Sports, especially team sports, brings people together regardless of their nationality, race or religion ,and Grassroots Children Football Program, supported by UEFA and FIFA does exactly this. The project Football Brotherhood, carried out by Istanbul Gedik University's Sports Sciences Faculty, brings Turkish and Syrian children together on the field.
The program is in its second year of reaching out to children between the ages of six and 12 and teaching them that there is no discrimination in sports.
Commenting on the project, Sports Sciences Faculty Vice Dean Serkan Esen said: "Sports activities are seen as a tool for development and social peace. We want to speed up the social integration of Syrian children living in Turkey through football. Our biggest aim is to help children of the same age know each other and make Syrian children feel at home."
Football Brotherhood is also supported by the Turkish Football Federation, Pendik Municipality and Pendik Sports Club.