CPMES

“Curricular Pathways for Migrants’ Empowerment through Sport” (CPMES) focuses on employing the methodology of Education Through Sport (ETS) as a vehicle of upskilling and curricular enhancement of Sport operators working on the field with disadvantaged targets with migrant background in the perspective of fostering entrepreneurship in Sport by migrants.

The project pursues the specific Erasmus Plus Collaborative Partnership priorities related to encouraging social inclusion and equal opportunities in Sport.

CPMES aims at answering the challenge of social exclusion of migrants in Europe, with a particular focus on addressing the compelling issue of systematic underrepresentation of migrants in non-playing roles within Sport clubs and organizations in general terms.

EUROSTAT (2017) accounts in a total 20,7 million the number of non-EU nationals living in the EU 28 as of January 2016, accounting for a total 4,1% of the total EU population. The profile of third country nationals living in the EU is characterized by a relatively younger age as compared with the local population, with the most consistent category being represented by working-age adults.

The available statistical findings also indicate a recrudescence in migrants’ flows in coincidence with the still ongoing migration crisis as well as highlight the significant barriers to be overcome for what pertains to ensuring a meaningful integration of the newcomers within the labour market and at the societal level in wider terms.

EUROSTAT accounts depict a frame of consistent disparity between migrants and locals in access to employability opportunities, with the overall EU-28 unemployment rate being 8,6 percentage points higher for migrants than for nationals in 2016. Also, 30,3% of migrants in the EU-28 were assessed as being at risk of poverty and social exclusion against 16% of nationals.

OECD 2015 Report on Migrant Integration (2015) illustrates the structural nature of migrants’ labour market exclusion, indicating that the youth unemployment rate of native born-offspring of migrants is almost 50% higher than among youths with native-born parents, with migrant youngsters being also more likely to be NEETs than youths with no migrant background.

As displayed in the specific study “Racism and Discrimination in the Context of Migration in Europe” (2016) by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), the dynamics of social exclusion against migrants are for a large share ushered in by practices of racist discrimination/stereotyping (also escalating in violent attacks), ineffectual integration policies and practices of discrimination in recruitment within the labour market.

In the specific field of Sport, the under-representation of migrants is particularly evident and challenging in their exclusion from positions of authority and from overall representation in non-playing positions (see Inclusion of Migrants in and through Sports. A Guide to Good Practice, 2012).

EU policy documents underline the relevance of Sport as an agent of social inclusion for migrant targets, while at the same time stressing the relevance of Sport as an agent of entrepreneurial engagement (Entrepreneurship in Sport).

The EU “White Paper on Sport” (2007) underscore that “Sport makes an important contribution to economic and social cohesion and more integrated societies” while also providing an important contribution to facilitating “the integration into society of migrants and persons of foreign origin”.

The EC’s ”Communication on Developing the European Dimension in Sport” (2011) highlights the substantial contribution of Sport “to growth and jobs, with value added and employment effects exceeding average growth rates”.

The Report “Inclusion of Migrants in and through Sports. A Guide to Good Practices” also underscores the attractiveness of migrant-led Sport initiatives (Migrant Sport Clubs) as realities wherein migrants find more facilitated to engage due to the absence of cultural and linguistic barriers.

A key intermediate step in effecting a greater engagement of migrants in the field of Sport entrepreneurship is the development of the necessary methodological capacities for the vast audience of operators (Sport Coaches and Trainers) working with the ultimate migrant targets through Sport methods in order for them to be able to convey the varied set of entrepreneurial attitudes, skills and instruments composing the profile of a Sport Entrepreneur.

ETS is a meaningful combination between Sport and Non Forma Education (NFE) methods extrapolating and adapting both physical and specific Sport exercises in order to provide a strong lifelong learning outcome, tailored to the needs of society and to the specific educational objectives pursued.

The activities implemented within CPMES are the following:

1- Cross-country research aimed at the identification of existing entrepreneurial upskilling needs of migrants in the field of Sport. The results of the research will be integrated in a Report on Migrants’ Sport Upskilling Needs.

2- Cross-country research for the identification  of the existing landscape of professional profiles of ETS educators working in the field of developing entrepreneurial competences in Sport. The results of the research will be integrated in a Report on ETS Profiles, including a pondered assessment over the potential integration, improvements and modification to the skills, knowledge and methods in light of the peculiarities and needs of the migrant target (as identified in 1).

3- The elaboration of a discrete Training Format for Sport Entrepreneurial Educators targeted at operators interested in entrepreneurial education in Sport of migrants through ETS. The Format will be tested in the frame of a Pilot TC involving 5 Sport operators working with migrants per partner organization. The methodologies and results of the Training will form part of an “Handbook for the Development of ETS Educational Profiles” serving as a methodological resources for NGOs, operators and stakeholder entities interested in the development of said profiles.

4- The implementation of a phase of Local Activities at the level of each own partner country wherein the operators trained in the TC will implement entrepreneurial empowerment programmes based on ETS with an audience of 20 locally-hosted migrants. Partner organizations will synthesize the methods, activities and results of the process into a digital self-learning path for migrants interested in acquiring Sport entrepreneurship skills, which will be produced in multiple languages (English plus all partners’ languages) and integrated on project Web Platform as an OER.

 

5- The establishment of an open-access project Web Platform integrating shortcuts to the educational contents produced (Handbook for the Development of ETS Educational Profiles). The Web Platform will also integrate a multilingual self-learning path for migrants interested in the development of entrepreneurial skills in Sport.