Section SOCIETY
TOPIC

KMOP
Sailaway - Supporting the participation of children and youth with developmental disabilities in sailing

It is widely recognized that engaging in sport or physical activity not only helps to keep people fit and well, it can also generate wider positive benefits for individuals, such as increasing self-esteem, developing social skills and improving mental health and general wellbeing. To this end, the project aims to encourage social inclusion and equal opportunities for children and youth with ASD in sailing activities, through the training of professionals and awareness-raising of sailing clubs and parent
  • Children and youth with ASD
  • Families of children and youth with ASD
  • Sailing clubs and instructors

24 months- January 2020- December 2021  

SailAway will boost the participation of children and youth with ASD in sailing, by improving the skills of sailing professionals and clubs on how to effectively involve them in sailing activities and programs, as well as raising the awareness of parents of children with ASD about the benefits and access to such opportunities. Specifically, the following activities have taken place:

  • Development of a capacity-building programme for sailing instructors and training on how to effectively include children and youth with ASD in sailing activities.
  • Development of a guide for sailing clubs, containing guidelines and practical strategies to implement when working with children and youth with ASD.
  • Development of an e-learning platform
  • Creation of an awareness raising toolkit to inform sailing clubs and parents of children and youth with and without ASD for the benefits of including them in sailing.

The following organizations participate in the project:

  • KMOP - Social Action and Innovation Centre, Greece
  • Rijeka Sports Association for persons with disabilities, Croatia
  • Montetauro Cooperativa Sociale , Italy
  • Mira’m Fundacio, Spain
  • Institute of Development, Cyprus
  • Nautical Club of Paleon Faliron, Greece
  • Aproximar, Portugal

N/A

Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Croatia, Portugal- Dissemination at an EU level         
  • One 12-hour capacity building program for sailing clubs and sailing instructors
  • 12 training sessions for more than 100 sailing instructors in 6 countries (2 trainings & 24 instructors in Greece)
  • 114 interviews with professionals and experts on the field for the production of two 30-page guides, one targeted at sailing instructors and one targeted on sailing clubs
  • More than 45,000 people reached through the continuous dissemination of the project results
  • One educational platform available in 6 languages
  • 5 Awareness raising tools to be used by organizations and clubs active in sailing and/or ASD to further promote the aims of the project (2 information guides, 1 for parents & 1 for sailing clubs, 2 infographics, 1 for parents & 1 for sailing clubs, and 1 video with testimonies from professionals and families across the 6 participating countries {the video is currently under production})
  • 6 info-days & 1 final conference to be organized in the coming months
  • Increased expertise of the organization’s staff on ASD issues and social inclusion of people with ASD, which has led to a new field of action for the organization
  • Creation and expansion of a new network of organizations and partners
  • Increased visibility of the organization in Greece and the EU
  • Higher ability of the organization to impact through its activities disadvantaged social groups.