„However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at“(S.Hawking). This quote encloses the spirit of our association and our project. Through sport activities we want to make easier the inclusion of children with disability in the local commuity. Giving them all possible skills we will increase their self-confidence and prepare them for their role as an active member of the society.

Umag - Umago, Istra Region, Croatia

In Istra Region many activites for children with disabilities are usually institutionalized and don't cover all their needs. Due to this in the area of Umag has been created an associtation that offers additional activities (psychosocial support) for children with developmental disabilities (autism, down syndrome, etc). This cannot cover all childrens' needs and difficulties they face to be included in everyday life. That's why it is very important to include phisical activities and sports in their therapy. During daily communication with parents and teachers we've found that there is no organisation that caters for their need for physical activities in the nearby area and that many trainers could include them in the activities but they don't know how to approach them in the right way.

Children with disability-3 to 10 years
Youth with disability-11 to 15 years
Sport trainers
Sport is a direct method of integration. It promotes comprehension and tolerance. Developing sport among people with disabilities can improve their life quality. This influences directly life of their families and consequently also the whole local community. The main target groups are children with developmental disabilities. Their needs are to improve their psychophysical abilities in order to be more prepared to interact with other children and to be included in the community. On the other side we have sport trainers that often don’t have the adequate knowledge to work with children with disabilities.

1. Phase: analysis of children's and sport trainers' needs; creation of „Guidelines for trainers“ in order to give them basic information about how to support children during the training; improve trainers' knowledge among a thematic workshop
2. Phase: weekly physiotherapy sessions and sports activities indoor that will use innovative methods and technology (particular glasses designed to train the connections between an individual's eyes, brain and body. Using liquid crystal technology, the lenses flicker between clear and opaque, removing visual information and boosting the individual to process more efficiently. They are integrated into existing training drills and exercises.); swimming activities during summer
3. Phase: Promotion of inclusion and project results to all community

1. Improved knowledge of at least 15 trainers about how to support children with disability in order to give them the possibility to be included in sport activities.
2. Improved activities offered to children with disability at local level in order to give them the possibility to have the same opportunities as children of urban areas.
3. Improved psychophysical skills of at least 20 children with disabilities, to strengthen them and to make their inclusion in the community easier.
4. Local community has been informed about the project in order to promote an easier inclusion
Project aims to empower local community by strengthening the participation of people with disability in society and sense of community of all citizens,as well as to promote inclusion through sport

Be an active citizen is very difficult for the people with disabilities because they have first to become an included citizen. In a democratic system all people must be included in everyday life of their community according to their possibilities and capacities. With this project we aim to improve children’s with disabilities gross and fine motor skills, flexibility and balance, and also increase their overall strength. In this way we want to strengthen their motoric, physical but also their cognitive skills to make them easier the inclusion in the community. In this way they will be able to become an active part of the community. This project represents the first of many steps that these children will have to do on their path to become an engaged part of a democratic society.

Our project is proposed by an experienced and multi-disciplined team of people with professional backgrounds and personal experiences in the work with children with disabilities and their inclusion problems. Our work is fulfilling the goals of local and regional developmental strategies adopted by local and regional councils and tailored upon specific needs of our territory. Our team is formed by the president of NGO with years of experience in the sector, a graduated psychologist to coordinate and root a team of graduated sports coaches. Activities of promotion and raising awareness on the importance of the project and its results will be taken by a local city officer with personal experience in the work of the NGO sector.

Personnel costs: 26500 EUR
Equipment costs: 5000 EUR
Cost for promotion: 2500 EUR
Assucuration cost: 1000 EUR

We would like to know if the idea would be useful and applicable in other rural areas.
It would be great to get some information, feedback and contacts about similar experiences NGO in other european regions and countries had in the same field the project idea is dealing with.