Report by Ms. Loréna Schlicht, AFCDRP–Mayors for Peace France
On December 15, 2022, Mr. Philippe Rio, Mayor of Grigny and President of Mayors for Peace French Chapter (AFCDRP), visited Granollers, Spain, a Mayors for Peace Vice President City. This visit was arranged as part of “Sport!OP!” (Opportunities for the Inclusion of Vulnerable Youth through Sport)—a Europe-wide exchange project on sports practices within the Erasmus+ program, EU’s program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Implemented specifically in six different regions in Europe (Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Spain and Sweden), Sport!OP! aims to improve the well-being of vulnerable youth by building resilience and developing social skills by formulating local strategies to utilize sport participation as a vehicle for social inclusion.
Mayor Rio, who in 2020 had welcomed the then Mayor of Granollers, Mr. Josep Mayoral, and a Sport!OP! delegation in Grigny, visited Granollers this time and met the current mayor, Mayor Alba Barnusell, as well as Former Mayor Mayoral. Philippe Louison, Deputy Head for Sport at the City of Grigny, represented Mayor Rio at final conferences during the visit.
European cooperation is woven through these initiatives for peace, and we will continue forging peaceful links with representatives of foreign cities.
