Get inspired: Liberi Nantes on why and how to include displaced people in your sport organisation
Sport is a proven powerful tool for inclusion of displaced people, but including displaced persons in your club also enriches its social life and carries numerous benefits. In this article, Marta Cristianini from Liberi Nantes dives into what made them commit to offering sporting activities for displaced people in their club, how they went about it, and what key lessons they have drawn from their experience, including in the REPLAY project.
What is Liberi Nantes and what role does it hold in the REPLAY project?
Liberi Nantes is an active member of several networks of sports organisations and civil society organisations, both locally and internationally. Thanks to its field experience since 2007, the association contributes extensive expertise to the project, both practical and advocacy based. It also has access to a vast local network (local reception centres for both adults and foreign minors, grassroots sports associations, sports clubs, and local authorities) and national networks, thanks also to its excellent connections with the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. During the first phase of the project, Liberi Nantes was able to test the methodology developed by Play International to identify any adaptations that would be useful for the involvement of Italian clubs. In the second phase of the project, its expertise and access to the local network enabled the preparation of a call for interest, the dissemination and selection of five sports clubs in the Rome area, and the subsequent collaboration with the incubator to facilitate relationships with clubs and reception centres, with a view to connecting the two entities and facilitating a more positive impact. Knowledge of the national registration procedures and the specificities of unaccompanied foreign minors and minors with a migrant background will contribute to a review of the planned outreach materials and guidelines.
Why did you decide to integrate displaced persons in your club? What benefits has it had for your organisation?
Since its foundation in 2007, Liberi Nantes has promoted and guaranteed free access to sports and leisure activities. The Association sees beyond just the offering of football activities. One of the main goals is to offer to the local community a way to develop as an individual and a citizen and strengthen skills to live together.
Contact with people who have difficulty integrating into society is essential to succeed. It strengthens a fundamental value of Liberi Nantes’ vision: respect and peaceful coexistence of all differences, towards the consolidation of a safe space where everyone can feel free to play and stay together without the burden of daily life.
The Association tries to extend the offer for the local community by realising different activities, both sportive and cultural, overcoming the concept of just “offering a service”. It’s important to mark the difference between that and an action that aims at building something together. It is essential to mark the difference between an action that only consists of offering a “service” and one that aims at building something together. In addition, involving and engaging refugees, as well as people from different migratory backgrounds or in disadvantaged conditions, strengthens the sense of belonging. It helps people to share things and have the same vision. This sharing of values and goals creates strong social bonds and strengthens the inclusion of newcomers in a community.
What are the biggest lessons your commitment has taught you?
That complexity must be dealt with constantly through dialog, an open-minded approach going beyond stereotypes, getting to know the person and accept them as they are, to listen and value people’s skills, interests, passions and perspectives. This approach encourages people to be proactive and to develop paths that we would not even have imagined. The idea that everyone can find their place on an equal footing is one of the keys to building bridges between people, even if they come from opposite backgrounds. The goal is to build an example of a new and unexpected way of being together, of a relationship of mutual support and care that goes beyond the sports field.
If you want to learn more about Liberi Nantes and their activities, you can check out their website https://www.liberinantes.org/ or their social media.
The REPLAY project is a 18 months project funded by the European Commission PPPA for Sport program. Its goal is to develop a methodology of action to accompany clubs in Italy that wish to welcome displaced young people in their organisations with concrete tools and advice on how to navigate project management and the specificities of including displaced children. You can learn more and follow the project on the social media of each partner or on the project webpage : https://www.play-international.org/en/projects/replay-refugees-play-united
