Social Responsibility: Andrea Zoppis at UEFA summit on the protection of children

Held from 17 to 18 November in Tubize (Belgium), the UEFA summit focused on the protection of children and young people involved in football. Among the 49 participating associations at the summit, which took place at the new headquarters of the Royal Belgian FA, the FSGC was also represented by its Football and Social Responsability Officer, Andrea Zoppis. Alongside the UEFA member associations, the meeting was attended by speakers and members of the European Commission as well as parliamentarians from the Council of Europe, together with researchers and experts in the field. In this context, cooperation between institutions (schools, government, etc.) and the associations is crucial in order to work as effectively as possible. Child protection is an integral and essential part of UEFA’s Football and Social Reponsability project, entitled “Strength through unity 2030”. Through this project, European football’s governing body aims to focus on children’s rights to play football, and to prevent and respond to any form of harm. As part of the project, UEFA is also working with Terre des Hommes, a Swiss organisation dedicated to helping children, and has launched an e-learning course via an online platform (www.uefa-safeguarding.eu). During the two-day event, group workshops were also organised with the aim of finding practical solutions to further develop the topic of child protection. The event was also scheduled to coincide with World Children’s Day, the international day dedicated to the rights of children and adolescents, which falls today, Sunday 20 November.

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