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Hattrick: Football-Learning-Integration
Start date: Dec 1, 2009,

Integration into education and training systems, the labour market and society at large of people with a migration background is still a major challenge in Europe. Migrants tend to be significantly lower educated than the average population, much more often affected by unemployment and excluded from many social activities. Particularly young male migrants have a high risk of becoming ealry school-leavers and/or unemployed (EU study VC/2004/0139). The football pitch, however, is one of the few social locations where integration seems to be successful in many cases. A good performance in sports entails social recognition which is otherwise often denied. According to EUROBAROMETER 213 73% of EU citizens view sport as a promising means of promoting the integration of immigrant populations.This is a view shared by the White Paper on Sport (COM(2007) 391): better use should be made of the potential of sport as an instrument for social inclusion in EU programmes to strengthen civic society.Being a successful footballer does not only boost confidence and self-esteem of young migrants: It also involves transversal competences like motivation of self and others, the capacity to work in teams, orientation towards set goals, perseverance, strategic thinking, to name but a few. These are also key competences for a successful educational and professional career, and for integration into society.The basic idea of Hattrick is to use the potential which young migrant footballers display on the football pitch for (re-)entering education and vocational training and thus improving their social integration.Hattrick seeks to engage - young migrants- young men with a migration background- other young male adults who are socio-economically disadvantaged, with a low level of education, or at risk of exclusionin lifelong learning activities by transforming experiences gained and skills developed while practising football. Their enthusiasm about football will be used for educational purposes. Football clubs will be explored as possible new places of learning through a two-fold training strategy:Hattrick will develop and test“FootbaLLL (Football and Lifelong Learning)” workshops for 15-25 – year old migrant football players in which - their transversal skills developed through football are made visible - pathways into education and training are (re-)opened - and thus their integration into society at large is improved.Motivation, confidence and competences of young migrant footballers will be enhanced by developing personal and social skills which are related to the global concept Fair Play. In the workshops they will be dircted to further learning activities. Moreover, to enable football trainers to support their players in their process of integration into LLL a training offer called “FootbaLLL Coach” they will be trained and tested. Possible modules:- Social competence, in particular communication skills, for working with young migrants- Team building and methods for steering complex group-dynamic processes- Active promotion of Fairplay- Conflict prevention and solution- Intercultural competence- Motivation of footballers for engaging in learning- Knowledge of professional support structures (counselling, social work etc.)Main project products to be developed include:- Design and tool kit for FootbaLLL workshops for young migrants- Design and materials for “FootbaLLL Coach” training course for their football trainers- Implementation and documentation of pilots- Hattrick Good Practice Brochure Product development is complemented by awareness-raising activities among stakeholders in adult education, sport and integration. To this end a range of dissemination products will be developed and distributed, including a project website, flier, poster, newsletters, project presentations, and media publications.Hattrick is designed for 2 years and will be implemented by 7 education providers and 7 associated football clubs.
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