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Description
The “Sailing4All” project will promote inclusion, socialisation and the development of motor, psychological and social skills in 120 children and young people with intellectual and developmental difficulties and/or motor disabilities. The project will use adapted sailing as a solution to empower the project''s target group and provide educational agents with training and social inclusion tools for these children and young people. Sailing baptisms and adapted sailing classes will be held and training will also be given to staff from the various partner entities so that the project can be more sustainable.
In this project, the Asker Seilforening will share sailing experience, organise a joint event and contribute to a publication and a video.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address significant issues identified by Eurostat, noting that over 1.7 million people in Portugal have at least one disability. Nearly half a million of these individuals struggle with basic actions such as seeing, hearing, walking, and communicating. Between 2009 and 2018, discrimination complaints based on disability increased by 1937%, from 41 to 835. This rise indicated a growing awareness among people with disabilities about their rights and available legal mechanisms. The project Sailing4All aimed to provide access to adapted sailing for around 120 children, youth, and adults with disabilities, intellectual difficulties, and motor impairments, as well as other vulnerable groups.
Throughout the project, adapted sailing practice was promoted with several institutions, including Pais em Rede (Núcleo de Aveiro), CerciAv, APPACDM Aveiro, Associação Pais Habilitar, Obra da Criança in Ílhavo, Associação Humanitária Mão Amiga (AHMA) in Albergaria, Associação Miúdos Especiais com Muita Lata in Murtosa, school groups in Aveiro (students with special educational needs), Cáritas Diocesana de Aveiro - CAI (Children''s Shelter), and Escola Profissional de Aveiro (EPA). Additionally, several children with disabilities or social deficits continued to practice sailing regularly on Saturday mornings, with parents bringing them to the club for "individual sailing" in an empathetic environment.
All activities were implemented with maximum safety and support for participants, considering the specificities of the sport. When conditions were unsuitable for water activities, lessons were conducted on land.
Volunteers played a crucial role in developing the activity.
Adapted sailing lessons were held during the week in three time slots and on Saturdays in two time slots (morning and afternoon), each lasting an average of three hours. In adverse weather conditions, lessons were conducted on land, focusing on theoretical aspects or rigging the sailboats.
A promotional video for the project was produced and can be viewed on the project''s website at http://www.sportingcaveiro.pt/vela/sailing4all/. It was also shared on the club''s social media channels. A total of 190 t-shirts were produced (see attached mockup) and distributed to the various participants. A "Sailor''s Logbook" was created, which can be viewed at https://online.fliphtml5.com/kaktr/edqs/#p=1, with 50 printed copies given to the most regular students.
The capacity-building component included several stages, such as providing documents to the consultant to understand the club''s reality, data collection through focus groups and questionnaires, and subsequent analysis. A workshop was held with the club''s management, staff, and sailing section volunteers, covering problem and solution tree development, presentation of initial analysis results, and finalization of the problem and solution tree. Based on these results, an Action Plan was created, addressing identified problems. The Action Plan included measures to improve the club''s visibility, create new partnerships, enhance adapted sailing practice, and offer specific training for sailing coaches to earn credits.
In terms of results the project achieved, it exceeded initial expectations by engaging many children and young people in adapted sailing, all at no cost to participants. To assess the impact, the project created questionnaires for institutions and parents of participants, and the feedback was very positive and encouraging. The project surpassed expectations by involving various institutions related to disability and social deficit areas, as well as families who brought their vulnerable children to adapted sailing lessons.
Summary of bilateral results
The project had several contacts with the partner Asker Seilforening and planned for a Norwegian adapted sailing team to visit Aveiro at the end of the project for an exchange of experiences. However, at the last minute, the sailors informed the project that it was not a good time for such an exchange, therfore it was canceled.