Integrating Diversities through Watersports

PROJECT OBJECTIVESThe aim of the project “In –Dive, Integrating diversities through Watersports”, was to encourage social inclusion and equal opportunities in sports, with a specific focus on people with mental and physical disabilities.The project specifically focused on watersports and physical activities taking place in the water, such as:•Swimming;•The discipline of diving;•Synchronized swimming;•Psychomotricity in water:•Surfing;•Sailing;•Etc.Despite the differences among these disciplines, there’s something that all of these water-sports have in common, and which makes them particularly suited for people with various disabilities.-Firstly, water is an element in which even a person with physical disabilities can feel at ease and express himself fully, given the minor effect of gravity on movement;-Some of these sports are considered - from the physical point of view - the most complete in absolute terms and those that best influence the physical well-being of the person. This is because often these sporting practices involve the whole body in a symmetrical way. This is especially important for people with disabilities, who need such physical activity, and generally suffer from lack of movement;- Water is an extremely important element at the psychic level, as it is the element that has accompanied us as a species throughout the evolutionary process and in our history as a species; even now water accompanies us in important moments of our existence. In this regard, the most recent tests and research studies show that water sports have a positive effect in cases of anxiety and depression.- A further element consists in the recreational and social element that characterizes many water-based sports.In spite of the progress that has been made in the last few years in this field, there is still a scarce knowledge of the potentiality that these sports offer for the well-being of people with various disabilities. This lack of knowledge concerns operators, volunteers, the disabled themselves and their families.ACTIVITIESThe project has been meant to fill this void, creating, in particular:• a training course on watersports for disabled people;• a manual for teaching to disabled persons in the watersport;• a collection of the best practices of integration of people with disabilities through watersports;• implementation of events, conferences and seminars on the project’s topic;• awareness-raising activities for the population concerning integration through sport.The project was aimed to fulfill the subsequent target: “to promote voluntary activities in sport, together with social inclusion, equal opportunities and awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity through increased participation in, and equal access to, sport for all”.At the same time, it wanted to answer the needs of the participating organizations, that are already operating with various approaches in the field of water-based sports, but who have a great need to increase the skills and the competence of their staff, systematizing and consolidating knowledge and practices, also thanks to an international exchange.