Meet the Shortlist - Sport for Social Inclusion Award

Selected from over 350 entries reaching 60 different countries, the Beyond Sport Awards, supported by Comic Relief shortlist represents the standout and unique work being done by organisations across the globe, from figure skating in Harlem to get young girls interested in STEM education, capoeira as a way to rehabilitate displaced young people in the Middle East to socially conscious gym classes as a way to support isolated older people in the disadvantaged communities across the UK.

The 36 nominated initiatives will be invited to the Beyond Sport Summit 2015, with their travel and accommodation provided, where the winners will be announced at the prestigious Awards Ceremony on the second day of the event.

Sport for Social Inclusion Award

The Sport for Social Inclusion Award is for Projects that use sport to address issues of social, ethnic, physical, economic or gender exclusion

Breaking the Silence Using Football - Horn Of Africa Development Initiative - HODI - (Kenya)

Breaking the Silence Using Football is an innovative project that uses the power of sport to create a safe space for girls in Northern Kenya. The programme uses football to drive social change by creating a safe space for the girls where they can discuss some of the issues away from the elders and community.

Futbol Mas (Chile)

Fútbol Más promote the development of resilience in girls, boys and teenagers who live in contexts of biopsychosocial vulnerability, with the objective of giving them the opportunity to enhance their personal resources in benefit of their and their community´s wellbeing through daily biopsychosocial football classes.

GoodGym (UK)

GoodGym is a community of runners who get fit by doing good. GoodGym makes a contribution to improving quality of life for older people whilst being an easy and fun introduction to running. Participants do physical tasks that benefit the community and keep participants fit. Participants can run in a pack to work on a community project, or do one off missions to help vulnerable people or commit to visit an isolated older person every week.

Sport for Inclusive Development – Cheshire Foundation Action for Inclusion (Ethiopia)

Sport for Inclusive Development addresses discrimination and stigma in persons with disabilities by initiating and encouraging participants to make active involvement through inclusive sport. The programme creates awareness in the public on disability prevention and work towards improving the living conditions of persons with disabilities through diversified interventions.

We Own Our Future – El Desafio Foundation (Argentina)

We Own Our Future works with some of the most vulnerable people of Argentina. Participants are living in a context of social exclusion due to their situation of poverty, dysfunctional families and a district where violence reins, unemployment, drug dealers, abuses and truancy. The sport programme brings them support, self-esteem and confidence so they can set higher goals for themselves.