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Description
The project addresses the needs of a vulnerable group- people with intellectual disabilities (PID) and aims to teach a group of 60 Athletes Leaders (AL) with intellectual disabilities (ID) from 15 towns about advocacy and leadership techniques in order to approach local authorities and to get free access to sports facilities for weekly trainings as well as public funds to organize sports competitions; 75 PID will be trained in advocacy methods and will be also consulted; an Athletes Leaders Committee will be formed with the mission to present the rights and the benefits of practicing sports. 7 Sports Clubs with Accreditation Certificate from the Youth and Sports Ministry will be set up and will be active along other already established 8 Sports Clubs for the benefit of PID. There will be training sessions for the representatives of the Sports Clubs who will learn from partners and collaborators (SO Iceland) how to advocate for free access to sports facilities for weekly trainings and how to get funds from local authorities in order to increase the chance of 675 PID to take part in SO activities, 225 volunteers are involved. The informal network named the SO National Sports Committee (SONSC) will be created, having the task to implement the EU legislation regarding non-discrimination in sports. SONSC will facilitate meetings with stakeholders, will give information to the 15 Sports Clubs and will work close with the SO Athletes Leaders Committee and the partner in order to increase the access of PID from all over the country to sports facilities and public funds. SORF will become more visible and transparent by constantly offering relevant information to PDI, specialists, caregivers and volunteers; SORF specialists will participate in training sessions financed by the Program in order to get relevant and useful information for the development of the organization.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the problem of reduced participation to sports of persons with intellectual disabilities (PID) in Romania. This reality has a negative effect on their health and social inclusion, because sports help people with ID to develop their physical and social skills to improve their health, to become more independent, to make friends.
60 Sports Leaders (SL), 75 Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (PID) and 32 Mentors from 15 cities were trained / informed about advocacy and leadership techniques. 41 SL, 42 PID and 31 athletes had 188 meetings / approaches to local authorities, where they requested free access to sports venues for weekly trainings and public funds for organizing sports competitions. The Special Olympics Sports Leaders Committee had six meetings. Part of them founded with support from the partner, Support Association for the Construction, Development and Management of Sport Structures, 15 Sports Clubs with Accreditation Certificate from the Youth and Sports Ministry undertook activities and integrated 713 PID in sports trainings and/or the five local competitions, two regional and/or two national competitions, with support from 341 volunteers. Two National Conferences brought together stakeholders interested in the adapted sports. Six experts form Special Olympics Iceland shared their experience. The Special Olympics National Sports Committee was created, with the goal to represent PID and advocate for their rights. Advocacy activities were organised to support and protect the legal rights of its members and to fight against PID’s discrimination in sports. Information about the project activities reached 1.729.088 people.
By reaching the aforementioned results, the project had a consistent impact on its beneficiaries: the PID regularly practised adapted sports, improved their health condition, found out about their rights, did advocacy work and obtained increased access to sports, became part of sports structures that represent their interests locally and nationally.