3X3 Unites x Barça Foundation
On behalf of 3X3 Unites, Melissa 't Jong, Rabiya Ulkü and Annieck Timmerman had the opportunity to run with the Barça Foundation for two weeks. The central theme: strengthening gender equality within 3X3 Unites. "Both organizations have inspired each other."
3X3 Unites aims to inspire and support young people through 3x3 basketball. In doing so, the sport is used as a tool for personal development, showing leadership, making social impact and building communities. 3X3 Unites already trained more than 1,000 youth to become 3X3 Leaders.
3X3 Unites already undertook several actions in recent years to connect more closely with girls' experiences and was partly successful in doing so. But still the vast majority of young people are boys. In addition, more boys than girls attend the activations of 3X3 Unites. To see how 3X3 Unites can balance those numbers more in the future, it visited the Barça Foundation through the European Union's Erasmus+ Project.
The Foundation, which is directly affiliated with the Spanish soccer club, is known within the sports sector as a leading and successful organization, where inclusivity and gender equality are highly valued. “Through our visit, we wanted to gain insights and learn from such a large organization,” said Melissa, who has been working for gender equality within 3X3 Unites for several years.
3X3 Unites came out to the Barça Foundation through Nike's Made to Play program, which aims to get children and especially girls moving and having fun with sports. Both 3X3 Unites and the Barça Foundation partner with Nike Made to Play. 'The Barça Foundation's approach closely matches our objectives. Especially in the area of gender equality.'
The visit was split into two parts, so to speak. In the first week, 3X3 Unites mainly watched during activities. In the second week, she gained much more insight into the methodology behind it. “Especially the mix of observing, walking along, actively participating and explaining the methodology behind it was very interesting,” says Annieck, manager operations & impact within 3X3 Unites.
For example, 3X3 Unites participated in after-school sessions in vulnerable neighborhoods and clinics in community centers, focusing on mixed participation, empowerment and inclusion. This was valuable because 3X3 Unites organizes these types of activities itself. 'It was a great way to see what the similarities and differences were and how we can fine-tune our activities,' said Melissa, who believes both organizations can learn from each other by joining forces. "In terms of recruiting girls, they face the same challenges as we do.
3X3 Unites also gave 3x3 clinics of its own, held talks with Barça Foundation staff, coaches and program managers discussing strategic approaches to gender inclusion and mental health, among others. 'Although we went to Barcelona to gain knowledge, they also learned a lot from us. They were inspired by our approach, they expressed several times.'
In addition, 3X3 Unites attended a large-scale event by FC Barcelona, Nike and Superacció aimed at vulnerable youth. Almost half of the 250 young people participating were girls. 'Many of them actively participated in different sports, such as soccer, volleyball, dance and cycling,‘ says Rabiya, who leads several girls’ programs within 3X3 Unites. 'This gave a great insight into how a large-scale event can still remain accessible and maintain its social focus, using sports as a means of connecting young people from different backgrounds.'
3X3 Unites also made a successful visit to a juvenile prison, where the Barça Foundation runs a sports class twice a week for young people between the ages of 18 and 24. 3X3 Unites first watched and later conducted a 3x3 basketball clinic itself. 'This was the only activity with only boys, but was very valuable,' Rabiya said. 'It got us thinking about how we ourselves can even better reach excluded target groups.'
Another highlight was 3X3 Unites' insight into the Barça Foundation's SportNet Methodology. This is a holistic framework based on seven main themes, including gender equality, emotional well-being and violence prevention. “That holistic approach was very interesting and instructive,” Annieck says. She says 3X3 Unites' methodology also focuses on the whole person, but clearly has a focus on sports as a tool. 'That's why it's interesting to dive deeper into the holistic approach.'
She continues: 'It made us realize that we can put the child even more at the center and how we can look at the broader picture even better. So what is the reason that a child or young person ended up in this vulnerable situation? Can we involve education, the environment and, for example, parents more? And in what way do we want to do that? So looking even more closely at what a young person needs to feel better and how we can use sport as a tool.
One of the interesting aspects of the SportNet Methodology is the many moments of reflection that are built in. 3X3 Unites currently reflects primarily through the video portfolios that young people create during the Leader Course. The Barça Foundation does this much more frequently. For example, during and after activities, sessions and meetings, they reflected together on a regular basis. 'A question like: why do we do what we do? came up constantly,' Melissa said. 'This provided structure and emotional safety. We immediately applied this way of reflecting in a two post-session activity. We see a lot of potential in this.
When asked if the exchange with the Barça Foundation was valuable, Melissa, Rabiya and Annieck nodded in agreement. 'As a result of this project, we have put even more focus on integrating gender equality more structurally within 3X3 Unites. We were inspired by the Barça Foundation's holistic approach and their SportNet Methodology, especially the use of value-based reflection moments,' Rabiya said.
According to her, they are nice additions to the current methodology of 3X3 Unites. At the same time, the differences between the Barça Foundation and 3X3 Unites show the way 3X3 Unites' programs are structured. 'Barcelona, for example, works year-round with a closed group of 12 people. At 3X3 Unites, the focus is on building the broadest possible community, where everyone is welcome.'
She continues: 'Through the exchange we are also expanding our existing work with asylum seekers, and it has inspired us to develop programs within juvenile prisons, to broaden our impact and make our programs even more inclusive.'
Annieck: 'And the Barça Foundation again found it very interesting how we educate young people to become role models and offer them real perspective. They can do something with that in turn.'
3X3 Unites has since had follow-up meetings with both Nike and the Barça Foundation to look at structural collaboration, explore joint projects and create opportunities for other organizations within the Nike network to exchange knowledge and experiences.