Sport 4 Change
Start date: May 31, 2015,
End date: Mar 30, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
Sport 4 Change, is a multilateral youth exchange project which aims to address social discrimination, unemployment and social exclusion amongst young people from isolated socio-economic backgrounds in UK; Azerbaijan; Israel; Morocco. Focusing on young people who are primarily unemployed and from struggling economic backgrounds, Sport 4 Change, will mobilise Sport and Informal learning techniques to develop young people to become full rounded adults.
With the recent EU Parliament elections, where voters overly supported Right-focused parties across Europe, there is an ever increasing leaning towards political and social ideas such as: Intolerance; Discrimination & Racism; and Community social exclusion.
In particular, although rightest parties have received support throughout the Social Strata, the vast majority of voters, were people who are suffering from the recent Economic Crisis. In particular, those currently unemployed, living on Benefits and who have only achieved a secondary level Education, as well as living in regions outside of major cities, are turning to extreme ideas and politicians to have their voice heard.
Sport 4 Change aims to offer an alternative to young people suffering in these situations and to reduce the influence of the Right, Populist Newspapers and their Poverty.
Over a 2 year period, young people through Sport 4 Change, will participate in Multilateral Youth Exchanges, incorporating 4 stages of activities, with the aim to develop their Life Skills; Work experience; Cultural engagement; and provide them with the skills required to connect with Decision-makers, instead of relying on Right Political Parties and populist movements:
• Sport for Skills
• Work-based learning
• Inter-cultural Dialogue
• Express Yourself
Sport for Skills: mobilising Adapted Sport, young people will engage fellow young people from other countries, to develop Life Skills, including: Communication; Inter-personal; Leadership; Team-working; and Budgeting. Furthermore, participants will develop their behaviours and come to respect key concepts as: Respect; Fair play; and Tolerance.
Work-based learning: all participants will benefit from work-based training using informal learning methods, throughout the 2 year programme, with particular focus during the youth exchanges. Work-based training will include: Business admin; Customer Service; Health & Social Care; Sport Coaching; Teaching; Work-place behaviours; Marketing; Fundraising; Project management; etc.
Inter-cultural Dialogue: young participants will engage with peer young people from other countries during the Multilateral Youth Exchanges, to allow them to experience life in other countries and cultures, to develop international communication skills, language skills and most importantly to understand people, whether they be from their own community or a different one. The key objective is to overcome the increasing embedded idea, that that migrant workers are different and the incorrect idea that migrant workers ‘take all the jobs from local people’, which is not true. Through Inter-cultural activities and dialogue, Sport for Change will connect young people together, and reveal the reality that ultimately they are just people, with the same problems, hopes and needs.
Express Yourself: Express Yourself, will develop the skills young people need to engage with Decision-makers, while developing their wider skills to: debate; communicate; and persuade decision-makers of their issues and the changes they need to happen in society. Young People will meet with MPs; Councillors; Civil Servants; Bankers; and others who they feel have influence over their lives.