SWEDEN – a sporting nation

Slide 1:SWEDEN – a sporting nationOur idea is; ”We are involved in non-profit sports clubs to have fun, feel good and develop throughout life”Slide 2:SWEDEN – a sporting nationApp 10 million inhabitantsMore than 3 million are member in a sports clubSome 2,4 million are ACTIVE in a sports clubSwedish sport focuses particularly on youth sport and sport for allHalf a million leaders of whom the majority are volunteersOur voluntary leaders are cruical for our day-to-day activitiesThe financial value of the annual contribution provided by voluntary leaders is estimated Euro 2 Billion73% of sport clubs organise sport-for-all for adults86% of sport clubs have activities for children and young peopleless than one in four sports clubs have activites for elite sportSlide 3:Organisation of Swedish sportsDistrict Federations - 19Special Sports District FederationsSwedish Sports ConfederationSpecial Sports Federations - 71Clubs – 20 000Swedish Olympic CommitteeSwedish Sports EducationMembershipRegional organAdministrative affiliation1 000Individual members/ athletes -more than 3 millionSlide 4:Lifelong participation in sports - triangel to rectangleIn order to achieve an environment where everyone, regardless of age, gender, social class, religion, cultural and ethnical background etc., feel as if they belong we need an intersectional perspective. Intersectionality is a theoretical idea and an analytical tool which is used to understand how different norms and power structures together create inequality, discrimination and oppression.Slide 5:Sports – a way to inclusionActivities and involvement64 msekSport in challenge areas14-19 msekLanguage from day one3,8 msekGovermental financing, since 2015Slide 6:Sport Clubs in focusSport ClubSlide 7:Inclusion, what does that mean for us?Slide 8:Our lessons so farSlide 9:Our most important meeting places for changeIn order to create actual change in our sports organisations we need to identify the most important meeting places and thereafter which norms and structures apply and what we can do to change them.Training and competitionTraining and competition is the essence of sports. For many people, a training session is the first meeting with the sport of their choice and to be physically active has a positive impact on the quality of life in terms of health, school results and immune system.To compete and race against oneself and others is an integral part of sports. But the will to win can also lead to an increased risk to top the team or to give extra support to certain athletes, which in turn can lead to an early exclusion of other participants. The competition in itself can therefore at the same time be both positive and problematic in a team or an organisation. The fact that competition is in the centre of sports provides a challenge to reach our goals. To increase participation, one solution could be to modify or include more flexible models of competition, such as drop in programmes that are flexible and informal.Slide 10:The locker roomThe locker room is not always an actual physical room with walls, showers and other facilities. It can also be wherever the athletes meet before and after a training session or competition. In the locker room, different norms are applicable, and they can vary a lot between different groups or sports. Some people will take up more space, others keep a low profile. But the norms are expressed through the way we speak, the jokes that are made and how we behave. It can be about having the “right” clothes, say the “right” things or how we look at people that are not part of our group.Coaches and other adults have a big responsibility to prevent harassment in teams where the norms are very slim or where some participants become dominant on the expense of others. Therefore, many clubs put a lot of time and effort into teamwork in order to strengthen the bond between teammates. It is important to show that everyone in the group belongs there and that everyone get to know each other.Slide 11:Sports organisationsWhen we talk about sports organisations in this context we are talking about its centre of power – the board room. This is where a lot of the power is accumulated and distributed, and the board is probably the most important people to get involved when working for a change. This is where the decisions are made that affect the direction of the club. A board with a traditional view might choose to continue down the same path as before and whilst this might promote diversity and inclusion it is sometimes important to view the organisation with a critical perspective. By viewing the organisation from the outside, it is easier to see how to best work with these questions and how to prioritise.Slide 12:Challenges and barriersSports can be accessible or non-accessible in different ways. Accessibility can be more abstract and allude to structural problems. Despite having the best intentions, it is not always easy to be an open organisation. You will meet many challenges and obstacles and some will be easier to overcome than others.Physical barriersSome neighbourhoods might also be perceived to have a negative image for those who do not live in the area. That image has an impact on those who do live there who are faced with prejudice or perceptions that are not created on the basis of knowledge or facts. This might lead to some sports organisations not wanting to establish themselves in the area. Or they use the venue or training site without involving or inviting people who live close by.Slide 13:Challenges and barriersStructural barriersOur whole society is built on structures and that has an effect on sports too. These structures are built into our society and built on that white, heterosexual men are at the top and dispose a large part of the power. It permeates everything from politics to business and sports. It shows by who is elected onto the board, who gets the best training times at the club, who has the best financial conditions or who receives the primary focus and attention?It is important to open up for new types of sports that has a different country of origin. When population of immigrants arrive, they might bring with them sports that is not big in their new country.Slide 14:Challenges and barriersMediating barriersCommunicating without mastering the language is a challenge and can create barriers. However, research shows that sport can be of great help to learn a new language and that, when you master it, it is easier to take on other parts of society and to create a network of contacts.The challenges of communication are not only based on the language we speak; sometimes we speak the same language without meeting anyway. In those cases, it is usually about us entering the conversation with different experiences. A person who has been subject to discrimination is much more aware of injustice than someone who has benefitted from these structures.Slide 15:Tips on different types of sports activities for increased inclusionActivities for mothers: We talk a lot about the importance of involving parents and one way of doing is to arrange sporting activities for mothers. By reaching mothers you also reach younger children who might not get in touch with sporting organizations on their own outside of school. Some organizations set up walking groups which is a great way to combine walking with socializing. It could become a natural pathway into society by meeting friends and creating a network.Language training for adults and sport: In Sweden there are examples of some sports organizations that offering language training for adults. Combining language training with education in health and sports give parents the same level of knowledge as the rest of the country's parents. That way, parents get help to be just parents for their children.Open Training: A club can organize open training where the aim is to meet and exercise. There is no prerequisite and there are no expectations that you need to perform results but instead focus is on having fun and offering both a context and something to do.Slide 16:Webbpage – manual (june/july 2018)www.engso.com/ASPIRE is an international collaborative project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, that seeks to find out how to best support migrants and refugees, building on the wide popularity of sports and other forms of physical activity. ASPIRE could serve as a pioneer in long-term perspective, offering a positive, evidence-based response with the help of sport to the many problems of inclusion related to the current migrant and refugee crises, during and after the settlement of migrants and refugees when it comes to facilitate the access of refugees to social servicesASPIRE - Activity, Sport and Play for the Inclusion of Refugees in Europe 2017-2019