On 23rd- 24th of May 2022 INSIDE project partners, Organization Earth (Greece), VTC Margarita (Greece), USACLI (Italy), Barca Foundation (Spain), Healthy Life Academy (Croatia) and ARCIL (Portugal), held their 2nd transnational project meeting in Barcelona in Spain. During this meeting, the project partners discussed various updates on project-related activities along with a general overview of the project. They also brought to the forefront a new Empowering Sport Methodology Handbook based on a methodology that focuses on the inclusive aspects of sport participation. The handbooks methodology aims to foster social empowerment and integration of PWID and it provides concrete information how to use sport and games as an empowerment tool.
In terms of structure, the handbook consists of:
- Good practices in including PwID in sport activities identified and mapped in EU level;
- HEPA guidelines focusing on PwID are perceived as an effective tool for raising awareness about physical activity and its impact to public health;
- The innovative methodology that includes sport activities and inclusive games for social empowerment of PwID.
Empowering Sport Methodology Handbook was also tested by partner organizations in period of 1.4.-31.5.2022. on national level. Pilot-testing activities were organized in 4 partners’ countries and each implementing partner identified 25 PWID (total 100 PWID) as participants who took part in an hour training session activity based on the innovative methodology on a weekly basis, held by a trained staff member of each partner.
The INSIDE project uses a multi-step approach to achieve its objectives, of which the handbook is one of the project outputs. Others include:
- “Easy-to-read” Sport and Games Guide – Guide with “Easy-to-read” method that simplifies writing process into small and important to the reader information, which combined with photographic material, is easily perceived by PWID;
- Capacity Building Course for Professionals working with PwID – Capacity building course for professionals working with PwID aimed to enhance knowledge and skills required for supporting PwID to access in sport activities;
- Web-platform for social empowerment through sports – Web-tool for social empowerment used as a tool for triggering participants’ interest, and a means of communicating, disseminating and exploiting the project’s results.
The INSIDE Project ‘social INcluSion of people with Intellectual DisabilitiEs through sport’ is an Erasmus+ – Collaborative partnerships in the field of Sport whose activities, running from January 2021 to December 2022, aim to promote sport as an empowering tool for PWID.
Croatian 
English