OR. with SNORKELING

On October 16, 2024, Bulgarian sports development association successfully realized a local event in Sofia under the Orienteering with Snorkeling project. The initiative focuses on orienteering and snorkeling activities in a shallow marine environment, pools and lakes and aims to bring together children with disabilities with their peers without disabilities.

The European Week of Sport #BeActive takes place annually between 23 and 30 September, and during its 10th edition, which took place in 2024, all residents and guests of Sofia had the opportunity to be part of the biggest sports celebration in Europe. The European Week of Sport is an initiative of the European Commission that has been taking place in September across Europe since 2015. The week, which takes the form of an awareness-raising campaign, promotes the many benefits of sport and physical activity and is open to all, regardless of age, background or physical condition.

On the 3rd of September 2024, at the "Vasil Levski" National sports academy, Bulgarian sports development association held a dissemination event under the Showdown and OR. with SNORKELING – Orienteering with Snorkeling, projects. The event aimed to introduce the initiatives to the sports professionals, trainers, coaches and sports educators. These initiatives are aimed at young people and children with physical or visual impairments and their partners, and their objective is to promote sport as an effective tool to improve their physical, mental and social well-being. Unfortunately, people with disabilities are often excluded from or refused participation in sporting activities due to various barriers such as lack of training and opportunities to compete, insufficient awareness of how to include people with disabilities and inaccessible facilities.

In the period 27-30 August 2024, an international sports event was held within the Orienteering with Snorkeling project in Sakarya, Turkey. The initiative is aimed at young people with physical disabilities and their partners, and included a total of three Bulgarian pairs of athletes, as well as participants from Turkey and the Republic of North Macedonia.

Bulgarian sports development association successfully implemented a series of activities under the Orienteering with Snorkeling project in the period until August 2024. The initiative was aimed at young people with physical disabilities and their partners and included a total of nine sessions – six on the seaside in Ravda and three in a swimming pool in Sofia.

In the period 3-6.04.2024, in Struga, North Macedonia, an international partner meeting under the OR. with SNORKELING project took place. The project focuses on orienteering and scuba diving activities in a shallow marine environment, pools and lakes with the aim to reunite children with physical disabilities with their peers without disabilities. During the meeting, future practical trainings were discussed, as well as methods for producing adapted orienteering maps. Through such innovative tools and practices, we hope to create a more inclusive environment and make children physically active.

On January 18, 2024, the first meeting for the OR. with Snorkeling project took place, bringing together partners in an online environment to discuss the upcoming aspects of the initiative. UNICEF reports that nearly 240 million children in the world today have some form of disability. New report from UNICEF exposes the depth of deprivation experienced by the 1 in 10 children with disabilities worldwide across several indicators of well-being, including health, education and protection. Also, the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities states that all children and young people should be able to grow up together for the benefit of all, showing respect for others, and EU’s role is to promote the protection of the rights of the child as an EU objective as well as its competence to combat discrimination based on disability.

UNICEF reports that nearly 240 million children in the world today have some form of disability. New report from UNICEF exposes the depth of deprivation experienced by the 1 in 10 children with disabilities worldwide across several indicators of well-being, including health, education and protection. Also, the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities states that all children and young people should be able to grow up together for the benefit of all, showing respect for others, and EU’s role is to promote the protection of the rights of the child as an EU objective as well as its competence to combat discrimination based on disability.