Liberfoot

Action accessible to all including newly-arrived migrants

PROJECT OWNER

Name of the project owner: Association Les Dégommeuses

Status of the project owner:  Local association

Area of work of the project owner: Sport / Gender equality
Website of project owner

PROJECT

France

Geographic scope of project: Local

Project objective: Promote social diversity / Educate and transmit values through sport / Practice a physical activity for physical/mental health

Type of sport or physical activity carried out: Football

Partnership / supports: Grants (Fondation de France, Mairie de Paris)

Project duration: 3 years

Project status: Underway

Supervising staff: Volunteers

Summary of the project: Les Dégommeuses is both a football team and an association that campaigns against discrimination in sport and through sport. Its actions target sexism and homophobia in particular. In 2017, homosexuality is still criminalized in around 80 countries over 193. To escape prison, ostracism, violence, many LGBT flow away from the countries in search of freedom. Unfortunately, their arrival in Europe is not always easy, since they are both victim of xenophobia and homophobia and can hardly count on the solidarity of their own national community. In this context, sports is a great tool for empowering LGBT refugees in a safe environment, developing social and linguistic skills, allowing autonomy, breaking isolation and allowing a regular physical activity which helps dealing with psychological distress. That is the reason why Les Dégommeuses have initiated program aiming at encouraging refugees' and asylum seekers’ participation in sport. It was supported in 2015 by a grant from Fondation de France, and in 2016 & 2017 by the city of Paris. The program allows, among other things, to buy sports equipment and meet the costs of public transportation for women refugees. It also involves refugees in all the social activities of the association, while the strong connections with other partner organization strengthen the administrative follow up during their asylum seeking process. Since 2014, more than 30 women refugees have integrated our team. The impact on their health and mental status has been tremendous, while the great majority of them has got their refugees status and have improved their knowledge of France. The turn-over is high: the majority of them has found a job, which has made their participation to the trainings more difficult (often they have unqualified jobs with irregular timetables), but the participation to the social activities of the association is still an important vector of integration for them.

Beside those grassroot activities, Les Dégommeuses have also developed advocacy around sport activism with respect with refugees integration. For example, in 2016, the “Footie for Freedom” action week, a whole week of activities to raise public awareness about the life trajectories and living conditions of refugees, particularly members of the LGBT community fleeing homo- or transphobic regimes. On this occasion, a delegation of lesbians, gays and transgender people who have found shelter in various European countries were invited to Paris. The originality of our program is both to involve women refugees, who are more difficult to reach out, especially through sports, and to articulate sports grassroot activities and advocacy activities.

TARGET GROUP

Country of origin: Algeria, Uganda, Mauritania, Camerun, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast

Type of migration: Refugee / Asylum seeker

Target beneficiary: Women only

Target age group: 21-30 / 31-60