultural activities, with a direct impact on local young people and young refugees or migrants in the three countries. These activities made it possible to validate the guide, improve it and demonstrate its effective applicability.The final Sports Festival gave visibility to the project's results and strengthened social awareness of inclusion, diversity and European values, consolidating local and transnational networks.