The SOL Foundation assists the Laureus Foundation Switzerland in a partnership with the “Förderverein Bildung und Sport Schweiz” who operates the initiative “Champions”.
Champions supports disadvantaged children and young people across Switzerland through free and easily accessible extracurricular programmes and career preparation activities that combine sports and education, enabling social participation through informal learning and the development of essential life skills.
Problem to be tackled
All children and young people should have the same opportunities for education – regardless of their background, language, or financial situation. However, the reality of the Swiss education system is different: various studies show that the gap between socially disadvantaged and privileged students in Switzerland is continuing to widen. Many children follow the same social path as their parents. While 70% of children with university-educated parents go on to complete tertiary education, only 27% of children from families with a low level of education achieve the same.
“Champions – Lernen und Sport” was initiated using sport to motivate children and young people to learn.
The sports section of Champions is structured in a multi-sport approach. The sports and physical activity segment are prepared and guided using “Burner Games.” The Burner Games were developed in collaboration with the Department of Sport, Exercise, and Health at the University of Basel. These various games provide a well-structured, stimulating, and motivating environment for the participating children.
The programme’s low-threshold approach ensures equal access for all interested children, regardless of background. This leads to a diverse group composition – featuring gender balance and, in 2024, children from 36 different nationalities.
The participants mainly consist of children and young people who spend their leisure time largely in a self-organised manner and receive little support at home in their academic endeavours. Therefore, the programme is often utilised by students with a migration background or from socioeconomically disadvantaged families.
With the support from The SOL Foundation, Laureus Foundation Switzerland will be able to assist Champions with a selective scaling of the proven programme to 15 cantons, four language regions, and from 25 to 30 locations including accessing new regions in the French-speaking part, and in particular by strengthening the programme structure including resources or the monitoring and evaluation processes.
The Laureus Foundation Switzerland is one of eight national foundations of the global Sport For Good Foundation with the aim to enable children and young people to lead positive and self-determined lives with the help of sport. The foundation finances, promotes and develops social sports programmes for children and young people who need support – regardless of gender, origin, religion, social class, or health restrictions.
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