“Having been part of a larger project like MOVE Beyond has been very inspiring and I’ve been challenged to think anew and to develop my thoughts. It’s also given me the confidence and perspective to value the things that I’m doing right.”

“We wanted to give refugees sports organising and intercultural tools so they become an added value to the sports organisations. So it’s not like the sports organisations have to go and work with those poor, disadvantaged refugees. No, we have empowered them with the right training.”

“Many refugee children have never experienced the freedom of care, sports and play. Some have simply forgotten what it’s like to be a child. Camps and training sessions with their peers can help heal the emotional scars and create a relatively normal happening in their troublesome life as a refugee.”

“It’s important to be curious and brave. Listen to people, their stories and experiences and just go for it.”

“The integration process is never unidirectional. Our project aimed at creating a team where the players are also active members who engage outside of the tournament to raise awareness within the local community.”

“Sport England is the main grassroots funding body from the government and they have five outcomes: physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual development, social and community development and economic development. And I think using sport in the way that we have done in this collaboration meets all of those outcomes. Small projects like this can have a massive impact.”

“Physical activity helps me live today and not think about tomorrow and what’s going to happen. It’s good because it makes you feel good. It doesn’t change the situation, you can’t change it, but you can change your feeling about the situation.”

“Physical activity is an ease, a break from mental stress. Although it is not therapy in itself, it has a therapeutic and stabilising effect. It can help in getting the alarm and alertness out of the system. This has been my most culturally enriching experience in many years of teaching PE.”

“The biggest challenge is to integrate refugees and asylum seekers in sport without creating activities directed only to them. This creates another form of isolation from the rest of the society. The real challenge is to include locals in the activities with refugees.”

“The distinction between merely allowing people into a community and welcoming them to such an extent that the community changes is an approach that is essential to human dignity, to the enjoyment of sports and exercising of human rights. Inclusion also emphasises a sense of belonging, which includes feeling respected, valued for who you are, feeling a level of supportive energy and commitment from others.”

"When we stopped worrying about working with refugees and started playing with them and having fun, the air became lighter. If I learnt something that week it is that sometimes all it takes to rehumanise us is a little dance."

"We approached these people with love, smiles, and great positive energy. As a result, we received more love and smiles then we could have even imagined! ... The adults were happy and relaxed, seeing their children and family having a great time without concerns, and most didn’t hesitate to interact with us. I really could see how powerful sport is for integration."