Tackling prejudice against refugees and migrants in Turin
Due to its location on the Mediterranean and membership in the European Union, Italy has become a popular haven for refugees and migrants from around the world. With immigrants making up over 10 percent of Italy’s population, social integration resources are increasingly strained.
Balon Mundial was founded in 2007 to use football as a tool to integrate refugees and migrants and break down local prejudice towards them. Its football-based programmes tackle ethnic and gender inequality, combat exclusion and challenge social barriers as well as strengthen links between the local and migrant communities.
Alongside its annual tournament, the “Balon Mundial Cup” - the world cup of migrant communities living in Turin, and “Football Communities” (a tournament composed of teams of players from Turin refugee shelters), Balon Mundial trains a refugee team called “Senza Frontiere FC”, which serves to improve players’ soft skills, thereby opening up job opportunities and helping players to find their way in their new home. The team is mixed with refugees and Italians playing together.