Bayer 04 help internally displaced in Ukraine

Internally displaced persons have not been an issue in Europe for over ten years. That has changed since the start of armed conflict in Ukraine in 2014. According to the UN High Commission for Refugees, over two million people have been forced to leave their homes in eastern Ukraine to flee to other parts of the country. With little prospect of an end to the conflict, the internally displaced people now have to be integrated with their new communities. That was the reason for the FCSA decision to launch a project in the Ukraine to use football to convey integration and social values.

In the opinion of the Bayer 04 instructor Christoph Binot it certainly makes sense to carry out the project in Ukraine. "The Young Coaches are very motivated and proactive. This maintains the high quality of the workshops, the training sessions and the football fests with the children. The Young Coaches want to use the knowledge they have acquired to help the displaced children integrate in their new life in a new community. I'm fully convinced they are making a contribution to helping the affected children deal with the trauma of the flight from the conflict regions."

The second training module was carried out by instructors from Bayer 04, FC Basel, Queens Park Rangers and Shakhtar Donetsk. From October 2016 to May 2017, 40 young adults from different parts of Ukraine will be trained to be children's football coaches and role models. Project partners like UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM and Terre des Hommes selected them and they have added to the training through workshops on child-oriented and psycho-social support for traumatised children. After the Young Coaches have been trained they will be able to promote the social integration of the children in their new communities and also offer confidential support in dealing with the trauma of war.

Yuri took part in the training to be a Young Coach. "The programme change my training methods with children. Before I wanted to train future professional players. Now I've learned how I can support the complete development of children and have fun so that they are happy at the end of the training sessions. That is much more important and it's the only way I can have a positive effect on their lives."

Bayer 04 have been a member of the Football Club Social Alliance (FCSA) since January 2009. This association involves various professional football clubs working together in crisis and development areas. Here, the positive effects of football are used to support children and young people in difficult and traumatic living conditions. The main focus is on a training programme for young adults where the participants learn how to convey to children current issues such as working for peace and preventing violence through football. Projects have already taken place in Colombia, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Palestine, Sudan, Kosovo and Jordan. Over 1,400 Young Coaches have already been trained and they have looked after over 30,000 children.