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Activity Report 2015
Making lives better, through sport.
“Remember this. Hold on to this. This is the only
perfection there is, the perfection of helping
others. This is the only thing we can do
that has any lasting meaning.
This is why we are here”.
Andre Agassi
Faster, higher,
stronger
Sport has an amazing power of bringing people
children living in refugee shelters to encourage
together, giving inspiration and ardour, motivating
them to practice sport regularly. The famous “Ride
to try harder and to do better. We at Sportunity
of Sporty Santas” even won the first prize at ING
have truly lived this experience in 2015 as our
Soldiarity Awards in the category “100% volunteer
volunteering team has grown and a number of
organisations”.
fruitful partnerships marked some new important
beginnings.
more initiatives adding up to our current projects,
With the support of Luxembourg’s National Youth
in particular in relation to displaced families living in
Service and European Investment Bank Institute,
Luxembourg shelters. Dreaming big would not be
we launched the “Meet an Athlete” program
possible without our generous sponsors: Pioneer
piloted in July with triple world boxing champion
Investments, State Street Luxembourg, Charles
Hassan N’Dam and followed up in November with
Russell Speechlys, and of course Asport, who kindly
a class led by an Olympian and world champion in
equipped our Sporty Santas with gifts for refugee
athletics Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie.
kids.
Responding to the challenges of the migrant crisis
Many thanks to all those who believed in us and
that the world is experiencing today, we
whose support helped us to move forward. What a
contributed to improving the well-being of children
year it was. Here is to another great one.
from displaced families. In collaboration with OLAI
and Red Cross, we brought sports and fun to
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Our plans for 2016 are very ambitious with a few
Irina Aleksandrova, Founder and President
Sport, the universal language
In the context of the current migrant crisis in
Europe, integration
of refugees in the local
community has become especially important a
topic – and we could not stay aside.
Physical activities in general and sport in particular
constitute
an
important
part
of
personal
development, while fulfilling a basic human need
for fun and entertainment. Besides, being a natural
way for young people to expend their energy and
emotional charge, sport is one of the most
powerful tools when it comes to prevention of risky
behaviors in youth.
However, today, due to social and economic
constraints, many children and young people in
displaced families are deprived of the right to play
and train. Willing to change that, we organized a
We have significantly extended the
scope of our activities with projects
and initiatives geared towards
improving lives of children and young
people in difficult life situations, with
particular focus on displaced
(refugee) families.
number of activities for children from Weilerbach
and Luxembourg-Eich refugee shelters.
The team of Time Fit sports center ensured
professional training support with elements of
dance, martial arts and general physical activities,
making the children enjoy their sporting time and
get
interested
to
try
and
practice
more.
This initiative will continue into 2016 with regular
training schemes put in place for children from
migrant and refugee families living in shelters
across the country.
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Athletes as role models
Who can give a better lesson of hard work
and perseverance than a world champion?
“Meet an Athlete” is an educational initiative
developed by Sportunity, where high profile
athletes take
some
time
off
their
busy
schedules to meet with young people and
motivate them to do better in life.
“Class of Hassan” in Petange and “Class of
Debbie” in Bridel were led by two amazing
personalities and great athletes: triple world
champion in boxing Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam
(Cameroun / France) and an Olympian and
world champion in sprinting Debbie Ferguson
McKenzie (Bahamas / USA).
Both “classes” were built around interactive exchange with the athlete, who was encouraging boys and girls to
move forward, never give up and face life challenges with dignity and self-esteem. A set of fun, game-like
physical activities led by the champion was another important element of the “Meet an Athlete” experience.
We have significantly extended the
scope of our activities with projects
Other high
profile
international
will join the program as mentors over coming months.
and
initiatives
gearedathletes
towards
improving lives of children and young
people in difficult life situations
Both Debbie and Hassan will stay in touch with the young people, providing ongoing mentoring support.
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The highlights
of 2015
Receiving – in order to give even more
Sporty Santas on the Ride
Thanks to the votes of hundreds of our friends and supporters,
On the eve of St. Nicolas day, widely celebrated in Luxembourg
we became one of the winners at the ING Solidarity Awards.
and the Greater Region, Sporty Santas received a very important
And it was such a great surprise to get called to the stage for
mission: meet children from refugee shelters, introduce them to the
the second time – to receive the 1st prize in the category
festive traditions of their new country, and leave behind some cool
“100% volunteer associations” awarded by the jury to our
sporty presents, which would allow those children to practice
project “Sporty Santas”!
sports regularly.
Thrilled with joy and gratitude, we will stick to our promises to
make the most use of every single cent we receive in awards
and donations. We will be back next year, to share with you
just how well we did on that.
For a day, the Asport warehouse in Ingeldorf turned into a magic
gift factory, and Sportunity volunteers together with Asport team
became real Santas’ helpers, as they were selecting and packing
gifts for refugee children.
Around 120 children at Weilerbach and Luxembourg-Eich shelters
enjoyed the company and wonderful gifts of Sporty Santas, who
promised to be back next year – to bring joy and sport to many
other children in need.
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;
Behind every idea, there are people who make it happen…
All we managed to do this year would not have been possible without our amazing
hardworking volunteers and our generous sponsors and donors.
Our special heartfelt thanks go to the team of Time Fit sport center, Badr Kabbaj, Sam Skilz
and his DJ Academy, Basta Cosi restaurant, Erich François and ING Marathon, Sportlycée,
inlingua Luxembourg, Maisons de Jeunes in Bridel, Steinsel and Petange, and the refugee
services at OLAI and Luxembourg’s Red Cross.
Thank you for sharing this year with us. Let’s move on to an even more fruitful 2016!
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What’s in for 2016
Responding to the challenges of the current migrant situation in Europe,
we are launching a major project “Integration through sport”.
Regular trainings in different sport disciplines led by certified trainers and
coaches will be organized for children and young people from displaced
families. Starting with football, dance and running, we will be adding other
disciplines in various locations.
By promoting the values of sport, mutual respect and tolerance, this
program will improve the well-being of the disadvantaged youth and
contribute to a better integration of the foreigners in the local community.
We are looking for sport trainers, students on internship and volunteers.
Please get in touch with us for more details.
Tune in for our latest news:
www. sportunity.org
www.facebook.com/sportunityorg
Like what we do? Help us do even more!
Please send your donations to LU10 0141 4483 2170 0000 (CELLLULL)
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SPORTUNITY a.s.b.l.
Postal address: 9, av. des Hauts-Fourneaux
Esch-sur-Alzette, L-4362 Luxembourg
www.sportunity.org