NEXUS: Impact Analysis and Lessons Learned Reports of the Career Guidance and Social Cohesion through Sport Project

I served as a data analyst during the research and reporting processes of the “NEXUS Social Cohesion and Career Guidance” project, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), and conducted in cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of National Education, and Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Youth and Sports between July 2019 and December 2022.

This comprehensive project was launched in July 2019. In the initial phases, field activities were carried out by the international network streetfootballworld (currently known as Common Goal) and the local implementing partner, Bonyan Organization. During this process, an innovative curriculum named “Football3” was developed, master trainers were trained, and sports-based skills trainings and tournaments reaching thousands of young people were organised in four pilot provinces (Ankara, Bursa, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş).

Following the completion of the field implementation, I took part in the research team as a data analyst under the leadership of project executive Recep Varçın and alongside Prof. Dr. Metin Özuğurlu during the impact assessment and reporting phase conducted between April 2021 and October 2022. During this period, I contributed to two multilingual core reports prepared to measure the social impact created by the project and to establish an institutional memory.

The details of these two reports, which were prepared using “Rapid Assessment Procedures” and constitute the scientific output of the project, are as follows:

• GIZ NEXUS Project Impact Study Report: This report reveals the concrete effects of the project on its final beneficiaries, the Turkish and Syrian students. As a result of analyses based on surveys and field data, the contribution of the applied curriculum to the youth’s social inclusion and employability skills was discussed with quantitative data. According to the analysis findings, 85% of the educators stated that the curriculum improved students’ social skills, and 78% stated that it contributed positively to their work readiness skills. The report documented with scientific data that sport is not only a physical activity but also a pedagogical tool that provides competencies such as self-esteem, teamwork, and conflict resolution.
• GIZ NEXUS Project Lessons Learned Report: Focusing on the process evaluation of the project, this report serves as a strategic guide for future similar initiatives. As a result of the analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with 6 key project actors, coaches, and teachers; critical inferences were made regarding sustainability, optimisation of training durations (e.g., condensing the trainings), and cooperation models with local authorities. By addressing the challenges encountered and the solutions developed during the project process from a “corporate learning” perspective, the report presents a set of concrete recommendations for policy-makers.

This study is significant in terms of performing a data-driven impact analysis of an international development project and providing an academic contribution to the “Sport for Development” literature specific to Türkiye.

For related links, please click:

• Ministry of Youth and Sports: Joint Closing Event with the Ministry of National Education
• Ministry of National Education: Career Guidance and Social Cohesion Cooperation Protocol (PDF)