Winning the Game: How Sport for Development supports the psychological well-being of adolescent refugees

This report looks at how S4D can be used to improve the mental health of programme participants, therefore focusing on a crucial outcome of psychological wellbeing. Here, ‘winning’ is not determined by a score or through competition, but by participation: how engagement with peers through S4D may improve personal and social skills that play out – on a pitch, court, or wherever S4D takes place, and beyond. By focusing on a programme implemented with refugee adolescents in Greece, the study collects qualitative and quantitative data to understand how S4D and mental health are linked. The findings and lessons learned aim to speak globally to all S4D organizations, as well as policymakers and donors aiming to harness the power of sport to reach social development goals.