Movi Kune - Moving together

Specific action dedicated to newly-arrived migrants

PROJECT OWNER

Name of the project owner: University Vienna & Hemayat

Status of the project owner:  Governmental organisation / University Vienna - National NGO / Hemayat

Area of work of the project owner: Sport / Migration / Health / Trauma therapy
Website of project owner

PROJECT

Austria

Geographic scope of project: Local

Project objective: Develop competences for active citizenship / Practice a physical activity for physical/mental health / Develop intercultural relations and/or intercultural competency

Types of sport or physical activity carried out: modified sports, dance, games, movement tasks, respiration and relaxation techniques, body awareness and grounding exercises, endurance, resistance, coordination and mobilisation exercises

Partnership / supports:

Project duration: since 2013

Project status: Underway

Supervising staff: Professionals / Volunteers

Summary of the project: Since 2013, the sport and exercise psychology department (University of Vienna, Austria) and the care centre for torture and war survivors Hemayat have been working together in this project, offering sport and exercise as an adjunctive offer to psychotherapy and other support. We use sport and exercise as tools for psychosocial support aiming to support the individual and group in their endeavours, empowering them to cope with the (trauma- and migration-related) stressors and to construct social relationships. In doing so, resources augment, which encourages recovery and strengthen their abilities to deal with future challenges as well. Thus, the projects aims to promote health as well as participation and inclusion in and through sport. Furthermore, the project combines practical interventions with research in order to contribute to the understanding of the therapeutic processes and psychosocial effects of sport and exercise.

Each year, war and torture survivors (traumatised refugees) in the care of Hemayat participate in the Movi Kune programme in gender-separated groups. The groups are facilitated by trained facilitators/trainers and a trauma-expert. The programme is conducted twice a year for at least three months, with two weekly sessions of 90 minutes each. The contents and strategies are multi-modal in nature and adapt continuously to the needs and interests of the participants in order to augment motivation and adherence to physical activity. The programme is based on sport, exercise and movement therapy principles, including the dimensions of training, learning and experiencing; a perspective on Salutogenesis and health literacy. Various tools are applied, including modified sports, dance, games, movement tasks, respiration and relaxation techniques, body awareness and grounding exercises, and endurance, resistance, coordination and mobilisation exercises. Non-verbal methods are combined with verbal techniques, applying mainly person-centred communication. Group processes are managed by regulating the degree and manner of social interaction and physical contact; by providing the individual choice to opt-out and opt-in; and by fostering self-regulation of the training load, own level of engagement and role in the team. The continuous participation of a trauma-expert in the intervention is crucial in order to work within the limits of competences and to deal in the best possible way with potential trauma triggers and exposure to negative experiences (Ley, Krammer, Lippert, & Rato Barrio, 2017; Ley & Rato Barrio, 2017).

TARGET GROUP

Country of origin: Refugees from conflict regions: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Chechnya, Nigeria, Somalia

Type of migration: Refugee / Asylum seeker

Target beneficiary: Men only / Women only / Teenager-Young people

Target age group: 21-30 / 31-60