Mr. Kabanada Mwansa, Ph.D. Candidate, Inland University of Applied Sciences

"Using Sport for Development and Peace and Inclusive Physical Education as responses to Unaccompanied Refugee Minors’ experiences made in the context of the 'European refugee crisis of 2015 – a vision for the future"

Several countries in Europe that have taken in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs) have used among other ideas, low-threshold initiatives such as Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) and Inclusive Physical Education (IPE) programmes to integrate and socialize these young people with the local communities. The ‘European Refugee Crisis of 2015’ brought about different URMs from diverse backgrounds to resettle in different European countries, Norway inclusive. This talk focuses on whether these initiatives achieve the intended objective of integrating and realizing the social inclusion of URMs among the local population. The talk links up theoretically with studies on ‘integration and social inclusion’ and applies Social Identity Theory as an analytical framework. The authors' findings from his PhD study reveal that although some URMs feel that they are part of SDP and IPE programmes and that they are catered for therein with relative independence, they are not feeling well connected with the local indigenous youth population and are not socially adequately supported by the adults working with these programmes. How could teachers and other adults address these issues? With a focus on the PhD research theme where SDP and IPE programmes are regarded as a context for URMs to maintain contacts with others, the talk illustrates the disconnection between URMs and the local indigenous youths. The talk then concludes that the right structuring of SDP and IPE programmes such as involving professionals in providing an educational service is key for ‘social inclusion’, and ultimately social integration of URMs into the wider Norwegian society. What is the vision for the future to make this work?