During the first transnational meeting in Rome, we work on the first Specific Objective of the project: Strengthen cooperation between sports organizations: through the development of good practices in governance, administration, activities, and training that allow sports associations to create an inclusive environment.
Participants were involved in some training sessions and workshops to fine some possible inclusion solution.
Training:
Youth at risk: data from Europe
The role of sport in education and in the fight against poverty
Inclusion: Vulnerable groups and Duty Barriers
Workshop:
An inclusive association is an association that has sound governance: exchange of good practices
Administration: the costs of inclusion. Possible solutions.
Workshop:
Activities: how to include through sports activities
Training: to include you need people. Sports associations must strengthen the training of their volunteers and staff in an inclusive perspective.
The first in-person meeting of the PUNCH Project took place in Rome from 3 to 5 November 2021. Thanks to the Erasmus + Program of the European Union, the associations Tinerilor cu Initiative Civica; Club Lluta Olimpica La Mina; Club Atlético de Queluz; Tornado-2013-Sofia and ASD Sparta Boxing were able to learn and discuss the role of sport in education and the fight against poverty.
The meeting consisted of three phases:
1) Clarification of the situation of young people at risk in Europe thanks to a training session based on non-formal education techniques to experience the data on the phenomenon. The participants were divided into working groups to present the knowledge acquired during the meeting to the other working groups.
Participants were in contact with data on young people at risk of poverty and social exclusion: the European average calculated by Eurostat is 24.3%.
According to studies, many of these children drop out early, affecting their future lives. This dropout represents an educational failure by signalling that something went wrong.
During the training session, we underlined the role of sports education in fighting poverty and social exclusion.
We talked about good educational practices and stories of successful people saved by the sports environment.
We focused on how the participating associations -as duty bearers- can facilitate or block the development of an inclusive process for society's most vulnerable groups.
2) The second phase was structured to share best practices of inclusion used by the partners. How do they include? What strategies do they use to include? ...and how do they face the inclusion cost?
The workshop aimed to find possible solutions to the potential costs of inclusion and share some good practices for maintaining excellent healthy governance not afflicted by the inclusion costs.
- For every 10 participants, they offer one membership for free
- Party to collect money to offer some free membership
- Asking money from the municipality
- Asking members to donate some money
- Selling gadget
- Volunteering staff
- Part-time volunteering staff
To foster inclusion, we need people. In this regard, our participants understood and supported the need to reinforce the training sessions of their volunteers and staff to empower the social relevance of their association's approach.
3) presentation time for our working groups.
The results showed the positive aspects and practices that guarantee good governance of an NGO. Following an analysis of the costs of inclusion, specifically, how much the participation of young people at risk of poverty and social exclusion weighs on the coffers of associations, the participants presented possible solutions to support these costs.
We invite you to read the article regarding their presentations.
Finally, as regards the need to have in each association people capable of helping in the task of inclusion, the participants committed themselves to organise training sessions to promote the importance of sport as a form of help for young people at risk. They are intended for staff and volunteers of their organisations.
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