ISCA AWARDS 2025: Global IRTS

WINNERS



WINNERS ISCA AWARDS 2025: Global IRTS



Category 1: IRTS & Community


Luta pela Paz


Country Brazil
Continent South America
About the organization

Luta pela Paz (LPP) uses sport as a tool to respond to the urgent need to improve access to mental health support for youth in the Maré favela in Rio. Youth from Maré face high levels of poverty, inequality and discrimination, and extremely high levels of armed violence: a 2021 study revealed 62% of Maré residents always or often feared being shot. Despite this, only 2% of national health budget is spent on mental health and youth from favelas are least likely to access what support exists. LPP uses boxing and martial arts to improve young people's mental well-being, and as an entry point to provide destigmatising workshops and tailored psychological support through Care Diaries, a methodology using a social-media inspired activity book to support youth to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.




Category 2: IRTS & Mental Health



Youth Sport Trust


Country UK
Continent Europe
About the organization

Move and Groove is an innovative intergenerational project combining the worlds of music and sport to deliver health and wellbeing outcomes for young and older generations. Working with 10 UK schools and care homes, Youth Sport Trust and Intergenerational Music Making trained schoolteachers and care staff to lead intergenerational physical and music activities in care homes bringing joy to old and young alike. Using sports equipment, musical instruments and session delivery guides, Children from 4-16 years old joined in, encouraged and sometimes led weekly fun activities for their new older friends over 6-weeks. The impact on the older people (mean age, 83 years) was clear. Self-reported positive mood increased while negative mood, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and stress decreased.




Category 3: Refugee-led initiatives



University of Tartu’s Move Lab


Country Estonia
Continent Europe
About the organization

Schools in Motion (SIM) is a programme that supports schools in integrating physical activities into every school day, including active travel to and from school, as well as movement during and in between lessons, both in and outdoors. It helps movement gain a greater foothold in school culture. Already 203 schools in Estonia have joined to SIM (35% of general schools), varied in location and size (from 17 to 1600 pupils, in the countryside, small and large towns), including schools for children with different native language and with special education needs.




Category 4: Role model (Citizen’s Choice)



Marina Draskovic
Judo club for people with disabilities FUJI


Country Croatia
Continent Europe
About

As former professional judoka and longtime member of the Croatian Judo National Team Marina Drašković is breaking down participation barriers in judo and is creating new standards of sports inclusion not just in Croatia, but across the whole of Europe. In 2012 she founded the Judo Club for People with Disabilities Fuji, bringing together children and young people with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, motor difficulties, autism spectrum disorders and others. Youth with disabilities are among the most vulnerable groups in society. By becoming head of the Adapted Judo programme within the European Judo Union (EJU), Marina is climbing new heights and laying the foundation for the development of adaptive Judo all over Europe.




SHORTLISTED APPLICANTS


ISCA AWARDS 2025: Global IRTS

Shortlisted Applicants

Category 1: IRTS & Community
Intelligent Health UK
Luta pela Paz Brazil
Yoga and Sport with Refugees Greece
Category 2: IRTS & Mental Health
German Gymnastics Federation Germany
Youth Sport Trust UK
Lunga Vita Attiva Aps Italy
Category 3: Refugee-led initiatives
University of Tartu’s Move Lab Estonia
University of Bradford UK
Mathare Girl Power Project Kenya
Category 4: Role model (Citizen’s Choice)
Aneta Grabmüller Soldati Czech Republic
Layana Souza Brazil
Marina Draskovic Croatia



ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS


ISCA AWARDS 2025: Global IRTS

Eligible Applicants

Category 1: IRTS & Community
Your Foot, My Foot Foundation Chicago, IL
Strilky Village Council Strilky Village, Lviv region, Ukraine
UkraineActive Kyiv; Ukraine
Fédération Sportive et Gymnique du Travail (FSGT) Pantin ; France
Te Aud Romania Foundation Gura Humorului, Romania
Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Youth and Sports Türkiye
Creating Chances Australia, Sydney
FUDELA -Fundacion de las Americas Quito; Ecuador
Cheza Kampala - Uganda, Juba - South Sudan
Glasswing Panamá Panama City; Panama
Sanctuary Runners Ireland
Reclaim Childhood Jordan (multiple cities)
Free Movement Skateboarding Athens, Greece
Association ENERGY Varna, Bulgaria
UISP MODENA APS MODENA ITALIA
Sport and Citizenship France
Umoja Sport Foundation Democratic Republic of the Congo
Palestine Sports for Life Ramallah, Palestine
Fundación Real Betis Balompié Seville, Spain
Waves for Change (Take 5) Cape Town, South Africa
Sport for Life Society Victoria, Canada
Stichting KLABU Foundation The Netherlands
PlayMore! Milan, Italy
Refugees Rock Liverpool, United Kingdom
ChezaCheza Nairobi, Kenya
Football Federation of Armenia Armenia
UNHCR Cox's bazar, Bangladesh
Youth Sport Uganda Kampala; Uganda
Podgorica, Montenegro Podgorica, Montenegro
Alhalimun الحَالمُون Cairo, Egypt
PPG Sports Islamabad, Pakistan
Fútbol Con Corazón Barranquilla, Colombia
Save the Children Sweden Gothenburg
Yoga and Sport with Refugees (YSR) Greece
south rockies baseball5 club Nairobi; Kenya
Beyond Hoops Africa Kenya & Canada
BONYAN IMAGINE Academy South Sudan
IMAGINE Academy South Sudan Torit, South Sudan
Impact Academy Egypt Egypt
LALIGA Copenhagen; Denmark
Category 2: IRTS & Mental Health
Squash Dreamers Amman; Jordan
Fundación Crisalida Internacional (Glasswing Costa Rica) Costa Rica
IIISSS Institute/Sport4Impact Italia
Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support Plymouth; UK
UkraineActive* Kyiv; Ukraine
UkraineActive* Kyiv; Ukraine
European Culture and Sport Organization Rome, Italy
FUNDACION DEPORTIVA ELINA MORALES Valledupar; César
Fundación de las Américas para el Desarrollo, Partners of the Americas Quito, Ecuador
Terre des hommes (Tdh) Egypt Cairo, Egypt
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Germany Munich
Palestine Sports for Life Ramallah; Palestine
United States of America United States of America
Stichting KLABU Foundation The Netherlands
United Partners for Humanitarian Welfare Burundi
FAME Foundation for Girls and Women Empowerment Nigeria
Swiss Academy for Development Biel/Bienne; Switzerland
Community Support center / CSc-Asbl Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo
Japan Karate Association, Pakistan Pakistan
Football Beyond Borders London;UK
Dream Big for Inclusion and Antiracism Italy
Hobby Lobby Austria, Germany, Romania
EmpowerVan Greece
*UkrainActive is represented with two different inisiatives in this Category
Category 3: Refugee-led initiatives
UkraineActive Kyiv; Ukraine
EDNAE Suceava, Romania
Support Group Network Deutschland e.V. Stuttgart; Germany
Creating Chances Australia, Sydney
BAYINE SPORTS ACTIVITIES CAIRO, EGYPT
Breaking Grounds – Social Change through Sport Austria
Hope of Children and Women Victims of Violence (HOCW) Kampala - Uganda
Stichting KLABU Foundation The Netherlands
Soccer Without Borders Uganda (SWB Uganda) Uganda
Skateistan Berlin
Kick4peace Organisation Somalia/France
Impact Academy Cairo Egypt
Girl Power Organisation Frederiksberg
Bayine Sports Activities Egypt
Refugee Brotherhood Nairobi; Kenya
ACSA Cultural & Sport Association (ACSA) New Westminster, BC, Canada
The Refugees Basketball Initiative Kakuma, Kenya
Türkiye Türkiye
Category 4: ROLE MODEL (Citizen’s Choice)
Gabriela Cristina Popescu Fundația Te Aud România Gura Humorului, Romania
Shegofa Hassani Creating Chances Australia, Sydney
Andrii Boliak UkraineActive Kyiv; Ukraine
Nigara Shaheen Toronto
Ibrahim Hourani Beirut, Lebanon
Farid Walizadeh GAME Portugal - Afghanistan
Zainab Hussaini Berlin, Germany
Arabinrin Aderonke Skateistan Nigeria
Timothy Kajja FAME Foundation for Girls and Women Empowerment Kampala, Uganda
Mohamed Sanusi Jalloh Young African Leaders in Sports Forum Kenema Town, Sierra Leone
Kupakwashe Desmond Mukurumbira Indigenous minority Fulani-Mbororo community in Sierra Leone (IMF-S) Zimbabwe
ISCA Health
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