Team Hestia FC
GGWCUP NYC FINALS 2019 QUALIFIER
Team Hestia FC
Global Goal 16 - Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
A ball can change the world
Team Hestia FC is the GGWCup Europe 2019 Overall Champion playing for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
The SDG16-Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, is important to our team because our refugee and migrant women players had to flee away from their countries because of war or conflict. If Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions had been achieved, their lives wouldn't have changed so dramatically. But we will keep on fighting and raising our voice for this cause!
The prize the team won in Copenhagen was used to organize a big celebration during the Eid in Greece and the team’s homefield. Eid is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. The team decided to support poor refugee, migrant and Greek women to unite and enjoy this day together.
Hestia is an ancient greek goddess of the hearth, architecture, and the right ordering of domesticity, the family, the home, and the state. “My motivation is to fight against any kind of discrimination, as well as to promote the social inclusion and integration of refugee women, and equal access to sport for women,” says Katerina.
“I consider the GGWCup unique because it combines four important issues: sport, women, vulnerable populations and the SDGs. My vision is that the women of my team will become inspiring role models, not only for other refugee women but for women with less opportunities in general.”
How will the team take action for their Goal?
Firstly we inform the public and raise awareness regarding the SDGs in general, focusing on the SDG16:
During the friendly matches we play with local football clubs, Universities and private sector football teams.
By participating in local and international tournaments/football events. We participated in the Festival of Football organized by Equal Playing Field in Lyon (May 2019) and we are invited by UNHCR and will participate in the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva (December 2019).
By organizing educational football events for children, focusing on girls.
By giving presentations/speeches in local Universities, NGOs, in forums and conferences in local and international level. We were among the speakers in the “When Sport Breaks Down Walls Forum” organized by Save the Dream and the Qatar Embassy in Berlin (March 2019), in the Jose Romanillos International Football Industry Forum in Madrid (May 2019) and in the Festival of Football organized by Equal Playing Field in Lyon (May 2019). We are among the speakers in "the Role of Sport in Safeguarding and Empowering Refugees and IDPS", a side event at the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York, organised by UNHCR, IOM, Qatar Charity and Save the Dream. We are also among the candidates for the Development and Peace through Sport Program of the Year Award of the Peace and Sport Awards which will be held in Monaco (December 2019).
By organizing football events open to the public. 2 street football events as well as a tournament in which local women and girls’ teams will participate are going to take place in October during the European Football People Weeks.
By organizing trainings/workshops/forums to educate the local football professionals, sport universities’ students as well as refugee and migrant women. 2 of them will be held in October during the European Football People Weeks in collaboration with a local women’s football club, 2 Municipalities, local companies and an NGO supporting refugee/migrant women.
Secondly we advocate for the rights of refugee/migrant women but we also raise our voice for all women with less opportunities and spread the word about how the SDG16 would support these rights:
Through the interviews that we give to international and local media. Until today, more than 60 newspapers, radio and tv channels, websites have covered Hestia FC, such as BBC, Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, New York Times, The Washington Post, Xin Huan Net, Daily Herald.
By preparing our refugee/migrant players to become role models for other women with less opportunities and to be able to advocate themselves. Until today, our players had the opportunity to give interviews to the media, they were speakers in presentations we gave to local Universities and NGOs and they facilitate the football events we organize for children as assistant football coaches.
By developing partnerships with local public authorities, local and international sport entities, schools, universities and colleges, NGOs, and the private sector.
Through our players, volunteers and staff personal and the team's official social media (Facebook and Instagram).
