Past projects

Swili 1 - 2017

With this project we expanded swimming activities, knowledge and experience to other European countries. We spread the knowledge and love towards swimming to previously non-active people by simply engaging them. We educated swimming instructors and club leaders and provided 5-8 people (per country) free swimming lessons for up to 6 months. We invited and financed partners (1 club leader and swimming instructor per country) and up to 3 swimmers to join us for workshops and a swimming event in Ljubljana in June. This was a wonderful opportunity for them to be a part of the swimming community. 

We included and connected all groups of people - with disabilities and completely healthy, young and old, masters swimmers with a lot of experience and beginners and encouraged them to become physically active or be even more involved in sport. 

The main goal of the project was to increase social inclusion through sport (people can join an established collective of like-minded people), to promote equal opportunities in swimming (anyone can join, no matter how healthy or sick, how able or disable, how young or old, male or female) and to enhance physical activity in the largest possible number of people, locally and globally. 

The aim was to spread the love towards swimming and to make a habit of regular swimming activities among European citizens. Swimming instructors gained new knowledge about teaching everybody no matter their previous physical abilities. Club leaders learned how to promote good practices and multiply their influence on the local environment. The residents / locals will be better informed about regular physical activities especially swimming because of the project. 

One of our objectives was to create a certificate of competency, a “Swim to Live” licence for swimming instructors. Instructors with this licence are competent in the fields of working with swimmers of different abilities, learn how to deal with the problems regarding gender, political or religious issues, different age groups and of course in motivational strategies (knowledge of motivational theories, change models, etc).

Our plan was to raise awareness and accessibility of swimming as it is one of the safest sports the world has to offer. We wanted to teach people how to motivate themselves to be active, to teach others to stay motivated and connected through the world of water and swimming. And above all to spread the love we feel towards swimming.

During this project we have promoted regular physical activity, we taught how to teach, how to promote regular activity and combine everything with a swimming course for locals. 

Partners: 

  • Asociatia Babilon Travel (Romania) 
  • My Sport SSD CONSORTILE A.R.L. (Italy)
  • 100% Aventura – Associação de Desporto e Natureza (Portugal)

Swili 2 - 2018

The project was focusing on youngsters, 12 to 17 year olds, who are not very physically active and are from an underprivileged household. We as a society are becoming more and more aware that what we learn as children stays with us for our whole lives. And the same goes for what we don’t learn. Today’s children are growing up in a world of tablets and video games. They are less and less active and more and more clumsy. And the numbers don’t lie, children are getting fatter. So what can we do about it? Children need to be more active and they need a basic physical knowledge, to make it easier in the future to learn new physical things. And swimming is a very important part of the basic physical skills.   

We joined 6 months of swimming classes twice a week for 5 or more underprivileged youngsters per country and one hour of mindfulness practice a week for a healthy young mind and body. Before we began with the classes we educated our instructors and social workers with a one month mindfulness webinar workshop from a renowned expert in this field.

Combined with the regular practice we organised 4 transnational meetings in the three partner countries, each dealing with a special topic. The first was held in Slovenia and the focus was to teach all of the project staff mindfulness. Besides this we planned final details of the project. The second meeting was also held in Slovenia and it was the time when all of the youngsters in the project met each other and the team, did some team building activities and were taught mindfulness. The third meeting was held in Romania and the focus was on sharing good practices and use of mindfulness in teaching visually impaired youngsters. The final meeting was held in Italy, where we focused on using mindfulness in teaching swimming and other water sports like kayaking. 

Partners

  • Asociatia Babilon Travel (Romania) 
  • Sfera Italy (Italy)

Swili 3 - 2019

With this project we addressed the topic of social inclusion and equal opportunities in sport.

We offered already active seniors (50+) free of charge swimming, mindfulness and dry land training for 6 months. Once a week swimming and once a week dryland and mindfulness training for a healthy body and mind. Before we began with the classes we educated our instructors with a one month mindfulness webinar workshop from a renowned expert in this field.

Combined with the regular practice we organised 4 transnational meetings in the three partner countries, each dealing with a special topic. The first was held in Slovenia and the focus was to teach all of the project staff mindfulness and to plan final details of the project (dates of the meetings, dryland and water training plans). The second meeting was held in Romania  and it was the time when all of the seniors in the project met each other and the team, did some team building activities and were taught mindfulness and listened to a lecture on physical therapy. The third meeting was held in Italy and the focus was on kinesiology and swimming. The final meeting was held in Slovenia, where the focus was on the final evaluation of the project.

We have raised awareness on the importance of regular physical activity especially in seniors and promoted that awareness. The main goal was to spread the motivation for an active lifestyle from one senior European citizen to another. With this project we wanted to increase an active lifestyle, but also social inclusion through sport: people can join an established collective of like-minded people. We promoted equal opportunities in sport in general, anyone could join, no matter how healthy or sick, how able or disable, how young or old, male or female. Our participants were from underprivileged areas. Also one was blind and 2 were previously psychiatric patients with mental health issues. Besides an improved physical wellbeing a healthier way of life resulted in a better self image, a more positive outlook on life, they made new friends and improved social skills. 

Our active participants told their life stories about how to stay active after 50 and shared their experiences in short video clips which we published on Youtube and promoted via Facebook and our web portal. Participants shared a short presentation or a speech locally about how they are keeping an active lifestyle after 50. We have reached a snowball effect: the ones who are already active are those who can influence their peers the most. Our seniors have become ambassadors for an active lifestyle to their peers. Each organisation organized three Open house days in their country and the seniors invited their peers, friends, colleagues, coworkers, family members ect. to their training session (swimming, mindfulness or gym). All of them enjoyed themselves a lot and some of them have subsequently even signed up for swimming practice.  

Partners

  • Asociatia Babilon Travel (Romania) 
  • Sfera Italy (Italy)

Swili 4 - 2021/22

Our goals were oriented towards social inclusion through regular physical activity and practicing mindfulness for marginalized groups of people. The focus was on groups with physical or mental illness especially those with fewer opportunities. We wanted to combine swimming and dryland training with mindfulness practice. We had the following goals: to promote social inclusion through sport, to gain knowledge for instructors and club leaders, to learn how to promote good practices through the EU, to influence the local environment, to influence the national programmes for promoting an active lifestyle and to develop knowledge of promotion for different EU sports organisations. 

We developed a toolkit with guidelines that can be easily implemented in other organisations where they want to work in the swimming sports fields and want to develop and incorporate mindfulness practice. Our innovation includes mindfulness in sport training as a good way of enhancing learning experience and preparing a field from which people learn about themselves. 

Combined with the regular practice we organised 5 transnational meetings in the three partner countries, each dealing with a special topic. 

Applicant organisation:

  • ŠD Riba

Partners:

  • Kory Francisc (Romania) 
  • Sfera Italy (Italy)
  • As Asterias (Greece)