Roma Inclusion through Sport in Europe

Background Roma Inclusion through Sport in Europe (RISE) was a joint initiative of European sport and civil society organizations from Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and North-Macedonia to tackle discrimination, social exclusion and marginalization of Roma youth, mainly through an exchange of good practices, capacity building activities and the implementation of sport-based educational activities, developed beforehand. Objectives The main objectives of the project were to address and raise awareness of the existing discrimination and marginalization of the Roma youth by also addressing their needs. Our initiative was aimed at the collection and classification of sport-based educational practices to promote social inclusion and equal opportunities to the Roma minority. Partners also shared knowledge and expertise in order to develop sport-based educational methods to tackle discrimination of Roma youngsters. Implementation The RISE project was implemented within the time frame of 24 months, between January 2020 to December 2021. Originally, the project would have lasted for a period of 18 months, however due to Covid19, the coordinator requested a 6-months extension, which was granted by the EACEA. During the implementation of the project partners engaged in knowledge sharing and mapping activities, they published an online toolkit, and delivered three transnational project meetings and dissemination events. Achievements The RISE toolkit was developed to raise awareness on Sport Plus and Plus Sport activities and their effect on marginalized groups, such as Roma youth. The toolkit contains working (good) practices from the participating countries, showcasing local NGOs that use sport as a platform of social inclusion of Roma youngsters. The toolkit consists of practical tools shared by good practice NGO in partnering countries. The RISE website www.romasport.eu.com summarizes all the important outcomes.