We are proud to share some significant news. Oulun Arctic Tigers ry has been awarded funding from the European Solidarity Corps, the European Union programme that supports young people to take part in solidarity activities in their own communities.
Our funded project is called Badminton Solidarity Project: Well-being through sport.
What the project does
The project brings together young people from different cultural backgrounds in Oulu through badminton. Sessions will be free of charge, open to everyone, and designed so that nobody needs prior experience, expensive equipment, or a particular language to take part.
We chose badminton deliberately. It brings people together regardless of language, nationality, religion or background. You can learn it in an afternoon, it works across ages and fitness levels, and a court needs only two or four people to get going.
For us, sport has always been about more than physical activity. It supports mental well-being, builds self-confidence, develops the ability to work with others, and creates friendships that last. Those are the things this project sets out to achieve.
What we are building is not only a sports programme but a community — one where young people in this city feel that they belong and that they are valued. We believe sports culture has a real role to play in advancing equality and strengthening the well-being of communities.
Why this matters for the club
Since a group of friends registered this association to secure a hall to play football in, the club has grown into something that serves the whole community: sports through the year, cultural celebrations, and support for people building a life in Oulu.
European Solidarity Corps funding is a recognition of that work from outside our own community. It also means we can offer these sessions free of charge rather than asking young people to cover the cost, which is exactly the barrier we want to remove.
The wider funding round
Our project was among those funded in the spring 2026 rounds, in which the Finnish National Agency for Education distributed approximately €9.5 million to the youth sector across the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. Across the funded solidarity projects, the recurring themes were inclusion, community, well-being, equality, and the participation of young people from immigrant backgrounds.
The Agency’s announcement features our project directly — you can read it here: Lähes 10 miljoonaa euroa nuorten mahdollisuuksiin vaikuttaa, osallistua ja kansainvälistyä (Opetushallitus, 26 August 2026)
How to take part
Sessions begins on 8 September 2026 at Pöllönkankaan Koulu., Tuesday at 20:30. They are free and open to all — you do not need to be a club member, and rackets are available to borrow.
To join, call +358 44 951 8939 or come to a session and say hello.
If you work with young people in Oulu — a school, a youth centre, another association — and would like to bring a group, get in touch. We would like this project to reach beyond the people who already know us.
InshaAllah, with everyone’s continued support, we will keep driving our club and our community forward.