Club Sonya – the way in

The purpose of Club Sonya is to get more foreign-born girls/women active in Swedish associations and through them also reach their mothers. Participation in associations should counteract exclusion.

Club Sonya is a special initiative for foreign-born girls who are currently outside of the club community. The project will provide these girls with opportunities through, among other things, better physical activity, strengthened self-image, mentoring and job opportunities, and also involve the girls' mothers. The project is a way of working to reduce exclusion and increase integration for foreign-born women, as well as strengthen the mental health of girls in general. The club community also offers a large network of contacts. The target group for the project is girls aged 12-25 who have not played football before, as well as their mothers.

Activities:

• A project manager is hired for two years.
• As a first part of the project, the opportunity to participate is made visible and young people and their parents are informed.
• Football training and try-out activities at other clubs are offered.
• A lecture series on physical and mental health, self-defense, personal finances and leadership is being arranged. The project involves collaboration with the schools' study and career counselors and the Swedish Employment Service, which provides assistance with courses on CV writing and discussions on the path to work.
• Collaboration with club sponsors and local businesses to find mentors and possible internships and summer jobs.
• Collaboration with youth librarians for book circles and language development activities.
• Contribute to more female leaders within our association – let our senior players train in leadership roles within the project, design mentorships with girls already active within the association.
• Start your own courses to harness the driving force of the girls and especially their mothers (the model is Yallatrappan in Malmö).

Club Sonya has had a location in central Osby that has been staffed on weekdays between 09.00 and 17.00. Our language expert Taiba has received spontaneous visits here for support in all matters from government letters to job applications. We have had a schedule for the entire week's activity that was exposed in the location and on social media. The activities consisted of, for example, homework reading (teachers from SFI), Language Café, study visits to companies or municipal services, invited guests and visitors, bookable times for personal development/coaching, cooking and collaborative projects (e.g. with the employment agency). The focus of the daily activities was primarily language training, community information, support in everyday situations (opticians, doctor's visits) and development to get closer to the labor market. 

In the afternoon and evening it was the time for the young people. The girls often came straight after school to get help and support with their homework, talk about everyday worries and get company for training. The focus for the girls was to gain their trust and give them a calm environment where they received support in their schoolwork. Friday nights also provided opportunities for joint movie and pizza nights, which was allowed since we were only open to girls. Many of the girls were not allowed to visit the recreation centers in the village, but their free zone was at Klubb Sonya with our young teacher assistant Linnea as security.

On weekends it was open to all women when we arranged excursions, children's parties, family parties or just went swimming. Our very popular Sunday club was something that became a big event for many. At the Sunday club, Henrica invited speakers who talked about something, for example a profession. More and more women who had lived in Sweden their whole lives also found us on Sundays as mentors, which meant that there were many nice conversations - it was everything from religion, raising children to what goals we have in life. At the Sunday club, we put away all prestige about who you were and what you have done in life - the important thing was to socialize. And for many women we have understood that this was the one time in the week when you could be without children and family. That you then got to know a new person who you could say hello to when you saw them in the village created great self-confidence.

The project has resulted in the young girls becoming more physically involved in various parts of the club life and significantly improving their grades in the theoretical subjects. The older women have all taken a step closer to self-employment – from very different levels.

Club Sonya will start its own non-profit association with the same activities as today. The association will be run by women who were previously involved in the project as a target group - but the idea will consist of: By women for women - The way in. We will have close cooperation with Osby municipality as a resource in their new labor market unit and aim in the long term to start our own business within café and staffing.

Club Sonya will also take responsibility in the municipality for being an umbrella organization for all sports and cultural associations that have activities in the area of integration. In this way, we can jointly achieve a greater impact and presence.

The project is well described and with previous experience and expertise in the bag, there are good conditions for the specified goals to be reached. With a strong focus on a female profile with the combination of daughters, mothers, sports and area collaboration, Sonya is shaping an innovative project that can create ripples in the water. Strong project with a clear description. Clear goals and description of how one wants to work to achieve them. The connection to employment through collaboration between different parties in society is a strength for both sustainability and integration. This fits well into Skånes Ess strategy and contributes to the goals for 2014-2020.