FCBARCELONA.CAT

02.06.2008 10:38

Youth voices against racism

www.fcbarcelona.cat

This is the name of the programme being launched today by the FC Barcelona Foundation, UNESCO and the European Parliament to fight racism. The initiative is designed to get young people to analyse the phenomenon and provide solutions to it.

FC Barcelona and UNESCO signed an agreement to carry out joint projects last November. A few months later the new alliance was set up which also contains another partner, the European Parliament. “Sport is a mirror of society with all its defects,” says MEP Emine Bozkurt. “But we should not forget above all that sport offers major possibilities for social inclusion.”

The programme is called “Youth voices against racism” and is intended to start up a unifying dialogue that gives a voice to young organizations, members of the ECCAR (European Coalition of Cities Against Racism), which will attempt to provide recommendations and guidelines which are applicable in their cities and geared towards fighting racism and discrimination while simultaneously fostering diversity. “Young people are the real torch bearers for this message,” says Marcio Barbosa, UNESCO’s Deputy Director-General, “and we want to invite them to become decisive players on this stage so that they are heard at all levels of society.”

Racism is a rival to beat

These forums for young people are to feature debates on a wide array of issues connected with racism such as:

- Prevention and becoming aware of the need for tolerance of cultural diversity and peaceful community living.
- Help for victims.
- Raising awareness in the community and effective opposition.

“At FC Barcelona we are convinced that football, even though it is only a sport, provides us with valuable tools for combating violence and racism and fostering integration in our society,” argues Joan Laporta, FC Barcelona club chairman. For this reason the three organisations seek to bring football and sport into the debate about racism, so that young people can shed light on how to eradicate racism from sport and from society in general. “Racism is the opponent all we players would like to see get thrashed,” says FC Barcelona first team football captain Carles Puyol. “This programme is yet another example of the FC Barcelona Foundation’s social commitment and the way in which it seeks out front-rank allies for its cause.”