SPIN - SPort for INclusion

According to the White Paper on Sport (Brussels, 2007), “sport promotes a shared sense of belonging and participation and may therefore also be an important tool for the integration of immigrants. It is in this context that making available spaces for sport and supporting sport-related activities is important for allowing immigrants and the host society to interact together in a positive way.main objectives of the project SPIN become then clear:-Promoting social inclusion of immigrant people through grassroots sports and sport for all.-Supporting the mobility of volunteers, coaches, managers, and staff of organisations and non-profit sports associations of the countries participating in the project.- Allowing through sports and group activities to share regional cultures and thus promote European integration.- Describe in detail the current situation of sports among immigrants and citizens from diverse backgrounds of the regions participating in this project (Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Languedoc Roussillon Midi Pyrénées, Piemonte).Sport policies want to develop positive attitudes towards physical activity and to encourage the participation of young people in sports throughout their entire lives, as well as to promote a healthylifestyleSPIN will be a valuable tool to give effective answers and to develop new innovative strategies both in the short and the medium run. Statistical data on the influence of youth sport and sport for all is not always available, but there is no doubt that:1. the promotion of sport among immigrants is nowadays a necessity, and:2. sports practice and sport for all is a social inclusion strategy.This project was born from a common will of deepening and enlarging a space of collaboration and and network of exchange of experiences among institutions and organisations working for grassroots sports and sport for all in the Mediterranean region.For that reason, an exhaustive analysis of the reality of our regions is necessary as a first step to frame coherent policies and actions to promote the social inclusion of immigrants through physical activity and sport.