The All-In & Win expert meeting in Barcelona – organised by the Federacio Catalana de Hockey – brought together a group of “really powerful” voices last week as the project develops momentum.
All In & Win is a joint project between hockey and football with the objective to contribute to LGBT+ acceptance in sport, creating a safe and inclusive climate.
It forms a significant next phase in the EHF’s Equally Amazing Charter which aims to ensure everyone, at every level, from the boardroom to the pitch, gets access to the same opportunities, no matter of gender, age, race, religion or skill level.
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME ARE:
-
Tackle racism, discrimination, and violence against the LGBT+ community in sport
-
Social inclusion in and through sport
-
Promote social cohesion through sport
-
Promote active citizenship
-
Promote voluntary activity in sport
-
Enhance social and bridging capital of athletes
-
Creating a safer environment for athletes within their club or organisation
The Barcelona meeting brought together industry professionals, experts, and enthusiasts to explore collaborative approaches and foster innovation.
“It was really good to see all the partners face to face after a really busy start to the year with data and research-gathering,” Jamie Hooper – who leads the project on behalf of EuroHockey – said of the work done to date which preceded this meeting in Barcelona.
This preparatory work included two surveys on what supports organisations want and, secondly, one for athletes and their experiences for LGBT inclusion in sport.
From there, an experts panel was put together for this latest program.
“We invited people from all areas of expertise related to what we want to do with the project. Fantastic representation – we had previous hockey internationals, people working for hockey governing bodies, a mix of football organisations, people working for LGBT organisations as well as academics and grassroots deliverers.
“It was a real mix across the board, allowing us to pull on their expertise and shape not just the upcoming pilot projects but also the best practice research which we will develop as part of this.
“It was really powerful to have those voices all in one place. Because it was such a mix from experts across the board, it made some really interesting conversations and ideas.
“It was great to hear of a lot of good work happening in the clubs across Barcelona; the KNHB were there with their new diversity and inclusion leader Thijs de Greeff who was the first male international player to come out.”
👥🎤 Hem acollit les jornades organitzades per la @fcdehockey ‘All-in&win’, emmarcades als programes europeus Erasmus+. Sempre al costat d’aquelles accions socials internacionals que contribueixen en la pràctica de l’esport segur i inclusiu! ✊🏻#SomEsport pic.twitter.com/uJ5V1uC7aN
— Gerard Esteva (@gerardesteva) June 14, 2023
The All-in & Win expert meeting commenced with a plenary session, marked by a warm welcome and an overview of the program’s objectives.
The session provided a comprehensive explanation of the meeting’s structure, emphasising the significance of collective efforts and innovative thinking.
A brainstorming workshop formed the heart of the expert meeting, where all attendees actively contributed their ideas across a broad spectrum of topics. The ideas and proposals were meticulously documented and later grouped by relevant themes.
The program continued with the initiation of the first working group sessions. These smaller, focused teams embarked on working sessions, each dedicated to a specific topic. In these sessions, participants immersed themselves in detailed discussions, leveraging their collective expertise to dissect challenges, identify opportunities, and propose innovative solutions.
The specifics of the working group sessions were tailored to the individual topics, ensuring a targeted approach to problem-solving.
The second phase of the working group sessions witnessed participants refining and solidifying their individual conclusions. Each working group devoted their efforts to synthesizing the ideas, proposals, and discussions from the previous sessions.
These final working group sessions aimed to consolidate the findings into concrete recommendations, strategies, and action plans.
These actions will then be combined with the outcomes from focus groups in the four pilot regions: Belgium, Catalunya, Czech Republic and Romania in July ahead of an August review. This will feed into the development and planning of pilot projects.
