Mondiali antirazzisti

Action accessible to all including newly-arrived migrants

PROJECT OWNER

Name of the project owner: Unione Italiana Sport Per Tutti - UISP

Status of the project owner: National NGO

Area of work of the project owner: Sport / Migration / Youth / Social integration / Health / Citizenship / Gender equality / Active aging / Volunteering / Sport for physical and psychological disabled people / Sexual orientation equality
Website of UISP

PROJECT

Italy

Geographic scope of project: International

Project objective: Promote social diversity / Educate and transmit values through sport / Practice a physical activity for physical/mental health / Develop intercultural relations and/or intercultural competency / Promote access to volunteering in sport

Types of sport or physical activity carried out: Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Rugby, Gymnastic, Tchoukball

Partnership / supports: Grants (FARE, Region Emilia Romagna, Antiracism Office of the Presidency of Ministry (UNAR) / Other partner (UNHCR, Municipality of Castelfranco Emilia, Italian Footballer Association, Matteo Bagnaresi Foundation, La Città degli Alberi Association, Radio Fujiko, Yap, Younet)

Project duration: since 1997

Project status: Underway

Supervising staff: Professionals / Volunteers

Summary of the project: Mondiali Antirazzisti is a sport event born on 1997 from a very simple idea: organising a real festival with the direct involvement and the contamination of realties normally considered in opposition and marginalised as the football supporters often considered as all racist and the migrant communities, described mainly as “a problem”. This event organised by UISP became an annual meeting in July collecting more than 5.000 people per day. This 5 days event consists in different sport and cultural activities. All the people live together for 5 days in a camping area, and can eat in the different restaurant and bars managed directly by the volunteers of the organisation. All activities (sport tournaments, concerts, cultural workshops and camping) are free. Living, eating, playing sport together is a good way to create link and bridges between people and culture.

One of the key objective of Mondiali Antirazzisti is the meeting and the knowledge. Using a non competitive tournament, the intention is to put in condition different cultures/groups of establishing a dialogue also with local authorities, sport and youth organisation of all over Europe, in order to create future projects and collaborations, at national or European level. It is a way to reconnect people, to build network and to create a social dialogue and to create a European culture, based on welcoming.

From this possibilities the second consequent objective is to reach a change in the closing mind of some groups, which utilised the self-referentiality as a tool of protection against public opinion, towards the direction of build together a platform of debating and exchange of experiences.

Another important objective is to combat the phenomenon of discrimination and violence in the sport arenas and in society in general. All volunteers during the festival as a double roles: help the organisation and having a role of mediation of eventual conflicts or misunderstanding or helping the dialogue through a linguistic mediation. In this way people can learn directly the importance of dialogue.

Finally the goal is to arise awareness in public opinion concerning the problem of discrimination in sport, spreading the values at the base of the festival, telling stories of the participants, contributing in creating a campaign of information and antidiscrimination in sport. The innovation of the project is about the formula chosen: put together flexible rules for the sport activities, music, culture and sharing (for 5 days the participants live in the same place). So in few days Mondiali Antirazzisti is like a village where people meet together, exchange experience, build relationships and experiment that living together in peace is possible.

This formula has been copied from many participants, who organise minifestival like Mondiali in their own town. The second innovative aspect is the strong attention for the environment: 83% of the rubbish recycled, free mains water for all (15.000 lt); using of recycle materials for dishes, glasses and flatware; no use of glass and plastic. Finally, this project hosts international work camps for youth: 50 boys and girls from all over the world, cooperate in the preparation, organisation and realisation of the event. This contribute in creating a good mixing of Italian volunteers and international one, a specific exchange inside the bigger contest of a festival. At the end of the experiences all the groups express very positive comment on how they learn how to manage a sport event and they also learn something more about the importance of fighting discrimination.

Sport migrant integration platform

Mondiali antirazzisti

Action accessible to all including newly-arrived migrants