The National Agency Education for Europe at the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education (NA at BIBB) and Training has chosen our STEPS project as a hook for the topic "Inclusion in Focus" and has published an exciting and entertaining report about the initiative. Read the report. (August 2021)

Final Evaluation

The National Agency "Bildung für Europa" (Education for Europe) at the Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training) in Bonn has evaluated the STEPS project with 95 out of a maximum of 100 points and nominated it as a "good practice project". The project organizations and their staff are very happy about this appreciation of our work and thank all network partners for the excellent cooperation!

Excerpt from the evaluation of the National Agency dated 29.01.2021 (translated from German):

"Particularly noteworthy is the intensive networking, through which new impulses and contacts for further cooperation could be gained. In this context, the project meetings were used in a targeted manner to bring relevant external persons into the circle. European added value was achieved above all through the exchange at the meetings and the visualization of best practice examples."

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The aim of the project was to apply a successful German approach to resocialisation and inclusion in the participating partner countries by using sport as a leisure activity to address and inspire young offenders and other young people in precarious situations such as refugees, migrants and others. The project ended on 30.09.2020 after 24 months of implementation.

DESCRIPTION

The German sports club ,,BSV Wassenberg“ for baseball and softball visits a prison for young offenders (aged 16 to 25) in the town of Heinsberg monthly and instructs a team of 14 young prisoners how to play baseball and softball. The intention of the lesson is to encourage the offenders for a sport activity which is supposed to lead them to a sustainable interest and to the aim of joining a sports team after disimprisonment in order to get into a new social environment. The improvement of the individual initial situation increases the interest in social life and education within this difficult to reach target group.

The project wants to emphasize and promote that sports and other free time activities represent a way for social inclusion and integration, so that teenagers and young adults in precarious situations get the chance to re-socialize. The project is innovative compared to other projects because even if there are many initiatives for teenagers and young adults in precarious situations, there is missing one for this particular target group, thus young prisoners.

The German sports club aims to transfer its experiences to other European sports organizations in order to use sports as a vehicle for resocialization and inclusion and wants to expand its approach to influence more areas of education, institutions and facilities for teenagers and young adults in precarious situations.

COORDINATING ASSOCIATION

Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Weiterbildung im Handwerk (GFWH GmbH)

Volmerswerther Strasse 79
40221 Duesseldorf

T. +49 211 3007800
E. info@gfwh.de