Duration of the project:

February 2023 – January 2024

Topics:

• Awareness about the European Union
• Inclusion of Marginalised Young People
• International Relations and Development Cooperation

Funding:

Project Fair Play is funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme.
Action type: Mobility of Young People

YOUTH EXCHANGE “FAIR PLAY for INCLUSION” brings together 6 partner organizations from 6 countries. The basic purpose of the project is to use sports activities, in this case football, to increase the international dimension and expand its activities to the international level in order to improve the level of key competences and skills through enhanced cooperation between organizations in working with young people.

An essential element of sport is fair play, which means:

• honest mutual relations
• fair play
• mutual respect
• mutual support
• nonviolent communication
• equty, equality

Why this project?

Something that is (supposed to be) self-evident with sport and should be self-evident for society in general, we want to transfer to other areas and especially to make young people aware and empowered so that they, as the future bearers of society’s development, will be able to realize the common goals of society.

Objectives

The main objective of this project is to create and strengthen collaborative partnerships and promote high-quality international sports events (e.g. European Fair Play Football Championship, networking meetings, workshops for managers,…) based on shared experiences using non-formal learning methods aimed at young people.

Target groups

The target groups of this event are young people from different social backgrounds with special emphasis on young people with fewer opportunities, inclusion and equal opportunities, promoting socially acceptable behavior and connecting young people with each other. In this way, we want to enable young people to acquire knowledge and experience that will enable them to use their own potential and become an active part of our society.

Goals

Among the goals of the project are the discovery of innovative approaches to solving problems in various youth communities in the EU, as well as encouraging the interest of young Europeans in physical activity, volunteering, and local or global efforts to solve pressing issues and problems.

By participating in the project and teamwork, young people with limited opportunities will be reminded of the importance of their involvement, while at the same time they will be aware that they are equal with others, that they have the same rights and duties, and strive for mutual support and respect for diversity and general values.

Cooperation and teamwork, they will be able to transfer to their wider environment, with the realization that Europe is also a team with common values ​​shared by all its members.

Activities

Before the Fair play youth exchange, the organization of workshops for all participants is planned. Project activities will promote innovative synergy between the field of sports and the field of health, education, training and youth. The main theme of this project is sport as a tool for fair play (inter-relationships), social inclusion and civic engagement through volunteering. The project significantly increased awareness of other cultures, languages ​​and tolerance for differences. The basic competences and skills that the participants will recognize, develop or acquire will enable them to be in better physical condition or skill in playing and practicing sports, and at the same time these participants will be in a better position to achieve the goals defined in the project when working with youth groups.

We will achieve the stated goals with the following methods:
• organization of events and meetings
• informal forms of learning
• thematic workshops – cultural differences, equality, equality, empowerment,
• social games
• active participation in the planning and implementation of activities
• evaluation and self-evaluation
• communication methods and competences
• networking
• sensitization, raising awareness of respect and justice
• promoting peace, tolerance and understanding.
• long-term perspectives of active involvement of young people in local communities

Impact

Physical activity, sport and especially grassroots sports can make a positive contribution in a way that is highlighted in the European Commission’s White Paper on Sport, which states that sporting activities provide society with important social benefits. There is a growing awareness of the health benefits of regular physical activity and the benefits of sport, especially when practiced in an organized environment, and the ways in which they are linked to fair play, tolerance, social inclusion, and the development of mass sport. Among the goals of the project are the discovery of innovative approaches to solving problems in various youth communities in the EU, as well as encouraging the interest of young Europeans in physical activity, volunteering, and local or global efforts to solve pressing issues and problems.

The project will contribute to promoting tolerance and inclusion of young people from different countries, religions, educational and social levels among young people at the local, national and European level.

The purpose of this project is also to identify possibilities and methods for wider international networking and the establishment of informal friendly exchanges even after the completion of this project.

• The project will have a positive impact on the creators of the project, animators in sports and healthcare, as they will have the opportunity to develop their creativity and apply their expertise among the widest population.

• The project will have a positive impact on target groups such as families with children and the general public.

• The project addresses, includes and offers the possibility of participation to every individual.

• The project will have a positive impact on local communities, which are a supportive environment for ensuring and enforcing a healthy lifestyle for every citizen.

• The project contributes to strengthening diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities in sport.

• The activities of the European Commission are essentially aimed at the permanent promotion of the acceptance, recognition and integration of diversity in all areas of our public life.

• In addition to sports, the meeting enables participants from different EU countries to reflect on the historical and political dimensions of the EU.

• An increasingly diverse society is not regionally limited, but is based on transnational development.

• Transferring a proven approach as an example at the European level.

• The exchange ensures that we spread the common values ​​of diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities within and outside of European countries.

• The joint project enables the sustainable development of a joint network between different European projects. This not only enables the transfer of ideas through different approaches to sports social activities or youth work, but also encourages the development of joint innovative projects.

• Through direct meetings, joint activities and seminars, the project will contribute to getting to know other cultures and promoting the intercultural competence of the participants.

• Solidarity and team spirit can contribute to understanding between countries, overcoming differences and promoting friendship.