PROJECT TITLE: “All down to earth … sitting volley”,
CLIENT: funded by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies
CREATION: PGS Salesian Youth Sports Center
ASSOCIATED ENTITY: Labos Foundation for Social Policies RECIPIENTS: 300 athletes, including disabled and able-bodied people Indirect beneficiaries: Relatives of young Italians and foreigners involved in the project activities, in terms of a significant increase in the quality of life; All young Italians and foreigners residing in the intervention areas, who will be able to benefit from a new permanent youth meeting place that will remain available to the local community
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT: to promote social integration for people with disabilities or motor and / or cognitive-relational problems, through special sports activities that adapt to people The Salesian Youth Sports Clubs have promoted simplified volleyball activities called “EASY VOLLEY” in 18 Italian regions for people of all ages, with disabilities or able-bodied. The project pursued the objective of improving the quality of life of a large number of people with different physical or psychological problems (disability, obesity, poor mobility, relationship difficulties, etc.), promoting opportunities for socialization and integration and counteracting the risks linked to a sedentary lifestyle through access to sports. Easy volley is a sport, a game, a way to be together. It is the most striking example of sport that adapts to the person and not the person who adapts to sport. The person is therefore at the center of the scene and draws every physical-motor, cognitive and psychosocial benefit from it. It is a sport capable of letting individuals of all ages, genders and disabilities play with the main goal of integration. Easy Volleyball involves the juxtaposition of two teams of four people each, made up of two / three “special athletes” and one / two “friendly athletes”. The general rules are those of volleyball. It is structured with both the Standing-Easy Volley and Sitting-Easy Volley formulas to allow everyone to organize team groups that take into account the motor skills and agility of all “special athletes”. There are also several categories according to the age and ability of the participants to create homogeneous game groups. As part of the project, in addition to sports activities, interviews with athletes and sports operators were carried out to detect the impact of the project on the quality of life of the recipients, and identify good intervention practices. In this regard, improvements were noted from a physical, psychological-relational and social point of view for the people with disabilities participating in the project; with regard to the good practices implemented by sports associations, the importance of building networking skills between associations and other local entities was highlighted, as well as the ability to establish a relationship of trust with the athletes’ families.
PERSON TO CONTACT: Anna Calvaruso