Enlarging DIALECT’s communities of Tolerance Through Football, focusing on Younger Children

ongoing

DIALECT4 builds upon the partnership’s 5 years of experience in implementing the DIALECT football for inclusion methodology, which targeted adolescents in disadvantaged communities in Greece, Italy, Hungary and Serbia, aiming to address the emerged need for an early-age intervention to combat children’s (aged 10-12 years old) radicalization and enhance their resilience in intolerant rhetoric and extremist beliefs in society and in sports. It does so through 120 children’s involvement in ethnically, culturally and gender mixed football teams at community level, combined with media and digital literacy capacity building opportunities. DIALECT4 entails the adaptation of DIALECT methodology to the developmental stages of children, focusing on critical thinking, media literacy, and understanding of values of tolerance, non-discrimination, gender equality. Furthermore, DIALECT4 will continue its work with the established local youth teams (120 youth), promoting long-term beliefs and behavioural change. A significant component is the enlargement of youth and children local action groups to facilitate inter-age learning and mentorship, promoting a community-based approach to combat racism and intolerance. DIALECT4 aligns with the Erasmus+ call for Cooperation Partnerships in the field of sports, addressing the sector-specific priority of promoting equality and European values through sport. It creates inclusive environments that support social inclusion for children (10-12 years old) and youth (13-17 years old) from backgrounds with fewer opportunities, including migrants, refugees, and Roma, contributing to the Erasmus+ horizontal priority of “Inclusion and Diversity”. The project also contributes to the programmes’ horizontal priority of “Common values, civic engagement and participation” by developing competencies in social and intercultural dialogue, critical thinking, media literacy and active citizenship among children and youth.