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United we play, united we win

2024-1-PL01-KA152-YOU-0002250622024Mobility of young peoplefinalized
Countries: PL|TR|LT|HR · Grant: €39,230
Physical and mental health, well-being

Objectives

The "United We Play, United We Win" project was the result of our organisation's previous activities and experience. For many years, sport has played an important role in the educational and integration initiatives we have implemented. The inspiration for this project came from an incident that took place on the sports field at the school in Piotrkowice Małe. During a sports competition involving young people from Poland and Ukraine, a verbal conflict escalated into the use of offensive and vulgar language, accompanied by aggressive behaviour and physical pushing. Thanks to the prompt intervention of teachers and youth workers, the situation was resolved peacefully. However, this incident prompted us to reflect on the need to foster mutual respect, dialogue, and understanding among young people. At the request of the participants, our association became actively involved in addressing the situation. In cooperation with the school, we organised a series of workshops and sports activities aimed at identifying the causes of the conflict and rebuilding relationships between the participants. During these sessions, we analysed the sources of misunderstanding, discussed stereotypes, prejudice, racism, xenophobia, and discrimination, and explored ways of preventing similar situations in the future. The workshops were led by a qualified trainer and athlete with extensive experience in working with young people. Participants explored the core values of sport, such as respect, teamwork, responsibility, fair play, and equal opportunities regardless of nationality, religion, or ethnic background. In their evaluations, the participants emphasised that the workshops helped them better understand other people's perspectives, develop conflict-resolution skills through dialogue, and realise that sport can be an effective tool for building mutual understanding. Many participants also highlighted that the joint sports activities helped break down barriers and create a friendlier atmosphere within the group. It was during these activities that one of the senior members of our organisation introduced the Erasmus+ Programme and encouraged the young people to build on their experience by developing an international youth exchange project. The participants recognised that challenges related to prejudice, exclusion, and conflicts are present in many countries, which inspired them to create a youth exchange focused on promoting the values of sport. From the moment the project group was established, we worked closely with our partners from Türkiye, Slovenia (later replaced by Lithuania), and Croatia to develop the youth exchange programme. The partner selection process was based on an analysis of applications received through our organisational network and the OTLAS Partner Finding Tool. During the preparatory meetings, all partners confirmed that similar challenges exist within their local communities and that sport plays an important role in their educational and community-based activities. The main objective of the project was to promote the values of sport as a tool for social inclusion, tolerance, combating stereotypes and prejudice, and strengthening intercultural dialogue. We wanted to demonstrate that sport has the power to bring together young people from different cultural, social, and national backgrounds while fostering trust, understanding, and cooperation. Another important objective was to develop participants' social competences, including communication, teamwork in an international environment, conflict resolution, and active participation in community life. Together with our partners, we designed an inclusive sports game combining elements of traditional sports and games characteristic of each participating country. The game became a symbol of cooperation, creativity, and working together beyond cultural and national differences. An important part of the project was also a sports and integration picnic, during which the newly created game was officially launched. We invited participants from Occupational Therapy Workshops and students from the Special Educational and Care Centre to take part in the event. This gave participants the opportunity to experience the values of social inclusion, the involvement of young people with fewer opportunities, and the importance of building an open, supportive, and inclusive society. In their final evaluations, participants emphasised that taking part in the project increased their openness towards other cultures, helped them overcome stereotypes, and demonstrated that sport can serve as a universal language of communication and mutual understanding. Many young people also stated that the project enabled them to establish new international friendships, improve their teamwork skills, and feel a greater sense of responsibility for creating an atmosphere of mutual respect within their local communities.

Project partners (4)