Social inclusion of newly arrived female asylum seekers and refugees through a community sport initiative: the case of Bike Bridge

Abstract

This study examines the potential and limitations of a community sport initiative in fostering social inclusion of newly arrived adult female asylum seekers and refugees in Germany. It contains three parts: the first and second part aim to assess the perceived opportunities and barriers of riding a bicycle in the participants’ homeland and Germany and to provide empirical evidence about the outcomes of the project at a micro level by prioritising the participants’ accounts and experiences. In the third section, through an examination of the programme’s structure and provision, its perceived impact is investigated. Bourdieu’s theory of practice was deployed as an analytical tool in the study. The findings revealed the importance of need-based, informal and intercultural provisions and practices to foster participation of physical recreation of the target group in their new setting. However, to facilitate social inclusion, the participants’ prolonged and sustained engagement in the programme as volunteers was crucial.

Keywords:

• Female asylum seekers
• community sport
• social inclusion
• biking

Notes

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments.

Disclosure statement

The author reported no potential conflict of interest.

Notes

1 ‘Integration through Sport’ [Integration durch Sport] programme is sponsored by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and aims to allow immigrants and refugees to participate in the life of various different associations and in training and competitions over the long term.

2 In Germany, a volunteer in sport clubs is allowed to earn a maximum of €2.400 per year.

3 Sportentwicklungsplan der Stadt Freiburg 2018.