Eurostat puts the number of asylum applications in Europe at approximately 1.8 million, of which 11.9% will be Syrian and 8% Afghan. Looking at their realities, as well as taking into account the reality experienced across Europe, the partners consider that new mechanisms for integrating these migrants into the communities where they have been placed are necessary. The partners consider that the focus should be given to young people, since most of them will not be participating in the academic, social and cultural life of the communities.
Thus, and taking into consideration that sport is one of the activities which most involves young people, but it is also a practice to be instilled for the healthy development of young people, the partnership wishes to study how sport among young people is being used at European level to break cultural barriers and promote active citizenship.
The aim is therefore to develop curricula and working methods, which do not yet exist in a structured and mechanised way, which will allow in all European communities to integrate and create programmes for the integration of migrants into their communities through the practice of sport for young people.
RECulture wants to use sport as a way to connect and strengthen communities, share common values, break cultural and ideological barriers, and ultimately trigger structural and systematic changes to introduce across Europe the development of grassroots programmes that follow the study and development done in this project, led by young people who want to impact the present and future of their communities.
During this project, the consortium will first conduct a good practice survey in order to understand how communities use sports programmes for the integration of migrant or refugee communities, thus understanding what is being done well but also understanding where these programmes are failing.
After this research, the project will develop a curriculum “From Theory to Practice”, which will bring together all the knowledge and material needed to develop and implement youth sport programmes in a structured way in communities dealing with the integration of migrants and refugees.
The project will also develop an in-service training programme to ensure that training is available for social workers, youth workers, and coaches to successfully implement in their communities the curriculum that has been developed.
Finally, because we want this project to have a systemic impact, a Policy Paper will be developed to present to key stakeholders and policymakers the project, the materials developed and the conclusions reached, in order to kickstart the implementation of the work developed in their communities.