STEADY project is to increase sports participation of Displaced Youth with Disabilities (DYD)
THE PROJECT
The vision of the three-year STEADY project is to increase sports participation of Displaced Youth with Disabilities (DYD) by promoting volunteering and equal access of migrants & minorities to organized and grassroots sport.
STEADY is a project that focuses on changing the paradigm, bringing migrants and refugees with disabilities from the margins to become integral members of the sporting community.
The project STEADY has received funding from the European Union’s Erasmus+ Sport programme under grant agreement no 2018-3286/001-001.
Inside This Issue
- 2
About the project
- 3
Project’s Results
- 4
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STEADY Context
The STEADY project is planning to successfully mainstream DYD into regular sports activities through targeted individual programs to build capacity both on you ng refugees with disabilities experiencing sports and, secondly,on how volunteer,paid coaches and sport officials address the needs of DYD who want to participate insports .The main subject area that STEADY develops is to combat violence and tackle racism, discrimination and intolerance and to encourage social inclusion and equal opportunities in sport.
The project
- Develops a wide Network of Promoting Equal Opportunities of Young Migrants and Minorities with disabilities in Sport.
- Involves Refugees with disabilities to a greater extent in the promotion of “sport for all” in cooperation with sports organisations, especially in order to reach a younger population and reduce intolerance and discrimination.
- Involves social sector and national human rights institutions to a greater extent in combating discrimination in sport, promote their co-operation in running awareness-raising activities, and authorize these bodies to participate in legal actions brought to improve access to sport for all
- Showcases best practices from across Europe at international, state, and local level
- Presents how Paralympic committees, & NGOs can use sport as a tool to cultivate tolerance and social inclusion sharing expertise between relevant stakeholders at international, national and local level.
The project also promotes the power of sport in refugees’ communities around Europe and worldwide. Through STEADY project, partners and interested stakeholders will increase knowledge about the range of factors that affect refugees with disabilities participating in physical activity and sport can be used to develop inclusive sports programmes.
THE PARTNERSHIP
The Partnership consists of nine (9) sport organisations and NGOs from eight (8) different countries:
- Hellenic Paralympic Committee (HPC) – EL
- Paralympic Committee of Serbia (NPC Serbia) – RS
- Equal Society – EL
- AttivaMente -IT
- Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC) – AT
- Play and Train – ES
- Centro Social de Soutelo (CSS) – PT
- Footura – BG
- Agitos foundation – International
The partners bring varying degrees of related expertise and experience to the project with some organisations’ engagement with DYD – Hellenic Paralympic Committee and Agitos foundation– dating back to 2016.
STEADY’s Objectives:
- Promotion of 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 and
- Tackling cross-border threats to the integrity of sport, in that case, violence and all kinds of intolerance and discrimination.
https://www.steady-project.eu/
Project’s RESULTS
O.1.1 Baseline Study – “Participation & Exclusion of Displaced Youth with Disabilities in European Sport”
The baseline gives a first overall picture at the beginning of STEADY action through three main tools: a data and statistics survey, focus group, case studies collection.
It serves as an instrument that helps STEADY partners understand the current status of participation & exclusion of Dispatched Youth with Disabilities in European Sport.
To address the barriers and the lack of reliable data, the Baseline Study identifies opportunities for partners to consider and address in the delivery of STEADY project, both within their national context and jointly as a partnership.
The first STEADY Deliverable is “Public”, thus accessible to anyone interested.
It is primarily written for the European Commission (EC) Project Officer (PO) and the consortium members of the STEADY Project in order to establish the current status of a population before the project is rolled out. More specifically, it serves as an instrument that helps them understand the current status of participation & exclusion of Dispatched Youth with Disabilities in European Sport.
Nevertheless, special effort and attention has been given in making this report as a stand-alone document and comprehensible for the general public.
Executive Summary is available in all partners’ languages.
STEADY Dissemination
Great news for the STEADY Project
Three of the STEADY Project partners – Agitos Foundation, Hellenic Paralympic Committee and Vienna Institute for the International Dialogue and Cooperation – participated in the Global Coalition of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and IOC to help young refugees discover their potential through sports. During the Global Refugee Forum in the UNHCR Office at Geneva 16 – 18 Dec, the STEADY Project was presented through the participation of the Agitos Foundation and the Hellenic Paralympic Committee in the spotlight session ” Journey of a Refugee Athlete through Sports”. Our presentation reflected the “Inclusion” element of the spotlight session!
2nd Project Meeting Vienna 9-10 Dec. 2019
During the second meeting of the project in Vienna (9-10 December 2019), all partners discussed about the great experience that we have. We all also agreed that there is a big issue with diversity in parasport. Migrant communities are underrepresented. If you dig deep you see there is an issue, also within refugee organizations, not just on disability sport organizations which needs a lot of attention and sensitivity. Every partner agreed that we have to find solutions to the challenges as they occur because without doubt Sport is an ideal tool to show that we treat people with disability with dignity and a great tool for the integration of refugees with disabilities in European societies.
STEADY at the International Paralympic Committee’s General Assembly
The STEADY Project’s vision and objectives, about empowering refugees with Para Sports, was presented during the International Paralympic Committee’s General Assembly & Conference to more than 125 National Paralympic Committees and International Sport Federations & Organizations. Bonn, Germany. Coordinated by the STEADY Project partners Hellenic Paralympic Committee &Agitos Foundation
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) hosted its 2019 General Assembly in its home city of Bonn, Germany, as part of celebrations to mark the organization’s 30th anniversary. The biennial meeting involved the whole IPC membership and took place between 26 and 27 October. The STEADY project was there, and we show that Sport and physical activity can be extremely valuable for refugees with disabilities not only for participants’ physical and mental health, but also in the context of their social inclusion and integration. It also provides those with an opportunity to find and show their talents and challenge commonly held stereotypes.
This work is a part of the STEADY project. STEADY has received funding from the European Union’s Erasmus+ Sport programme under grant agreement no 2018-3286/001-001.
Content reflects only the authors’ view and European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
STEADY at the International Paralympic Committee’s General Assembly
The STEADY Project’s vision and objectives, about empowering refugees with Para Sports, was presented during the International Paralympic Committee’s General Assembly & Conference to more than 125 National Paralympic Committees and International Sport Federations & Organizations. Bonn, Germany. Coordinated by the STEADY Project partners Hellenic Paralympic Committee &Agitos Foundation
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) hosted its 2019 General Assembly in its home city of Bonn, Germany, as part of celebrations to mark the organization’s 30th anniversary. The biennial meeting involved the whole IPC membership and took place between 26 and 27 October. The STEADY project was there, and we show that Sport and physical activity can be extremely valuable for refugees with disabilities not only for participants’ physical and mental health, but also in the context of their social inclusion and integration. It also provides those with an opportunity to find and show their talents and challenge commonly held stereotypes.
This work is a part of the STEADY project. STEADY has received funding from the European Union’s Erasmus+ Sport programme under grant agreement no 2018-3286/001-001.
Content reflects only the authors’ view and European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
