Sporting Inclusion and Diversity
Sporting Inclusion and Diversity (SPIDI) international activity took place on August 21-26, 2020 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The objectives of Sporting Inclusion and Diversity correspond to the strategic priorities of the Council of Europe’s Youth sector for the period of 2020-2021, namely priority n.3: Inclusive and Peaceful societies. Within the frameworks of the “Promoting social inclusion, fostering active participation, gender equality and combating all forms of discrimination on the grounds of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights” we specifically focused on young refugees and their transition from childhood to adulthood.
Sport represents an educational avenue that can equip disadvantaged youngsters with skills, competences and it helps to build social capital which is an essential component of social inclusion and diversity, which you are fully aware of and we will take a chance to exchange good practices and also continue to create our impact in the field.
Due to Covid-19 regulations, this year’s meeting embraces the power of digitalization and consists of online and physical attendance sessions.
SPIDI international activity is funded by Council of Europe through European Youth Foundation.
Report
Day 1: TEAM BUILDING
After the intro session and a welcome from ENGSO president Stefan Bergh and ENGSO Youth chair Ugne Chmeliauskaite, Young Delegates and the participants of the SPIDI activity got a chance to introduce themselves and their work, and share updates on sport development and Covid-19 situation in their countries of work/origin. The morning sessions revolved around getting to know each other through various team-building activities.
In the afternoon workshop, labeled Inclusion Lab: sport values versus social exclusion, the participants took part in the discussion about the role of sport as a tool for integration and the values that can be developed through sport.
Issues we addressed:
- How can we develop healthy values through sport?
- What are the unhealthy values?
- Who is responsible for teaching healthy values?
Day one concluded with a sporting challenge and an intercultural picnic.
Day 2: HUMAN RIGHTS AND REFUGEES
The discussion around the refugees’ situation and human rights in Europe, and beyond, was the highlight of day two.
In the joint sharing session “Refugees; human rights situation in my country”, participants from 15 different countries presented the statistics, issues, asylum systems and integration models. Special focus was given to the sport integration model.
In the second joint session of the day, ENGSO Youth Young Delegate Laura-Maria Tiidla presented the CoE’s compass: manual for human right education with young people.
In the afternoon, the participants had a chance to visit the Refugee Reception Centre and hear personal stories of people who left their homes to seek a better life in Lithuania.
Download the presentation about Compass – Human Rights for Education With Young People, made by our Young Delegate Laura: click here.
Day 3: INCLUSION
Day three was about brainstorming and finding innovative ways to include and integrate refugees into society using sport as tool.
We began our sessions with a not-so-simple question: how to overcome the cultural barriers and integrate women and girls refugees? The discussion about the “Education for, through and by sport” helped us find potential solutions.
The morning activities were concluded with a session about the challenges the NGOs are facing when implementing the sport integration model.
In the afternoon, the participants of the Vilnius meeting discussed and designed inclusive sport games.
Later in the day they also put them into practice. Day three finished with a Vilnius orienteering game.
Day 4: THE MANUAL
On the last of the SPIDI international activity, we researched, discussed and made plans for the final outcome of the project – the video manual.
Day four started with a discussion on tips and tricks we could use and include in the manual. We also tackled the issue of inclusion and tried to define it with one word only.
Before the participants of the Vilnius activity began with filming and creating, we overviewed the follow-up activities we could commit to after the SPIDI.
The last day of Sport Inclusion and Diversity (SPIDI) international activity finished with a joint session where each participant evaluated the sessions and dig deep for their “aha moments” of the four-day event.
