FUNDACIÓN RED DEPORTE Y COOPERACIÓN – RDYC
Fundación Red Deporte y Cooperación is a Spanish NGO that promotes education, health, integration and
employability through sport. We are experienced in more than 20 countries worldwide carrying out programs in the community, focusing on youth development. Red Deporte has been sponsored by EU Youth program with European Voluntary Service, Grundtvig and EU Preparatory Action in the Field of Sport.
In 2002 RDC launched its sport for integration department in Spain, working at schools, educational centers and sport clubs promoting youth integration and employability. We use sport as a tool to develop life and employability skills, focusing on underprivileged young men and women at risk of social exclusion. Since 2004 have organized many training courses and organized conferences on sport as a tool for psycho social integration. Red Deporte is an NGO with ECOSOC consultative status in the Economic and Social Council of United Nations. We are also members of other platforms and networks:
- Affiliate Member of FIFA “Football for Hope.”
- Member of the “International Council of Sport and Physical Education” (ICSSPE).
- Partner in Spain of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- Member of Anna Lindh network, the largest organization worldwide to coordinate 3.000 civil
society organizations that promote respect, understanding and intercultural dialogue in the
Mediterranean region. - Member of FARE Network, Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE).
In Spain we are especially active working with Roma community and migrant at groups at risk of exclusion; providing them with the interpersonal communication and employability tools that secure their social integration in the community. We create spaces for dialogue through sport and cultural meetings and networks with different vulnerable communities living in Spain and Europe. Red Deporte has an average of 9 paid staff. Annually we benefit directly around 2.400 vulnerable youth and children.
Fundación Red Deporte y Cooperación (RDC) is a non-profit organisation based in Madrid and Barcelona.
Since being founded in 1999, it has orchestrated a wide range of programmes that use sport as a tool to
address a range of issues including health, education, gender equality, social integration and discrimination.
The organisation also runs activities in schools and sports clubs that promote the integration of immigrants.
RDC uses sport (particularly football – by popular demand) in all of its activities, both in Spain (where
programmes are primarily aimed at immigrant integration) and in developing countries from Africa and Latin America and Central America (in collaboration with existing development projects in these regions).
In 2002, RDC launched its Education and Intercultural Integration through Sport department. Two years
later, it began launching activities focused on integration and social inclusion through sport in Spain. Over
the past five years, the organisation has operated with seven employees, who have expert status acrossthree areas: international cooperation for development, raising awareness and advocacy and social
integration.
Moreover, RDC primarily works with sportspeople in flat hierarchies. Thus, the input and role of youth is
crucial in every project. Specific activities are determined via a combination of this input and feedback
arising from discussions with youth community leaders in Spain developing countries with RDC cooperation for projects. RDC predominately targets young people of both genders between the ages of 14 and 20. Within this demographic, it places particular emphasis on the integration of girls and young women. Direct beneficiaries are youngsters from underprivileged families and communities.
RDC has been promoting education, health and integration through sport for more than 15 years already.
They have extensive experience in Spain in the implementation of integration programs, tackling racism,
xenophobia and promoting multiculturalism and social integration through sport, among which include:
– 6 editions of the World Club Cup basketball for integration with the Spanish Basketball Federation
– 7 editions of sports intercultural tournament of Alcorcon (Madrid Region), male, female and mixed.
Soccer and volleyball
– 1 training course monitors-educators belonging to Roma community through football, with the
support of UEFA and the Madrid Football Federation
– 5 programs of integration through football with UEFA network FARE – ( members since 2007)
– 2-year program duration, about gender integration through sport, with the support of the Madrid
Regional Government
– Organizing various conferences on sport and integration highlighting the International Conference
on integration and racism in football at INEF (most prestigious Sport University in Spain) conducted
in 2012, with the support of FARE and the Madrid Regional Government.
– 3 tournaments in football and basketball “Sport, Bridge between Cultures” with the immigrant
community in Castilla la Mancha, for three consecutive years. With the support of Barclays and the
Castilla La Mancha Regional Government.
– 2 programs with intercultural integration and sport, of one year each, supported by Nike
– Program integration through sport and free time in the shantytowns with support from the European
Union and with Caritas Madrid
– Best practices program for integration through sport in Europe – MIMOSA – supported by European
Commission.
– Program Sport ID supported by European Commission, focused on migrant inclusion
Every year, RDC rents a football pitch designated for matches played each Saturday (September – August)
at Madrid’s main University (Complutense). The organisation also reserves this playing field throughout the school year to host “Football for Integration” tournaments for youth (girls and boys) or for private firms who sponsor company tournaments featuring awareness raising activities. RDC is also known for organising themed tournaments that touch on many issues: anti-discrimination & social integration, equal gender rights and cultural workshops. Tournament events can last anywhere from a weekend to two months. Regardless of their duration, all tournaments share the concept of integration and the promotion of improved relations amongst immigrants and native Spaniards, with an emphasis on gender.
As a non-profit organization, Red Deporte has become one of the leading and most experienced
organizations in Europe on activism through sport. We work from 2002 very actively promoting Roma
community rights in Spain through football and sport-cultural related activities. Red Deporte is an umbrella organization for some of the most important activist in Spain fighting against discrimination and violence in the field of sport. A violence that affects frequently to minorities and vulnerable migrant groups.
HEALTH PROMOTION
Since 2011, Red Deporte has develop more than 14 programs in health promotion and community health in Spain, and in cooperation with other EU partners. Also, Red Deporte has a vast experience in health
programs focusing with refugee groups.
In the last decades, we have moved from an individual-centred approach to health, towards a more group
approach, in which health is gained or lost in the community environment. The World Organization itself, in the Preamble of its Constitution, defines the term health as a holistic concept, understood as a state of
complete physical, mental and social well-being and not only the absence of affections or diseases (WHO,
1948), incorporating the sphere social and community as an important component of own health.Our community health intervention team is made up of sports monitors and educators together with health
personnel: doctors, nurses and health agents, volunteers. Working as a team, we provide a comprehensive
health service to the most vulnerable community.
The prevention of diseases in vulnerable communities depends to a large extent on educational work,
commonly carried out in school and sports settings, in the case of Red Deporte. To do this, our programs
enhance self-efficacy and the learning of health concepts, aimed at children and adolescents. Our
methodology combines educational talks with sports-based games.
Likewise, in the field of projects at European level, we actively work in the prevention of chronic diseases
such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular accident through the PREVENT program. Likewise, we
have put in a program for the promotion of moderate exercise among the young and adult population,
integrated into daily life, the “COME TOGETHER” program.
Finally, the numerous lessons learned through the programs that we have launched in Africa in the field of community health, since 2011, and that we have been able to extend this type of action to various contexts in Spain such as:
– Clinical care and health extension services
– Training in community health, aimed at health workers and educators
– Health education in school environments (in the context of sports activities)
– Creation of networks of health educators through sport and in the context of community sporting
events
Red Deporte trains sports instructors and local educators, with a view to imparting educational activities
through sport with guarantees, since the acquisition of solid knowledge and skills is key, especially in a
matter as critical as health. For this reason, the training is given by health professionals and community
educators. The content of the courses is not limited to HIV-AIDS, and basic health and hygiene, but also
extends to topics such as immunization, family planning, or techniques for monitoring and evaluating
educational health activities. In addition, it is trained in youth leadership, prevention of alcohol and drug use, and guidelines for the organization and implementation of activities with a focus on sport for development.
EMPLOYABILITY
Red Deporte focuses its work with NEET young people – not in employment, education or training – are
vulnerable to a wide range of negative social conditions, such as insecure and underpaid daily labor, social exclusion, crime, and mental and physical health problems. Empirical evidence confirms that NEETs as a group, and the unemployed in particular, are at a higher risk of disaffection and more likely to withdraw from society. Red Deporte uses sport programs to create a modular approach of getting NEETs back in the game. Red Deporte for getting back into the game to the NEETs group develop a wide range of activities and goals:
– Reinforce synergies between non-formal education, social work and employment in order to identify
and promote successful approaches in the field;
– Exchange best-practices and build Manuals to offer successful programs;
– Support and further develop local employability programs which use sport as a tool for engaging
NEET young people through capacity building measures;
– Increase awareness among stakeholders at the societal and policy levels about the challenges of
NEET young people and contribute to the development of policy statements;
– Use innovative dissemination measures and indicators performance to ensure better recognition of
competences and facilitate European-wide continuation of the measures after the funding period.
Red Deporte has taken part in a few very successful employability programs through Sport during last years as “Team Up! for NEETS Youth Employability”; “Football3 for Respect” and “Scoring for the Future”. In these 3 projects it´s been created top quality toolkits on how to use sport to promote employability among NEETs specially.
EDUCATION
From Red Deporte we focus our efforts on collaborating with community schools to enhance sport as a tool for human development, following quality standards according to the available means and appropriate to the challenge of improving educational quality in difficult contexts, from the field of physical education. These are some of our programs:
– “STUDY AFTERNOONS AND SPORTS” for the accompaniment of young people in school reinforcement
activities, in which part of the time is dedicated to study, and another to sports and recreational activities.
Sport is a lever to get the best in school performance and support and to generate regular and methodical dynamics, especially in students with difficulties.
– “SPORTS DEVELOPMENT COURSE”, by means of which, we try to turn the subject of Physical Education,
which is deficient in most popular schools and with less resources. To do this, we train teachers to
incorporate content and educational and educational dynamics in health, gender equality and life skills into the subject of Physical Education.
Scientific evidence shows that physical activity improves school performance, that is why we place sports
practice as a bridge to the general improvement of school results, and also contributes to reducing
absenteeism, dropping out and school failure, making teaching and the school is a more attractive, fun and stimulating place. Several of the activities extend to after school hours.
Finally, in less favoured schools and especially in contexts of Latin America and Africa, we directly carry out Improvement of the infrastructure of sports facilities in some key schools Regular organization of training sessions, championships and inter-school leagues, during school and after-school hours
Provide the technical and human means to combine sports activity with school reinforcement.
Within the framework of the Erasmus Sport program, we are developing a program for the use of soccer to improve adherence to the school system, especially in schools located in highly intercultural environments and located in marginal neighbourhoods.
ENVIRONMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Red Deporte promotes the environment and environmental health through recreational activities to achieve
the objectives of improving the planet’s health from a fun and enjoyable approach. The dynamics that we
implement range from sports to artistic, audio-visual, etc. all from a participatory approach where the
monitor acts solely as facilitator and guide for activities. The main ones are:
- Climate change
- Recycling
- Responsible consumption
- Desertification and reforestation
- Clean energies
- Cleaning and sanitation in community spaces
Sport works as a leisure tool, capable of creating an environment from which to promote respect for nature, through various environmental themes, especially for those groups that grow in greater contexts of vulnerability. The activities are led by leisure and free time monitors, expert environmental educators,
trained and aware of the health and well-being of young people and children, focusing on environmental
factors that influence people’s environment.