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ARSIS Football Club / ARSIS Sports Activities

Greece / Athens-Thessaloniki

Key-stakeholders involved:

  • Municipality of Oraiokastro provided us with a football pitch twice per week in Oraiokastro/Thessaloniki nearby Arsis Shelter for Unaccompanied minors for football training.
  • Municipality of Thermi provided us with a football pitch twice per week in Tagarades/Thermi nearby Arsis Shelter for Unaccompanied minors for football training.
  • Macedonia Football Clubs Association in Thessaloniki arranges friendly football games with local football clubs around Thessaloniki. Also, it provides referees and a doctor.
  • Laboratory of Sports Medicine Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences Aristotle University of Thessaloniki provided medical examinations to our beneficiaries for free.(All athletes is mandatory to have the medical examination/athlete card). (public + private & sport + extra-sport)
  • The Coca Cola foundation provided a Sport Psychologist as the first football coach of the team.
  • Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Foundation donated the clothes and the sports equipment of the team.
  • The Labor Union Center of Thessaloniki integrated the team to the local Football Championship with employees’ teams from the public and private sector.
  • ARIS FC provided football shoes and organized friendly games.
  • PAOK FC organized friendly games.
  • IRAKLIS FC provided training football pitch for football training and organized friendly games.
  • LOVE Football Stadium provided the football pitch for football training, twice per week.
  • MAKEDONIKOS FC provided the football pitch for football training, organized friendly games and also has accepted with free of charge more than 40 beneficiaries.
  • Municipality of Thessaloniki and the School Board has provide us a school yard twice per week.
Brief description
Implementation of the practice
Impact
Lessons learnt/recommendation
Contact details

The football team “ARSIS FOOTBALL CLUB” (ARSIS FC) was established in Thessaloniki by NGO “ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth” in March 2018. ARSIS is active since 1992, supporting children and youth in danger and defending their rights. It supports minors experiencing life conditions that hinder/prevent/suspend/obstruct their smooth personal development and access to social goods and conditions, like inadequate support from their families, neglect, abuse, exploitation, rejection by the education system, immigration, refugee status, homelessness, unemployment, conflicts with the law, living in institutions or prisons, etc. Under its holistic approach and methodology ARSIS includes also the support of the family environment of minors.

Moreover, ARSIS develops services in order to facilitate the integration of vulnerable social groups (homeless, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, Roma or individuals who are living on or under the threshold of poverty, etc.) and in defense of human rights. Its members are young people aged 15-27 years old and categorized as refugees or immigrants. They live in shelters for unaccompanied minors, in refugee camps and social apartments in Thessaloniki. Our team provides them opportunities to participate in trainings and friendly football games against local football clubs.

The idea of ARSIS F.C. was born in response to the difficulties and needs of these young people with the aim of participating in sport life in their new country, which will contribute to strengthening their identity, self-esteem, and sociability. Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory practices and promoting equality.

The project’s main target groups are people with no opportunities due to discrimination and marginalization. It aims to provide them with access to sport and educational tools. With the sports as a vehicle, the Youth Support Centre of ARSIS brings local communities and beneficiaries together, fight stereotypes and discrimination and aim to lead to a more inclusive society. Under the YSC’s holistic approach, and its commitment to retain balance on participants, created by ARSIS an organization that aims to fight discrimination, achieves its goals with an open policy to everyone, participate in football tournaments and organize friendly matches against local clubs and educational sessions like “Compass” trainings.

The young people of ARSIS FC get a complete experience of a team sport. These young people refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, minors, young adults and local people show their interest for their participation. Their access to contact us is easy since ARSIS uses many types of communication channels in order to let all the people of concern to know about the sport initiative.

There is no matter if they are professional soccer players or not. Everyone between the mentioned age group is welcomed to participate. Although, regarding the minors a parent-guardian’s consent form is needed. The medical examination by a cardiologist (free for every player candidate) is necessary for the minor to get a team position. But in the same time, other young people can join the team as fans. For each player there is provided a sport ID card too in order to join the local championship.

Every Monday and Thursday the training sessions take place in two different locations nearby shelters. For west area is used the football field  in Municipality of Oreokastro in Thessaloniki (we have signed an agreement with the Municipality to use the space for free), and every Wednesday and Friday for the east side is used the football field in Municipality of Tagarades  (we have signed an agreement with the Municipality to use the space for free). The team’s equipment, clothes, balls, cones, t-shirts, water, first aid kit, etc., are provided by ARSIS. The players come to the stadium individually either by public transport or by using their shelter’s bus (for unaccompanied minors only). After putting on their sportswear, they begin with the coach, throughout which the human rights respect for each other, inside and outside of the team is always highlighted. Warming up and tactical exercises (how to defend as a team, how to defend individually, how to attack as a team, how to attack individually) follow, and in the final stage, they football in match conditions. There are more than 40-50 participants between 12-18 years old participating regularly in the training session. Once per week, they have a friendly game (usually during the weekend) with a local football club where 22 players participate, in order to encourage equal participation.
A holistic frame of other services is provided for the team members by other experts as psychologist, social worker, lawyer, teachers in order to ensure the holistic support of them. The whole process encourages the participation that the youth so much want and need. Strong communication and social skills are developing through their football experience. Many different people coming together, because they love football, help them on making friends, meeting great people of sport, enlarging their support network. Despite their different culture backgrounds and language obstacles they realize to have a lot in common. Through this group and individually experience they learn to plan their time and program properly, to respect the time of the others, to discover the local public transportation, to explore the local football and sport history, to realize the connection with the sports in their country, to take advantage of an ultimate experience of a football match, to be loved and admired of their efforts and skills shown, to belong to their team.
Everyone in the team is possessed by a spirit of teamwork and a sense of justice, and these are initially manifested by members welcoming newcomers (usually are kids how have just arrive in the city and most of the times in country), helping them to join the team and supporting them to be improved as a team. Thus, everyone feels equal and accepted, with the same opportunities regardless of level and ability.
All of them are encouraged to take initiatives about the positions of the players in the team and the separation of roles. They all share the responsibility for the sports equipment as a common property to take care.

The match day half an hour before the match the team does a warm-up, helping the players to be concentrated and avoiding injuries. Being 22 players in the squad, 11 will play in the first half and the others at the second one. In addition, always at the beginning and end of each match we shake hands with all the players of the opposing team and the referees regardless of the match’s result.

We arrive and leave the field always together as a team. The highlights of the match are discussed through the next training sessions focusing on the strengths and weaknesses. Everyone expresses opinion and actively participates in the result of each match, regardless if they played or not. In the end, the harmonic coexistence wins.

In addition to Arsis Sports Activities we have establish an agreement with municipality of Thessaloniki and the School Board, they have provided us with a school yard twice per week, every Tuesday and Thursday in the heart of the city next to the city hall of Thessaloniki. Participant are between 10-17 years old how are coming from the urban area of the town and they don’t have access in sports because their parents/caregivers have lack of financial resources.

ARSIS Sports Activities are considered a community-based project, and most of its resources are coming from volunteering work, in-kind contributions, and collaboration with local associations (sports or others). It is also receiving donations or from time to time it is funded by various small-scale funding programs, regarding equipment and other expenses. More specifically, a Physical Education Qualified Teacher and UEFA B football coach, as well as volunteers, run ARSIS Sports Activities. The football pitch, the sport facilities and sporting equipment used in the training sessions have been provided free of charge by local professional and grassroots football clubs, foundations, along with local training centers and Municipalities. Transportation and other support costs are funded by the ARSIS Association for the Social Support of Youth.

The aforementioned project has multiple positive results on the participants, as well as their communities. Μainly, the project promotes and develops the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of their status, in accordance with SDG10. Club’s members strengthen their physical and mental attributes, develop soft skills, and increase their sociability and self-esteem. As a result, they constantly work on their good health and well-being, largely in line with SDG 3. Through their participation in the project’s activities, the beneficiaries are provided with equal opportunities in physical exercise, along with services, language courses and networking opportunities through the linkage of the Sports Activities with a Youth Support Centre and the local community in general. This holistic approach to beneficiaries, which provides them with additional services, reducing poverty by allowing access to services, directly linked with SDG 1 and 16. With the football club/sports activities being a pole of attraction for its members’ social environment, the communities of club’s participants get in touch with each other and the youth social center in extension, and the services it provides, giving them the opportunity to integrate and through other programs of youth social center become active citizens of the local community. The impact of the project is measured qualitatively, as its context (sports) and its objectives (poverty reduction, equal opportunities and participation, child protection) are measured conceptually, via means such as behavior change, increased self-esteem, team dynamics, developed soft skills and others. All this data is measured within the framework of the social history/social report of the beneficiaries, as part of the holistic approach and support. Apart from the elements inside the sports team, measurement takes place at the Youth Support Centre and it activities there. Enhanced participation in language, arts and crafts, recreational and educational classes are evident of the holistic approach provided and the spherical impact of the project. Moreover, the project also includes indirect beneficiaries, which often vary from minors residing with beneficiaries in refugee accommodation units to beneficiaries’ families and neighbors. The Youth Support Centre, as an open day center, welcomes individuals in need of all ages, races, educational and economic background etc. Here is a short story for one participant: My name is M. M, I am 20 years old, I am from Afghanistan and I grew up in Iran. 4 years ago I came to Greece, stayed for three days in Lesvos, from where I went to Athens and then to the Diavata camp in Thessaloniki. I learned about the football team through the kids we hung out with at the camp, football is my life and when I learned that a football team would be established for refugees and immigrants I was very happy to be able to play the sport I love. I was one of the first kids to join the team when it was created with my two brothers. Through the team I made many friends from different countries, it helped me improve my Greek and I met people from Greece that helped me find a job and become independent. It is like a family to me and I thank them very much for everything. My experience all these years in Greece and in the team of Arsis helped me to improve my social skills and to help the new kids.

Sports have long been recognized as a powerful tool for social inclusion, gender equality and same opportunities for all as they provide a platform for individuals of different backgrounds to come together and engage in a shared activity. We use the power of sports as a tool to fight social inclusion, such as discrimination and exclusion. Through initiatives that promote equal access to sports for all, regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status. Moreover, sports can have a positive impact on children’s physical and mental health, as well as their social and emotional development. By providing opportunities for children to participate in sports, not only promoting physical activity but also building their confidence and self-esteem, and developing their teamwork and leadership skills. Overall, the lessons learned from the role of sports in promoting social sports provide valuable insights into how we can create a more inclusive and equitable society. One of the most significant lessons we can learn from sports is the power of teamwork and collaboration. Whether it’s a team sport like basketball or football or an individual sport like track and field, sports teach us the value of working together towards a common goal. In a society where individualism and competition often dominate, sports provide an opportunity to shift the focus to cooperation and teamwork. This lesson is especially important for marginalized groups who may feel excluded or isolated in other areas of their lives.

Moreover, sports can act as a bridge between different cultures and communities. When people come together to participate in sports, they can break down barriers and create connections that transcend social and cultural differences. This is particularly true for immigrant communities who may face challenges in integrating into their new societies. By participating in sports, immigrants can build relationships with people from different backgrounds and develop a sense of belonging.

In recent years, many organizations and NGOs have recognized the potential of sports to promote this kind of activities and have launched initiatives to ensure that everyone has equal access to sports. These initiatives can take many forms, from after-school programs to community sports leagues to international sports events. By providing access to sports for marginalized groups.

Furthermore, children who participate in sports are more likely to maintain a healthy lifestyle and develop healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Additionally, sports can provide a sense of structure and routine, which can be especially beneficial for children who may come from unstable or chaotic home environments.

In terms of social and emotional development, sports can help children build confidence and self-esteem, develop teamwork and leadership skills, and learn how to manage success and failure. These skills are valuable not only in sports but also in other areas of life, such as school, work, and relationships. By providing opportunities for children to participate in sports, we are not only promoting physical activity but also helping to build the next generation of leaders and change makers.

In conclusion, the role of sports in promoting social inclusion provides us with valuable lessons by recognizing the power of sports to break down barriers, build connections, and promote healthy development, we can work towards a future where everyone has equal access to sports and the many benefits they offer.

ARSIS Association for the Social Support of Youth

ARSIS Youth Support Center
Phone Number: +30 2310 227311
Email: kyn@arsis.gr

Ioannis Gerasimos Tsatsoulas
Project Manager of ARSIS Sports Activities
Phone Number: +30 6982868104, +30 6949620997
Email: jerrytsats@gmail.com

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