Getting Together Through Sports (FRIT II)

The project is implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) of the Government of Türkiye. It began in August 2020 and is due to be completed in August 2024. 

This project provides inclusive youth and sport facilities in regions hosting large numbers of refugees. The objective is to increase the access of young people to recreational activities and to create meeting points to facilitate social cohesion. Children and youth are enabled to engage in sports and leisure activities and create shared experiences regardless of race, religion, socio-economic status or gender. 

The main goals are: 

• Construction and equipment of 22 facilities and iincreasing the access to recreational facilities in selected provinces with high refugee concentration and thus contributing to improve the social cohesion of Syrian under Temporary Protection (SuTP) youth with the Turkish society.
• Creating opportunities for better social interaction between target groups through joint activities and events (sporting events, community events in youth centers) and thus promoting social cohesion, especially between Syrian refugees and host communities;
• Increasing the awareness for the Action as well as other Youth and Sport Programmes and their value for the social cohesion.

Main activities of the Good Practice

Improved availability of sport and youth infrastructure: 

Within the provinces with a high number of SuTP, both the Turkish and SuTP youth only have limited access to sport and youth facilities due to the limited number of facilities. Within this specific objective, constructing additional facilities will improve availability of recreational infrastructure.

The expected result is the construction of 22 facilities (e.g. indoor and outdoor sport facilities, youth centres) including furnishing and equipment.

The key activities include:

• Assignment of an Implementation Consultant 
• Selection of sub-projects to be constructed, along criteria such as needs assessment, share of refugees in target region, accessibility, security and ESHS considerations
• Tendering, Construction and Furnishing of sub-projects 
• Environmental and social safeguards

Increased opportunities for social interaction and awareness of the services offered by the recreational facilities.

Through targeted visibility and communication activities, media campaigns and other materials, stakeholders’ awareness of the project and its benefits will be increased. 

The development and implementation of a Communication and Visibility Plan as well as other awareness raising activities are targeting both the SuTP as well as the local Turkish community in the selected provinces with the objective to increase their level of information concerning the opportunities offered by the construction of the facilities. All activities follow a gender-sensitive approach contributing to the reduction of discriminatory social attitudes and expectations and considering the different needs of and risks faced by boys and girls.

Elements which helped facilitate the implementation of the good practice

The project is funded through the Facility for Refugees in Türkiye (II), a grant fund by the European Union focusing on refugees and host communities in Türkiye and implemented in cooperation with KfW Development Bank. International best-practice standards in terms of procurement, Environmental and Social Health and Safety (ESHS), and Occupational Health and Safety are applied, along with the relevant Turkish laws and regulations. 

Partners involved

• KfW Development Bank 

• European Union Delegation, Ankara (Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye | EEAS (europa.eu))

What challenges were encountered in delivering the project and how were they overcome?

Challenges

• COVID-19 pandemic
• Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman Earthquakes in February 2023
• Highly inflationary project environment and macroeconomic turmoil

How they were overcome

• Construction works were carried out by adhering to all rules determined within the scope of COVID-19 measures. At the same time, all events were either postponed or implemented within the framework of precautions. 18 of the 22 facilities are located in the provinces affected by the earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye on February 6, 2023 and have survived without structural damages, confirming the diligent implementation of civil works. Due to the earthquake, construction works and activities were postponed for 6 months, and negotiations to extend the duration of the project yielded positive results. 
• Contract terms for civil works were designed in a manner to mitigate risks caused by an inflationary environment as much as possible (e.g. through price adjustment clauses). Budget and cashflow analysis, including forecasts of price index and exchange rate developments, are carried out on quarterly basis to manage the budget properly. Adjustments in the project scope have been made.

Results of the Good Practice

• 22 recreational facilities (football fields, tennis courts, sport hall, youth centers, training hall, swimming pool) for the targeted population are being delivered that offer a wide range of social, cultural, educational and sportive activities free of charge to children and youth from refugee and host communities. Youth and social workers angaged in youth centres also serve as a point of contact in cases where children and youth show need for counselling.
• Opportunities for better social interaction between target groups through joint activities and events (sporting events, community events in youth centers) are created in order to promote social cohesion, especially between Syrian refugees and host communities
• The value of sport for physical and mental well-being is promoted among target groups

In what way does the good practice meet one or more of the four objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees?

Objective 1: Ease the pressures on host countries

The facilities provided by the project help to ease the pressures on the host communities in multiple ways. Firstly, the existing facilities in the project regions were not meeting the growing demands caused by a large migration flows of Syrian refugees to the target provinces. The newly constructed facilities were planned according to the needs of both the host community and refugees and the increasing needs were met. Secondly, by providing opportunities for children and youth to engage in joint leisure activities, social cohesion is fostered and thereby pressure and tensions among the communities are being reduced. 

Next steps

An extension of the project scope to include 12 additional facilities in the region affected by the earthquakes of February 06 is under preparation. The focus will be on youth centres, as these offer a wide range of activities, including non-formal education activities, which are of special importance to vulnerable groups, such as refugees and children affected by the earthquakes.

Are there areas in which support would be required to continue and/or scale up your good practice?

With the support of the Ministry, these facilities built within the scope of Social Harmony will be open to new project supports in many areas such as trainers, expert social workers, activity materials, information and adaptation training.