The event also commemorated World Refugee Day by sharing a positive message of integration, inclusion, cohesion, tolerance, and solidarity. The discussions revolved around an insight-sharing debate where project partners, participating organisations, the Community Leader for Sport Inclusion in Host Communities (CLIS), the Sport for Inclusion Activist in the Refugee Community (SIA) and representatives of the refugee community presented the main activities, results and challenges of the project. 

The participants also exchanged views on the future perspectives of the project, which was implemented as a pilot action, testing a new working methodology and adapting it to the specific conditions of each country. The trans-European partnership project promotes the inclusion and integration of young refugees through sport by establishing cooperation mechanisms and peer-to-peer platforms to empower sports organisations and link them with integration-focused social development organisations. 

It was designed and implemented to support young refugees in Europe by using sport as a transformative tool to provide opportunities for their integration and social inclusion, while addressing the challenges that migration flows pose to the four selected countries: Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. 

The 36-month EU-funded project established a national and European cooperation mechanism and a network of 'like-minded' actors in the sport-for-inclusion ecosystem, while building the capacity of sport and social development organisations. All partners, stakeholders and refugees have worked together to create national focus groups and collect good practices; design and implement new educational tools aimed at empowering committed stakeholders and refugees through the CLIS and SIA figures. 

The project partners developed a Methodological Handbook on how to increase cooperation between sport organisations and integration-focused social development organisations and how to increase community participation of refugee youth through the attractiveness of sport activities. It also raised awareness of actions to promote the integration of refugees and migrants into their new communities in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which are facing the challenges of current migration flows. 

"One ball can change the world. This is my motto. Thanks to my sports team, I feel more powerful and encouraged not to be afraid of the new society I have joined. Sport has helped me to be where I am now. Today I have started an apprenticeship in an IT company in Germany, and I feel very good there," said Shakiba Shaeedi, a refugee from Afghanistan who plays football for Team Hestia in Greece, winners of the Global Goals World Cup Europe 2019. 

"After five years from the beginning of the war, I started looking for my inner peace and I found it in sport. I knew archery and since 2016 my life has changed. I took part in national competitions and then I had the chance to apply for a scholarship outside Syria. Sport gave me a chance that other people didn't have. Thanks to the Save the Dream scholarship, I participated in the TASEM project and then I continued my studies and built a life in Portugal," said Bushra Shehadah, refugee from Syria, and archer. 

Massimiliano Montanari, CEO of Save the Dream, pointed out: "The CrosSport project has sent a clear message that sport is an important tool for inclusion, integration and socialisation of young refugees. This final conference is the culmination of years of collaboration between the partners. I would like to thank the European Union for believing in our vision and helping us to restore hope and create new opportunities in the lives of young refugees living in the countries targeted by the project."