A Safe Sporty Inclusion for Special Teens Erasmus Project

Project Title

A Safe Sporty Inclusion for Special Teens

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Access for disadvantaged; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

This project will boost the sport and social skills of teens with special needs by providing them a more sporty environment. Our most naive impulses about making pleasing decisions are ever linked with our previous useful social practices. Having a more featured life is not about economic upshots only, but also about particular choices of a well-trained and socialized person. A revolutionary integrative project, ASSIST is targeting mental well-being and inclusion via sporty collabs for teens with SEN.

Sports is not only good for children’s bodies; also good for their minds. Studies have shown that doing sport has psychological benefits for children and adolescents, and teaches them essential life skills. Besides, organized sports benefits children, even more than physical activities. A study by the London School of Economics, published in 2017, surveyed 459 athletes aged 12 to 20 years, shows that those involved in team sports reported higher “life-satisfaction.” Researchers think this benefits the social aspect of being in a team and the participation of other children and adults. Therefore, development from sports goes beyond learning new physical skills.

Sports help children develop better ways to deal with the ups and downs of life, that is doing sports helps children learn to control their emotions and transform the negative emotions positive ones. Physical activity has been shown to stimulate chemicals in the brain that make you feel better. Thus, doing sports regularly improves the general emotional well-being of children. Researches show that there is a link between playing sports and self-esteem in children. The support of the team, the kind word of a coach, or the success of one of their team friend will help all children feel better about themselves. Group play helps children develop the social skills they will need for life, teach them to collaborate, be less selfish and listen to other kids. It also gives children a sense of belonging, helps them make new friends and builds their social circle outside school. Sports also informs them about teamwork.

Moreover, ASSIST has a comprehensive proclamation on people who are often wasting their capacity by unnecessary stuff like social media, drugs, etc. These ‘self-brakes’ they overlooked can quite push, particularly teens, to corrupt routes in their significant years, and also lead people in the business life to spend their potentials rather than being skillful employees. Also, the people who are not involved in sports throughout their crucial years will not be able to be efficient enough for quality labor.

By enhancing special students’ skills in sports, we will not only contribute to physical and mental wellness but also conceive great awareness about Disability through related school activities. The students will give out leaflets on healthy nutrition, inhibiting bad habits and ‘self-brakes’ that prevent our welfare. Rather than Disability as the case, placing an issue we describe as ‘self-brakes’ of people in the project, will contribute a distinctive clarity to ASSIST tag and to its goals. This is also an essential action to expand Disability Rights.

5-day programs in Sports-Themed mobilities with 3 students with SEN and 3 staff (aged 15 – 20) of each partner:

• LATVIA – Saloon Sports
Wrestle – Boxing – Trampolining – Rhythmic Gymnastics
• PORTUGAL – Ancient Sports
Shot Put – Equestrian – Archery – Climbing
• SPAIN – Nautical Sports
Lateen Sailing – Surfing – Kayaking – Water Polo
• TURKEY – Nature Sports
Orienteering – Cycling – Javelin Throw – Bocce
• LITHUANIA – Icy Sports
Skiing – Snow Rafting – Bowling – Ice Skating
• ITALY – “Exclusive” Sports
Tennis – Fencing – Golf – Long Jump/Steeplechase

Teens with special educational needs will achieve great goals in performing sports and inter-cultural cooperation. This will also assist in awaking the necessary synergy to succeed in any part of life for any member of society, despite any disadvantage.

Apart from academic skills, special education is mostly focused on self-care and competencies such as sports, arts and socialization based on active citizenship postulate. Equality, Participation, Education and Training, Accessibility, Employment, Social Protection, Health, and External Activity; these clauses in the EU Disability Strategy show us that there is still a prolonged process to spread out the most authentic and restorative concepts for the communities to embrace the disabled people and their legitimate rights worldwide and to assure that these concepts are very parts of the civil society. That’s why ASSIST has to be accomplished Europe-widely instead of being solely based on this partnership’s needs. Our overarching objective is to strengthen all stakeholders to promote social rights and recovery in order to change mindsets and invalid traditions through a sustainable strategy and to ensure the wellbeing of individuals with physical, psychosocial, mental or cognitive disabilities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 204000 Eur

Project Coordinator

INSTITUTO DE ENSEÑANZA SECUNDARIA SANTA LUCÍA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas Marcelino Mesquita do Cartaxo
• Manisa Ozel Egitim Uygulama Okulu III. Kademe
• IIS Francesco Orioli
• Joniskio r. Gatauciu Marces Katiliutes mokykla
• Valmieras pilsetas pasvaldibas Valmieras Gaujas krasta vidusskola attistibas centrs