The project partners, V4Sport Foundation, Suceava Sport for All, Romania, International Sport and Culture Association, Terre des Hommes Romania, University of Cassino and Sothern Lazio Italy, Laureus Sport for Good, have joined forces to embark on this 2-year project (2023-2024), with its kick-off meeting taking place in March.
Together we will collect best practices and develop materials to assist with integration efforts for Ukrainian refugee children through sport, with a focus on sharing inspiration with schools and sports clubs. In Romania and Poland, we plan to pilot activities and the materials with specific focus on peer-learning programmes, and evaluation and refinement of the materials. The project will deliver three webinars for the Integration of Refugees Through Sport network and build capacity in more organisations through seminars and workshops during the 2023 MOVE Congress.
“Although there are over 6000 languages spoken worldwide, every child understands body language. We need to use the power of sport to bring children together and to promote greater integration and understanding.” Jakub Kalinowski, V4Sport, Poland
“Quoting Nelson Mandela, Laureus Sport for Good deeply believes that ‘Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand’. We believe in sport as a powerful tool to build bridges, to heal and improve physical and mental health, and to boost learning.” Elena Marin Yanez, Laureus Sport for Good
“Sport plays a huge role in bringing communities together. The grassroots sport community in Poland and Romania has a tremendous record when it comes to supporting the need of Ukrainian refugees. But we recognise that there’s still a need to build the capacities of grassroots sport organisations to support refugees with sport and physical activity, which give comfort and relief. We know that positive experiences can turn into changes in attitudes and a better future. ISCA is proud to be a partner in this project and to create more opportunities for Ukrainian refugees and for organisations that provide activities for them.” Saska Benedicic Tomat, ISCA Head of projects.