NEWS
BSDA HELD AN EVENT UNDER THE WAYWARD PROJECT
30.09.2022
On the 30th of September, 2022, at the Vasil Levski National Sports Academy, Sofia, Bulgarian sport development association held an event under the “Working to Approach Youth Workers as Agents of a Response to Disability – WAYWARD” project, in which more than 20 sports experts, coaches and sports specialists took part.
The initiative involves 6 partner organizations from Greece, Ireland, Italy, Bulgaria, Vietnam and Mexico with the overarching am of empowering personal development, overcoming of stereotypes and social inclusion of young people (age 18-25) with intellectual disability in partner countries through the empowerment of youth workers and NGOs in terms of understanding and methodological toolset based on the ETS (Education Through Sport) methodology.
WAYWARD addresses the challenge of social exclusion and social stigma suffered by young people with mental disability in partner regions by means of transnational cooperation.
The World Bank quantifies in a total one billion (15% of the World’s population) the individuals with some form of disability in the World. As a phenomenon, highlights the World Bank, disability is prevalent in developing countries and is generally accompanied by adverse socioeconomic outcomes as lower rates of education, poorer health outcomes, lower levels of employment and higher poverty rates.
As underscored by the World Report on Disability (WHO, 2011), mental health conditions are particularly stigmatized, with several aspect of commonality in this stigma existing across different geographical settings. Negative attitudes and behaviours, continues the Report, have an adverse effect on children and adults with disabilities, leading to negative consequences as low self-esteem and reduced participation.
The EHSIS Eurostat survey (2012) reports that of the 70 million disabled young people aged over 15 years old in Europe (17,6% of the total population), 25,6% reported a disability relating to education and training, 38,6% to employment and 60% to leisure activities.
The WHO, in its Disability in the South-East Asia Region study (2013) notes that children with disabilities are less likely to attend school, thereby experiencing limited opportunities for human capital formation and facing reduced employment opportunities and decreased productivity in adulthood.
As displayed by the Eurobarometer (2014), disability or illness is one of the main reasons for not participating in Sport among the general population. At the same time, as illustrated by academic research, participation in Sport is positively linked with a set of positive outcomes (see Weiss, J., Diamond, T., Demark, J., & Lovald, B., 2003).
ETS, combining in a positive synergy the inclusive potential of ETS and Sport provides grassroots organizations with a powerful tool to enhance young disabled people’s motivation to participate in society, at the same time countering phenomena of social stigma through positive awareness and providing young people facing mental disability with the transversal backpack of skills for successful integration in all spheres of education, society and, prospectively, labour market.
WAYWARD project is co-funded under the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, capacity building in the field of youth.
WAYWARD addresses the challenge of social exclusion and social stigma suffered by young people with mental disability in partner regions by means of transnational cooperation.
The World Bank quantifies in a total one billion (15% of the World’s population) the individuals with some form of disability in the World. As a phenomenon, highlights the World Bank, disability is prevalent in developing countries and is generally accompanied by adverse socioeconomic outcomes as lower rates of education, poorer health outcomes, lower levels of employment and higher poverty rates.
As underscored by the World Report on Disability (WHO, 2011), mental health conditions are particularly stigmatized, with several aspect of commonality in this stigma existing across different geographical settings. Negative attitudes and behaviours, continues the Report, have an adverse effect on children and adults with disabilities, leading to negative consequences as low self-esteem and reduced participation.
The EHSIS Eurostat survey (2012) reports that of the 70 million disabled young people aged over 15 years old in Europe (17,6% of the total population), 25,6% reported a disability relating to education and training, 38,6% to employment and 60% to leisure activities.
The WHO, in its Disability in the South-East Asia Region study (2013) notes that children with disabilities are less likely to attend school, thereby experiencing limited opportunities for human capital formation and facing reduced employment opportunities and decreased productivity in adulthood.
As displayed by the Eurobarometer (2014), disability or illness is one of the main reasons for not participating in Sport among the general population. At the same time, as illustrated by academic research, participation in Sport is positively linked with a set of positive outcomes (see Weiss, J., Diamond, T., Demark, J., & Lovald, B., 2003).
ETS, combining in a positive synergy the inclusive potential of ETS and Sport provides grassroots organizations with a powerful tool to enhance young disabled people’s motivation to participate in society, at the same time countering phenomena of social stigma through positive awareness and providing young people facing mental disability with the transversal backpack of skills for successful integration in all spheres of education, society and, prospectively, labour market.
WAYWARD project is co-funded under the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, capacity building in the field of youth.