Social integration refers to the movement of minority groups or underprivileged sections of the population away from the margins and into the heart of society. It is vital to ensure that all members of society have full and equal access to opportunities, rights and services. Social integration goes hand-in-hand with solidarity, harmony, dignity and peace and can be achieved by directly challenging issues such as unemployment in a community, racism in a country and xenophobia between nations.

All streetfootballworld members have their own unique ways of tackling such issues using individual, community and even global approaches to encourage positive change—all of which are based on football.

A powerful tool for social integration Football is a global sport in the truest sense of the term—the universal passion that exists for the game makes it a powerful tool for positive change. Football can be used to engage, to teach, to create peace, to promote understanding and to expose young people to parts of society they might not normally encounter, thus fostering mutual understanding and communication. streetfootballworld unites and supports organisations that use football in an innovative way: around the world, local organisations are proving that the beautiful game can be used to create positive change in the social issues affecting their communities. This website section shines a spotlight on streetfootballworld network members in Europe, offering examples of best practice in Development through Football programmes that foster social integration for young people.

Sharing best practice in Europe
The project is itself an effort to support social cohesion in Europe. streetfootballworld brought its European network members together to create this publication and, in the process, meet each other and share best practice. Young people from the UK visited participants and staff members from organisations in Dublin, Lyon and Sarajevo to exchange expertise, broaden their horizons, gain insight and apply their newfound knowledge to their communities.