Participants compete in a basketball league thanks to the work carried out by the Craigavon Intercultural Project, funded by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.
Craigavon Intercultural Project
A £9,000 grant was awarded to the Craigavon Intercultural Programme (CIP) with the aim of integrating ethnic minority groups into the community in the area through a programme of sporting activities.
A £9,000 grant was awarded to the Craigavon Intercultural Programme (CIP) with the aim of integrating ethnic minority groups into the community in the area through a programme of sporting activities.
Targetting people that face social exclusion and isolation, the he project aimed to increase sport and exercise levels for participants.
A number of different activities were organised, including a series of sporting opportunities for a number of ethnic minority communities at various sporting venues in the Craigavon area. Grant funding was used to organise games and cover the costs of venue hire and equipment for a Lithuanian Basketball team, as well as indoor soccer games for members of the Portuguese community and volleyball opportunities for members of the Polish communities.
Additionally, there were 6 weeks of badminton activities for Filipino males, a basketball competition, a number of football events and 10 basketball sessions for Polish youths.
Overall, this saw a total number of 617 people taking part across 57 separate sessions and 9 different nationalities.
The programme of activities involved working closely with Portuguese, Brazilian, East Timorese, Angolan, Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian and Filipino individuals and communities. In the development of the programme positive links with the sports Department of Craigavon Borough Council and various ethnic community groups were developed.
CIP partnered with the NI Basketball Federation in the delivery of the NI Basketball finals in Craigavon, which was won by the Dungannon Lithuanian team. CIP worked closely with the Sports Development Department of Craigavon Council in developing the potential of the various teams and assisting these teams to become part of the mainstream clubs and leagues.
The Lithuanian and Polish Basketball teams finance their own training programme and CIP funded most of the games when different nationalities would play. These teams have played in the NI Basketball League for 2 years with success. One of the teams won the NI Basketball final in April 2011.
As a result, adults involved in the Basketball CIP have been able to support the development of 2 junior Polish and Lithuanian teams with 18 players. Many of the participants are now attending the information sessions, personal development programmes and cultural events that CIP are developing.
Portuguese indoor soccer initiatives included members of three different Portuguese speaking communities, namely from Portugal, Brazil and Africa. The ethnic football leagues bring together a variety of cultures in a common sport. The events held at a number of facilities across Craigavon are designed to inform ethnic participants of opportunities while also providing an opportunity for local clubs to interact with new communities in a positive manner.
Football matches in Lurgan consisted of both local teams and ethnic teams, with strong relations between the two being created. Overall, the grant created new opportunities, for several ethnic communities, which did not exist before the CIP commenced.
A number of participants who were suffering from isolation have created friendships and new relationships through the sports opportunities. The programme has created a sustainable structure for three ethnic communities to participate in sporting experiences in the Craigavon area.
