As part of the Erasmus + European Program entitled “Include Me” (Inme), Asterias Sports Club was found in Ljubljana, Slovenia on September 22-23 invited by the partners of the organization Drustvo za kulturo inkkluzije where they attended the event “Be a sportsman” with their Italian partners from Murgano Enna Nuoto.
The event was organized by the Slovenian partner and addressed to people with special needs of all ages who participated in athletic and entertaining physical activities like yoga, table tennis, blindfold, wall building, puzzle construction, dancing, miming and others. The event was well organized and although the participants exceeded the 1,200 individuals there appeared no problem or delay in the whole organization. That particular event eventually proved that no matter what your age is or what your disability might be you can actively participate in any kind of physical activity.
The Italian and Greek partners of the Inme project not only attended the event but they also played with the participants and contested with each other having a great time with them.
After the event was over the Inme project partners along with partners of other European programs, local authorities, stakeholders, attended a round table discussion concerning their projects. Each presented their project and shared their experience as all the projects had the inclusion issue in common.
The partners of the Inme presented their part so far as the project is still in progress and pointed out the reverberation the participation of people with special needs in typical clubs had and how those people, who in their majority are children, enjoyed the whole process.
For the implementation of the InMe (IncludeMe) program in which athletes of Asterias Sports Club with special needs had to participate in any form of physical activity and coexist with typical athletes or trainees, the Club had to cooperate with other clubs or organizations to accommodate the athletes. The children themselves were given the option of choosing the physical activity they would attend for a month. So Ioanna chose dance (at Lykeion Ton Hellinidon Katerinis) and Orestis chose yoga (at Padma Shala Yoga Center with Angeliki and Filippo). Hesitantly at the beginning but enthusiastically they managed to complete their participation circle. The love and cooperation shown by the other people who participated in the lessons, be it instructors, teachers, fellow athletes or parents was impressive.
The following day the partners met at the headquarters of Drustvo za kulturo inkkluzije where the progress of the project was discussed, their experience and impressions regarding the implementation of the project were shared and the future activities were planned.
The INME partners left the capital of Slovenia and their Slovenian partner pleased and thankful for their hospitality and arranged to meet again at the last Transnational Meeting in Greece.
