For the past 18 years that we have been implementing our international sport day “Be a Sportsman – Play with Me”, volunteers of all sorts have played a very important role in them. Our particularity in volunteering has been its inclusive character in a sense that we have involved persons with various abilities in all of the tasks related to the preparation and implementation of such an event.
By giving them the tasks and roles they were able to perform, we created an opportunity for their talents and abilities to be expressed, thus enabling to their contribution to the society and social inclusion, and at the same time making space and time for inclusion to happen spontaneously and naturally.
Sports, games and playing are namely very strong tools for inclusion and we have been providing this space for many years in Ljubljana and in other cities that hosted similar events, lately also within Erasmus+ SporWay project (for example in Possagno – Italy).
The volunteering usually begins by us sending out invitations to our partners and various stakeholders we find relevant for the inclusive event. These are mostly secondary level schools, faculties, NGOs, adult education centres, youth centres, special education institutions, companies. In this way we get a palette of candidates, with and without special need, willing to take part and experience an unforgettable day.
Once they are registered for the event (we normally do an online application form), we organize preparatory meetings, where we share with them all of the relevant elements of the event, and at the same time answer to all of their questions, potential fears, concerns. In the application form each volunteer expresses what he/she wishes best to do; from logistics, to moderating, to taking photos, help at the info stand or helping at the tournaments and inclusive workshops. In this way we match the volunteers to the tasks and provide for the best possible experience.
Most of the volunteers are returning to our inclusive events, which shows that their involvement was positive, heart – warming, soul – filling event. People with special needs are many times, if allowed, our best teachers when it comes to basic human values; they teach us honesty, openness, sincerity, how to show and express one’s feelings in a given moment, how to seize the day, the moment…all of the characteristics that we as society lack and need to a large extent. By involving volunteers with special needs and persons with fewer opportunities in international inclusive events themselves, we are making it possible for our general society to normalize itself, grow as human society and build back solidarity, mutual understating, respect, cooperation and cherishing not fearing differences among us, that in fact enrich us not impoverish us.
Our inclusive volunteering may mean a bit more work for us, in terms of preparation, mentoring, clear instructions and support, but it brings such added value to us all, that we would note replace it with anything else! Just the opposite, we are striving to widen the partnership to institutions we are not working with yet, like NGOs dealing with migrants, more senior centres etc. No matter the age or the nationality, sport is still a tool to make inclusion happen, barriers disappear and connect people in a natural, spontaneous way.
