Integration through sport: Bottrop supports young migrants in the language camp!

Integration through sport: Bottrop supports young migrants in the language camp!

There was a festive hustle and bustle in Bottrop recently when the fourth sports and language camp for newly immigrated young people from the region took place. From July 14th to 17th, 2025, 25 young participants met in the Dieter Renz Hall to learn German in a playful way and do sports at the same time. The camp was organized by the Migration Department - Bottrop Municipal Integration Center, the youth migration service in the Caritas Association district and the Bottrop Sports Association.

The main aim of this special project was to facilitate access to the German language and to promote integration into the local club landscape. The young people came from different schools, including the vocational college, the Gustav-Heinemann-Realschule, the Heinrich-Heine-Gymnasium and the August-Everding-Realschule. Tristan Berghoff, trainer and soccer coach, and Kaja Wilmsen from the Bottrop Sports Association led the camp and ensured an active and educational atmosphere.

Sport and language in harmony

This initiative is not just about learning vocabulary but also about building social skills. During their time at the camp, participants were able to try out basketball, badminton and judo, which supported learning the German language through exercise. As the head of the social department, Karen Alexius-Eifert, said during her visit, through sport the young people not only develop linguistic skills, but also a strong community. “We would like to see this great campaign repeated,” said Alexius-Eifert.

The success of the camp is also reflected in the training of young trainers. A planned free basic module for instructor training, which is scheduled to take place in the fall, is a further step to enable participants to lead sporting events themselves. This idea is not new - the “Language and Sports Group” at the Gustav-Heinemann-Realschule emerged from a previous camp, which promotes the long-term commitment and integration of young people.

Integration through sport

A key aspect of this initiative is the support of local sports clubs. For example, the Bottrop martial arts club and the Adler Bottrop basketball club were brought on board. The lunch, which was prepared by VfL Bottrop, was not only a necessary meal, but also an opportunity for personal conversations between the young people and the club members.

The sports and language camp has drawn a positive conclusion not only for the participants, but also for the city of Bottrop and its cooperation partners. Plans for further integrative offers are already in progress. The project also receives valuable financial support, for example from the youth migration service in the district as well as from the Egon Bremer Foundation and the Ernst Löchelt Foundation.

Such an offer is particularly important at times when learning the German language comes to a halt for many new migrants during the summer holidays. Sport not only serves as a balance, but also as a key to integration. The article about local sports clubs and their role in social integration, published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, underlines the importance of such projects as essential integration platforms.

The shared vision of the camp – language development through movement – ​​has proven to be extremely effective. More and more local youth organizations and sports clubs are recognizing the importance of integrating young migrants into the community and are providing multilingual supervisors. In this sense, it remains to be seen what further steps the city of Bottrop and its committed partners will take to further promote integration through sport.

For anyone interested: Here you can find detailed information about the language and sports camp on the city of Bottrop's website ( bottrop.de ), as well as other exciting details about the role of sport in integration wir-lieben-bottrop.de and the analogous contribution from bpb.de.