From Syria to our neighbourhoods: can football rebuild what war and racism tear apart?
On 12 November, from 10 am to 1 pm, the international Sports X Hope conference will bring together football clubs, civil society organisations and public institutions at the FC Barcelona offices to tackle an uncomfortable question: does sport really contribute to peace? Attendance is free, with prior registration.
The starting point will be the Hope League, a community football project active in Syria, Iraq and Jordan. Its six academies in Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan alone bring together 1,708 children from different communities, using a non-competitive football methodology developed by the Barça Foundation and Escola de Futbol La Caserna.
But football does not build peace on its own: it can be a tool for coexistence or reproduce the forms of exclusion that exist beyond the pitch. The conference will explore what makes the difference, drawing on experiences from Syria, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome.
If you coach a team, work for an organisation or shape public policy, this conversation is for you too.
Programme
10:00 Institutional welcome
Luca Gervasoni Vila (NOVACT) and Marta Segú Estruch (FC Barcelona Foundation). Hosted by Anaïs Martí (La Vanguardia).
10:15 Training for peace: sport and peacebuilding in communities affected by war
Abdulaziz Ramadan (DOZ International), Giulia Torrini (Un Ponte Per) and Andrés Barrientos (Escola de Cultura de Pau). Moderated by Oriol Andrés (Contrast).
11:15 Coffee break
11:45 The neighbourhood plays as a team: grassroots football, anti-racism and community ties
Oleguer Presas (Escola de Futbol La Caserna), Giovanni Castagno (Esquilino Football Club, Rome) and Dolores Galindo (Dragones de Lavapiés, Madrid). Moderated by Clara Basiana, journalist and Olympic medallist.
12:45 Institutional closing
César Tovar (Department of Sports, Government of Catalonia) and Mar Benseny (Catalan Council for the Promotion of Peace).
Practical information
- Sala París, Camp Nou grounds (FC Barcelona). Access 9, Av. de Joan XXIII, Barcelona
- Free admission with prior registration
- Simultaneous Catalan-English interpretation will be available via mobile phone. If you need interpretation, please bring a fully charged phone and headphones.
Organised by NOVACT, the Barça Foundation, Escola de Futbol La Caserna, Un Ponte Per, IDare and DOZ International, with the support of the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation of the Government of Catalonia.