The Project
Due to the consequences of the pandemic, there is an ever-increasing segment of the population that is living in fragile conditions. The entities that manage these emergencies firstly aim at addressing primary needs of individuals, such as food and accommodation, job reintegration and adequate care. However, it is essential and urgent to create the conditions for these people to regain possession of their skills, which are functional to their reintegration into society. In this sense, there are well established good practices that receive the support from social operators through training, orientation to the resources of the territory, job reintegration services, socialisation and recreational activities
It is known that practicing sports, for each individual, is really effective for a good psycho-physical state: feelings of well-being and improvements in mood are only a few of the positive effects of sport; sport is a tool of social rehabilitation, which acts upon a sense of effectiveness and self-worth, favouring the development of a positive self-image. Furthermore, for socially fragile people who are at risk of social exclusion, sport is clearly a tool of inclusion: it promotes a shared sense of belonging and participation. Sport and playful activities involve the group in a natural way without prejudices, stimulating the growth of the organisation and of each individual.
The PUSH project aims at promoting equal opportunity and social inclusion through sport for homeless people and all those living situations of social hardship by expanding the expertise of entities dealing with them and social workers following them. After a first phase of research of good practices and knowledge exchange at EU level, the consortium will define a set of guidelines to allow social workers and sports trainers in collaborating and creating sports programs for homeless people. The guidelines will be tested in the partners’ countries and then disseminated among other entities of the third sector, policymakers and all relevant services and stakeholders – in order to reinclude marginalised people in social life and foster social cohesion.
Objectives
Expected Results
It is known that practicing sports, for each individual, is really effective for a good psycho-physical state: feelings of well-being and improvements in mood are only a few of the positive effects of sport; sport is a tool of social rehabilitation, which acts upon a sense of effectiveness and self-worth, favouring the development of a positive self-image. Furthermore, for socially fragile people who are at risk of social exclusion, sport is clearly a tool of inclusion: it promotes a shared sense of belonging and participation. Sport and playful activities involve the group in a natural way without prejudices, stimulating the growth of the organisation and of each individual.
The PUSH project aims at promoting equal opportunity and social inclusion through sport for homeless people and all those living situations of social hardship by expanding the expertise of entities dealing with them and social workers following them. After a first phase of research of good practices and knowledge exchange at EU level, the consortium will define a set of guidelines to allow social workers and sports trainers in collaborating and creating sports programs for homeless people. The guidelines will be tested in the partners’ countries and then disseminated among other entities of the third sector, policymakers and all relevant services and stakeholders – in order to reinclude marginalised people in social life and foster social cohesion.
Objectives
- Development of activities and identification at the EU-level of good practices and experiences related to the participation of socially marginalised people and to sports activities to include them into host societies.
- Preparation and training of professionals operating for the integration and social inclusion of people in distress or marginalised through sport.
- Sport promotion as a tool of integration and social inclusion as part of a European-level strategy, that increases the capabilities of host communities and successfully integrates people in social distress through sport.
- Raising awareness of civil society on the issue of marginality.
- De-stigmatisation of people taken in charge by the host circuit because of their condition of extreme marginality.
Expected Results
- People in a situation of social hardship will have a healthy tool to be included in the society and will be able to find the most efficient answers to their hospitality and inclusion needs.
- Social workers and sports trainers will enrich their training with complementary skills, which aim at correctly using the “sport” tool to reach the inclusion objectives for the people assisted.
- Entities and facilities working with homeless will be able to perfect and improve the offered services thanks to the exchange and sharing of good practices.
- Project partners will expand their expertise and benefit from a transnational collaboration.
- The civil society will be more aware of people living situations of hardship and prone to include them in the social context.