Sports club Hertha from Bonn helps refugee children in the integration process in Germany with its "Football Connects" project. The club received an award from the German Football Association for its work with young people.
Only a few hand signals are enough for Salim Mehdui to signal to the children in the physical education room of the "Til Ojlenspiegel" elementary school what he expects from them. All students gather in a circle in the middle of the hall. Some jump a bit nervously from foot to foot, others look at the coach curiously and wait for their turn.
Mehdui holds the soccer ball, and after everyone has said their names, practice can begin.
"The children here are getting used to the rituals, to our rituals. It's a joint greeting at the beginning and end of training," explains the coach for Deutsche Welle (DW).
It's not just about sports, it also encourages social interaction of everyone during training, emphasizes Mehdui.
It is important how children relate to each other. And these are children from the nearby reception center for refugees.
"These trainings are important for the kids because they learned during the escape that only the stronger always win. And that means that the kids sometimes behave a bit rough," Antje Nekili told DW.
"Here, they learn how to be more considerate of each other. Through play, children learn proper social behavior."
Antje Nekili is a volunteer and works as a coordinator in a refugee camp. In March 2022, she launched the "Football Connects" project with the football club Hertha from Bonn.
Language barriers
And finally – the ball is rolling. It is noisy in the small hall. Loud laughter is mixed with celebration for the goal scored. Joy is visible and contagious.
"It fills me with joy," says Salim. "You can see it's good for the kids and motivates them to keep going."
When he started this project two years ago, Salim Vereine was a student, and he spent a year as a volunteer at Hertha Bonn. Then he also made a small guide, because at the very beginning, communication caused him and his colleagues the most problems. "Of course it's a challenge, because there are language barriers, every time you have new kids at training."
Jerg Mihael, co-president of the Bonn club, adds: "These are children who come from different countries, often they don't even speak a common language." And that's why all coaches face the same challenge, how to motivate all children to participate in that activity, Mihael told DW.
Salim accepted the problem and together with the club management came up with some solutions. If communication is not possible in English or French, then it takes place non-verbally, with the help of cards that Salim shows to the children.
A common language is not always necessary to communicate, says Nekili.
When they play for the same team, then children from cultures that are otherwise hostile towards each other can become friends. The club therefore uses football as a common language. It is a language, as Mihael emphasizes, that is always understood around the world.
Recognition of the Football Association
"Five minutes break" or a very simple sign for "Stop". These messages can be easily recognized on the cards, so that children can know what is happening at any time. And it works, the project was a complete success. For this reason, he was recently honored by the German Football Association (DFB) with the Julius Hirsch Award.
Under the leadership of DFB president Bernd Neuendorf, Hertha Bonn was chosen from among 134 clubs, or initiatives, that competed for this prestigious award. In its explanation, the DFB stated that the Bonn project "is an impressive example of selflessness, because that is not how you win over future members of the club." All the children leave the club after a few days or weeks.
How can clubs help?
Despite the generally rather short stay at the club, the children profit from the training. In addition to forgetting about their everyday life for a moment, they learn social skills, practice social contacts and gain an insight into German culture.
"Trainings change children's behavior, because those who have gone through our workshop can help other children as well," says Nekili. "They support each other and share their knowledge with other children."
Jerg Mihael says that this project shows him how important similar initiatives could be in terms of integration: "Clubs should be socially engaged, that should be their task," he says. "That's why we developed this guide, so we want to show how simple it really is to offer such training."
After only 60 minutes, the training is over. If you ask the kids – it went by too fast. To say goodbye, everyone gathers again in a circle. And everyone, together with the remaining energy, shout loudly: "Football!" Everyone in the same language and everyone with a big smile on their face.
Bonus video:
