Sportegration | Zurich, CHE

The idea of starting a sports club for displaced people came to Annina Largo after many weeks of contemplation. It was early 2016, and Switzerland was seeing an influx of people fleeing civil war in Syria. Due to long asylum processing times, however, those seeking asylum were having to wait to begin their new lives. As a full-time lawyer with a part-time love for coaching sports, Annina decided to combine her skills to better the experience of refugees. While continuing to work full time, she set up Sportegration, in the hope of helping people to integrate into the community. Annina tells us more about her journey…

Typically, refugees are not allowed to work in Switzerland until they receive a decision on asylum. On top of this, it can be hard for them to join in with community activities when they’ve just arrived in a new area. This is why our work around integration is so important. We help them feel connected to their local community by encouraging them to join us for sporting activities. 

I started offering one fit-boxing session a week, which received a lot interest from the refugee community. The sport involves non-contact boxing in a studio and provides a great full-body workout.I also found a lot of local people who were willing to volunteer. We grew quickly, expanding to two classes per week, and then we launched the running club. Soon after, we recognized the need for a women-only class, so we started yoga for women. We now offer 14 different sports across three cities, including swimming, football, basketball – even capoeira.

In 2018, we expanded our program to include school-style classes. We teach English, maths, and computer studies – which we realized where the classes that our participants needed most. The people signing up are usually aged between 14 and 25. Despite this, our primary focus remains on coaching through sport.

Our volunteers are the key to what we do. Today, we have over 140 volunteers. As well as coaching, we offer a one-to-one mentorship program where participants are paired with a volunteer who helps with their day-to-day needs. It might be that they need assistance with anything from writing letters to securing a flat – and the mentor is there to advise them in these situations. We also now have a program where businesses can register their employees as mentors through their social change programs. The business subsidizes our administration costs and, in return, we match our participants with mentor employees for a year.

Our participants are welcome to stay with us for as long as they would like. Our program offers stability, and we have people who joined us in 2016 still returning for sessions. Quite often, however, their attendance depends on whether they are given permission to remain in one place. Sometimes, they are transferred somewhere different without any notice. So, people have joined us for one week and others for more than six years.

The most beautiful thing is to see that transformation – from when our participants first come to us, barely speaking any German to then slowly finding stability through sports and running. Then, as they take our school classes, we can see them growing in confidence and finally finding an internship, a new home or even just some new friends. Sometimes, they even become trainers and coaches themselves. Many of our participants find enjoyment in giving something back to those in a similar position to them when they first arrived. It is very rewarding – for them and for us – and represents the integration spirit of Sportegration. 

 Find out more about Sportegration.