We are of course referring to the FutbolNet Festival, co-organized by the Barça Foundation, with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), where the only rival is social exclusion.
The children participating in the Festival had previously taken part in a one-year program that utilizes the FutbolNet methodology, under the guidance of coaches from the Barça Foundation, in collaboration with PRAKSIS and Organization Earth. The FutbolNet methodology was developed by the Barça Foundation in 2011, and uses sports to bring together young people who live in refugee hosting centers with children from the local communities. The aim of the program is to improve the daily lives of young people facing difficult living conditions, to strengthen their mental and emotional health, and to promote social inclusion and their integration into local host communities.
With the support of the SNF, the Barça Foundation extended the FutbolNet program, with a positive impact for the lives of more than 3,000 children living in refugee hosting centers in Lebanon, Italy, and Greece. Furthermore, the SNF has supported the procurement of sports equipment for FC Barcelona’s Innovation Hub, for refugee hosting centers.
