1. Integration through sport

2. Integrative programmes The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees supports sports associations in Germany together with the German Olympic Sports Confederation to create integrative programmes for people with a migrant background

3. Integrative programmes On the initiative of the German government, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) founded the "Integration through sport" programme in 1989. The aim is to recruit people with an immigrant background to take part in all levels in club life - both as active members and as volunteers. Being involved in sports activities with others helps to promote social integration and mutual acceptance. The idea is to promote awareness in the clubs towards openly engaging with people from different cultures

4. Local sports clubs The regional sports associations and local sports clubs are responsible for the implementation of these ideas. Approximately 500 sports clubs offer courses, tournaments, holiday camps and other sporting and leisure- related activities. In addition to popular sports such as volleyball, handball, basketball and gymnastics, there are also specialist courses such as Sambo, boxing and wrestling

5. Local sports clubs About 38,000 participants take part in these activities every year and they are involved in about 2,000 integrated sports groups. Most of the sports clubs participating in the programme already offer special integration services in addition to sporting activities. These range from helping with homework to open discussion groups

7. The "Integration through sport" programme is constantly developed. Over the coming years, target groups that up to now have not been very active in sports clubs, such as girls, women and senior citizens with migrant backgrounds, will be addressed more specifically. A further aim of the programme is to provide greater support in future to migrants willing to take on voluntary roles and to further expand the intercultural openness of the clubs.

8. Sports activities One good example for putting these ideas into practice is the city of Stuttgart. As Mr Schuster the Lord Mayor of Stuttgart said, “There are two universal languages which can break down any frontier, and these are music and sport. Both inspire and bring pleasure to people, providing a bond that can only be experienced in a community. So it is obvious that music and sport can be used to bring people together, a foundation for integration. Sport is the ideal way of conveying the five values: respect, tolerance, peace, solidarity and fairness.

9. I‘m a Stuttgarter He also said that a city can only have a positive future if all the citizens can identify with it, no matter where they originally come from and can say “I’m a Stuttgarter”. In the “Stuttgart Pact for Integration“ all groups that actively play a part in the urban society are committed to this integration process and embrace it as a mission for everyone. Integration through sport is a vital aspect of this work.

10. What did the city do to support this process? First of all the city councils helped the sports associations and other sports organizers by providing the necessary sports infrastructure, like sports halls, sports fields, swimming pools and other public exercise places, e.g. schoolyards, playgrounds, jogging circuits, hiking trails, etc.

12. International sports congress in Stuttgart The municipality also helps these projects financially although a lot is done due to personal commitment of people who believe in the idea of bringing nations together. Finally Stuttgart wants to promoted this idea to other communities and so in 2007 the congress “Integration through Sport“ took place in the Stuttgart Town Hall. 350 participants from throughout Europe got together to exchange their experience and find out about the Stuttgart projects.