TOYS - TOlerance in Youth Sport

The aim of the project TOYS is to tackle racism and discrimination among youth in sport by promoting social inclusion and integration, volunteering and active citizenship.

The topic is particularly relevant due to the recent prevalence of high profile cases of racism and discrimination in the sporting world.

To tackle this issue that is evidently also manifested at the local level, a 5-day seminar encompassing numerous activities, debates, discussions and workshops, as well as indoor and outdoor sport activities, will explore the possibility of using sport in youth activities as a tool to challenge racism and discrimination. The seminar will promote values such as volunteering, mutual understanding and cultural diversity among youth; core principles of European citizenship. By promoting these activities and values, TOYS hopes to contribute to the fight against discrimination and racism.

By focusing on youth workers and participants that can have a large multiplying effect, TOYS complies with the Youth in Action 3.1 requirements. Participation of young people, in particular those with fewer opportunities and always mindful of the gender balance, will be ensured, as they are the main target of our initiative. European cooperation, values and principles will be promoted through the involvement of participants from 9 EU and non-EU countries, each contributing their own cultural, political, economic and social identities. This will stimulate intercultural learning and diversity and contribute to a diverse set of experiences that will help achieve the aims of the project.

TOYS will provide the participants with the skills and best practices to increase the quality and capacity of youth work in dealing with racism and tolerance in youth sport. Volunteering and active citizenship, two of the priorities of the Youth in Action programme, will help support social integration and strengthen communities.

TOYS envisages to achieve the following objectives:

·         Promote anti-discrimination and tolerance through sports and araise young people’s awareness and sensitiveness regarding the promotion of tolerance, using sports as main tool to achieving it

·         Highlight the strong relation between sport, healthy habits and active citizenship in a wide sense

·         Fostering the European Year of Citizens, using sports as a way for civic engagement and promoting the idea of active citizenship in every aspect of life

·         Help young people develop skills and competencies that will increase to act as "full" citizens

·         Responding to individual aspirations and needs and for developing creative and social skills

·         Social and personal development of the participants using not only the critical thinking approach but also participants bodies through sport activities

·         Better understanding of the role of participants as "citizens of tomorrow" at local and European level

·         Meet people with different ethnic, religious, cultural and educational backgrounds

·         Exchange ideas with each other and in a whole to get to know, accept and respect each other: in other words to get to know better the EU, its diverse identity

·         Promote fundamental European values, such as democracy, solidarity, tolerance and respect for human rights

Strengthen bonds between youth organisations with similar aims and aims at leading to the development of a network of grass-roots sports institutions across Europe united in their stand against discrimination

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