“Sport Together for Peace”: First Partner Meeting Held in Greece
Representatives from eight partner organisations from Austria, Ireland, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, and Poland came together to get to know each other and plan the next steps of the project.
Project Overview
The aim of Sport Together for Peace is to promote social cohesion and reconciliation among young people in conflict-affected regions. The project includes a range of activities designed to foster intercultural exchange and support the social inclusion of participants.
A key element of the project is the Girls’ Football Festival, which will take place in Vienna next year. The festival will provide girls from diverse cultural backgrounds with the opportunity to develop their football skills while building new friendships.
The next activity will be a two-day training programme in Belgrade in November, focusing on strengthening participants’ sporting and social skills while training and engaging multipliers who will contribute to the project’s implementation.
In 2027, Cross-Community Tours are planned in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, followed by another tour in Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2028. An important component of the project is the final Sport for Peace Forum, which will be held in Donegal to present the project’s outcomes and encourage dialogue on the experiences and lessons learned.
Partnerships
The partnership behind this project is truly unique. It brings together organisations that work through sport—or within the field of sport—to strengthen social cohesion and promote social inclusion and diversity. This collaboration encourages the exchange of ideas and best practices, enabling partners to learn from one another and create valuable synergies.
All partner organisations share the common goal of improving the lives of young people by providing opportunities for intercultural learning and exchange through sport.
The project partners are:
VIDC – fairplay Initiative (Austria)
Donegal Local Sports Partnership (Ireland)
Football Association of Ireland (Ireland)
NGO Atina (Serbia)
Udruženje Igrajmo Zajedno (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
University of Thessaly (Greece)
Fundacja dla Wolności (Poland)
Sport Inclusion Network (Austria)
Looking Ahead
The first partner meeting in Greece marked an important milestone in the collaboration and laid the foundation for the project’s future activities, all of which aim to create positive change within the participating communities.
David Hudelist, the project coordinator, commented:
“The partnership we have built is truly exceptional. In the regions involved, peacebuilding through sport is not only important—it is essential. We believe that through our joint efforts, we can make a real difference in the lives of young people.”
Disclaimer
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
