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Integration through Sport (IdS-Programme)

In Germany, in the year 2008 the number of people with a migration background amounted to 15.6 millions. As compared to the total population of 82.1 millions, this figure represents a quota of 19%. However, when we compare this quota with the number of members in sports clubs, it becomes obvious that persons with a migration background are clearly under-represented in organied sport. They only make up for 10.1 % (2.8 million) of all members of sports clubs.

And yet, it is specially organized sport which offers far-reaching individual opportunities and social possibilities, thus representing an important field of action in view of integrating people with a migration background and the local population.

Therefore, in sports, social integration can take place in such a way that persons of different ethnic backgrounds get into contact with one another, establish social relations and build up social links. Moreover, sports offers potentials for integration in terms of everyday culture, by means of transmitting cultural conventions, transferring everyday knowledge as well as facilitating language learning. Sports clubs are not only venues of sports activities but also represent places of everyday communication, offering opportunities for mutual intercultural learning.

In sports clubs, in the light of everyday politics, integration takes place, among others, due to a democratic co-determination and the input of a voluntary, public weal-oriented commitment by civil society representatives.

Last but not least, through the help of the club, sports can contribute to a socio-structural integration by opening up educational and professional chances.

In order to activate those integration potentials of sports (organized in associations), pedagogically well devised arrangements are required to initiate integrative processes and to impart integrative experiences. 

 

 

Project Goal

Based on the understanding of integration, there is a common nucleus of integration aims  of the programme ''Integration through Sport“ which serve as joint guidelines for the work within the programme and are applied nation-wide. 
  • Integration into Sport: promotion of representation/target group with equal rights of participation at all levels
  • Integration through Sport into society
  • Promotion and support of sports organizations regarding their integration work
  • Promotion and appreciation of voluntary civil committment (volunteering for, by and with male and female migrants)
  • Promotion of the intercultural openness of sports
  • Consolidation of the topic of integration within the sport structures and strengthening of the socio-political awareness-building and recognition of integration work in sports
  • Continuing further development and optimization of the programme in the light of social and political developments and scientific findings.

The common nucleus of integration aims is nation-wide but, at the same time, it also offers some scope to adapt the objectives to general conditions of a specific nature in a Federal State (i.e. it is possible that the emphasis laid on the objectives differs at the different levels of the programme).

How it works

"Integration through Sport" is a programme of the German Olympic Sports Confederation ('Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund e.V.' / DOSB). As to its implementation, it is  assigned to the Regional Sports Confederations ('Landessportbünde' / LSB) or Sports Youths of the LSBs (LSJ) which run it under their respective own responsibility. So-called 'special support clubs' – i.e. sports clubs particularly committed to integration work – constitute the basis of the organisational structure of the IdS Programme. Furthermore, there are the so-called male and female start-helpers who actively help to initiate and give guidance to new integrative sports groups or co-ordinate networks.  The implementation of the programme objectives within networks, even outside organized sport structures, complements the work of sport associations and support clubs, also offering a great chance to remain capable of action at the local level and to react in a flexible way.

The 'superior' organizational structures such as the LSB/LSJ or the DOSB support the sports clubs as grassroot organizations in conceptual, planning and organizational matters.

A wide range of activities and tools of integration ensure that the contents of the integration programme are put into practice. For this purpose, we not only use the existing programme structures of traditionally organized sports but also take up new, alternative forms of sporting activities:

  • Development of target group-specific programmes which orientate themselves by the motives and needs of the target groups
  • Recruitment of exercise leaders/start helpers with a migration background as 'door openers'/multipliers
  • Development of target group-specific qualification programmes
  • Devising conceptual appoaches for clubs / networks / projects
  • Public Relations
  • Networking

 

Results

  • At national level, in close to 500 sports clubs (so-called support clubs) about 1,200 financially supported exercise leaders take care of about 2,000 integrative sports groups. Approximately 38,000 persons practice sports more or less regularly in those sports groups.
  • About 20,900 participants are immigrants,  representing a scarce majority, while local people make up for approximately 17,100 participants and constitute a scarce minority. This results in a proportion of 55 % immigrants as compared to 45 % local residents.
  • Almost half of the exercise leaders (49 %) have a migration background.
  • In  approximately half of all integration groups (54 %) immigrants have taken over duties or functions.
  • The majority of support clubs also provide support services outside sport (help for reading and filling in forms, for searching a vocational training place or a job, for administrative procedures, looking for a flat, looking after homework doing).


In  2010 there will be more than 600 support clubs, which will engage in the programme  "Integration through Sport" with their multifarious sports activities.

Evaluation

During the period between 2007 and 2009 the University of Potsdam evaluated the programme ''Integration through Sport“ (see Baur et al., 2009). The survey comprised a standardized written inquiry among the counterparts and the male and female exercise leaders of the support clubs of the IdS-Programme. The documented findings are based on the information gathered from 336 counterparts as well as 608 exercise leaders. Moreover, comprehensive oral interviews were made with all regional co-ordinators (N = 18) of the different Federal States on the basis of a uniform interview guideline.

 

Who benefits

The programme ''Integration through Sport“ addresses people with a migration background. The future work will specially focus on groups which are so far under-represented in sports, such as, for example, girls and women, elderly people and socially disadvantaged persons.

Furthermore, the University of Koblenz-Landau evaluated the conception of further education called ''Sport – Intercultural'' which has been implemented as a qualification programme since 2004. During a research period of three years, from 2006 to 2008, the development process, the seminar conception, the application context, the social impact and the sustainability of the qualification programme were examined.

 

Funding and resources

  • Financial support, which amounts to 5.4 million Euro per year, by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees
  • Manpower amounts to 56.5  full-time employees in total (co-ordinators at Federal State and regional levels, persons in charge of this topic)  affiliated to the respective LSB/LSJ
  • Volunteers acting in the programme: start helpers, exercise leaders, counterparts in the support clubs

 

About this good practice

Details

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1. Evaluation Integration through Sport I
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(2.04 MB - PDF)
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5. Integration through Sport - Teaching Intercultural Knowledge
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4. Integration through Sport - Feminine Migrants in Sport
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(7.84 MB - PDF)
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3. Evaluation Integration through Sport - Summary and Consequences
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(121.45 KB - PDF)
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2. Evaluation Integration through Sport II
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(1.6 MB - PDF)
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6. Summary Reports 1-5
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(978.13 KB - PDF)
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