United Faiths Project PROJECT ADDRESSING RACISM, ISLAMAPHOBIA, ANTI-SEMITISM AND SECTARIANISM THROUGH SPORT Glasgow ANSAR have been awarded a Scottish Executive Race Equality Integration and Community Support Fund Grant in order to implement the above project. JOINT VISION OF GLASGOW ANSAR, GLASGOW MACCABI AND BELLSHILL Through this project Glasgow ANSAR, Glasgow Maccabi and Bellshill aim to stimulate debate between the participants thus developing a better understanding and appreciation of each other’s faith and culture. The programme will use football, fitness and health as a mechanism through which to engage the participants in discussion about racism, Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism and Sectarianism. WHY THIS PROJECT IS NEEDED Our project aims to bring together THREE community sport organisations; Glasgow ANSAR (predominantly Muslim), Glasgow Maccabi (predominantly Jewish) and Bellhill (predominantly Christian) All of the groups have football teams competing in leagues at various age levels. In recent times there have been reports of racism, Islamaphobia, Anti-Semitism and sectarianism during league matches with cautions and dismissals being required frequently. Our project seeks to bring together people from Glasgow ANSAR, Glasgow Maccabi and Bellshill to discuss, understand and appreciate their differences and commonalities by building upon the work of anti-racism and anti-sectarianism organisations. The need to address racism has been brought into public eye by anti-racism groups including the Commission for Racial Equality Scotland, Show Racism the Red Card and Kick Racism Out of Football. Similarly, anti-sectarian groups Sense Over Sectarianism and Nil By Mouth have succeeded in raising awareness of sectarian problems in Scotland. In recent times, sport -particularly football due to its high media visibility- has often sparked the most highly visible displays of racism and sectarian hatred, in amongst albeit a minority of Scottish football supporters. We aim to use the participants’ interest in football as a positive catalyst for change. By stimulating discussions we aim to challenge the beliefs, views and opinions regarding negative religious and racial stereotypes held by elements of today’s youth, through the medium of football and the allure of Hampden, Scotland’s National Stadium. HOW WE AIM TO ADDRESS RACISM, ISLAMAPHOBIA, ANTI-SEMITISM & SECTARIANISM The project is for an anti-racism/anti-Islamaphobia/anti-semitism programme using the mechanism of fitness testing and football/sport training to attract the target audience. The opportunity to train at Scotland’s National Stadium, Hampden Park, will act as a major incentive and motivation to the target audience. Groups of 24 will be formed from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities at three age levels: Under-13’s, Under-16’s and Adults. The programme will encourage and celebrate the vibrant and diverse community that exists in Glasgow and Scotland. Each age group will receive a 16-week programme of activities. The programmes will run consecutively. This process will be repeated in year two of the project. Participants will take part in discussions on racism, Islamaphobia, Anti-Semitism and sectarianism. The discussions will focus on the issues raised by a range of guest speakers. OUR PROPOSED GUEST SPEAKERS Nil By Mouth Kick Racism Out of Football Commission of Racial Equality Scotland Strathclyde Police Glasgow Central Mosque The Local Synagogue The Church of Scotland The Catholic Church HOW WE SEE THE PROJECT WORKING The project will operate in three programmes per year – Under-13’s, Under-16’s and adults. Each group will take part in a 16-week programme. At the start of each programme, the participants will receive a full health & fitness check. This will include the following: Assessment Type Purpose/ benefit 1 Cardiovascular screening Measures overall fitness performance 2 Echocardiogram (ECG) and heart scan Diagnostic tool for assessing risk of heart disease 3 VO2 Max Measures lung capacity and stamina 4 Isokinetic Assessment Measures muscle strength and function 5 Flexibility tests Measures flexibility 6 Sprinting Measures speed 7 Anthropometric measurements Measures height, weight, body mass index (BMI), skinfold thickness At the end of the 16-week programme, participants will receive another fitness assessment to evaluate improvements in health & fitness. This final fitness assessment will include elements 4-7 from the table above. Each week, the participants will visit Hampden to take part in football training sessions. Each training session will last approximately 1.5hrs. Over the 16 weeks, participants will work on their ball control, passing, heading, shooting, tackling and positioning. Depending on the age and interests of the participants, other activities such as gym workouts or pool sessions can be integrated into the programme to develop other skills and add variety. A dietician will also give participants regular advice on how to improve their diet. At the end of the each programme, participants will be taken on a guided tour of the stadium, museum and Hall of Fame.