The project involves 10 partners from eight different countries: Slovenia, Greece, Portugal, Poland, Croatia and Spain.
LJUDSKA UNIVERZA ROGAŠKA SLATINA, Slovenia (project coordinator)
Ljudska univerza Rogaška Slatina is a non-profit adult education and training provider for the community in the local region and wider with a rich tradition. Organization offers its learners 10 formal educational programmes that include both secondary schools and vocational training programmes in the field of catering, gastronomy, cookery, sales, economy, childcare or tourism. Ljudska univerza is constantly developing new programmes and is adapting the existent one in accordance with the needs and desires of the adult population for further training and education. Informal educational programmes are conducted in the form of seminars, courses, lectures, and literary evenings and similar. The organization also offers various personal growth programmes, various workshops, computer courses for the unemployed and elderly, language courses, computer courses and accounting and many educational programmes for adults with special needs for the local Care Work Centre. We have organized training programmes for other educationally and didactically deprived groups of adults, such as the immigrants, the unemployed and foreigners. Univerza also offers 19 programmes of National vocational qualification and organizes various courses for unemployed people, such as language, computer and accounting courses, and language and dance courses for children in kindergartens. The organization also has a very active University for Third Age, where we offer various lifelong learning activities to people over 55. The activities involve language courses, computer literacy courses, study groups, healthy lifestyle activities, lectures, workshops, trips and many more. Ljudska univerza Rogaška Slatina is also a licensed centre for Slovenian language as second language and an Intergenerational centre. Since 2016 we are also involved in a national project for gaining basic and vocational competences for the Savinjska region and Counselling for the employees in Savinjska region.
Ljudska univerza Rogaška Slatina has a lot of experience in national and international projects.
VIZ III. OSNOVNA ŠOLA ROGAŠKA SLATINA, Slovenia
Our school has a certain number of hours dedicated to sports activities for our children, but unfortunately this number is quite low and many times the quality of these sports activities is not adapted to the special needs of the children. Our school would like to improve the skills of all the teachers in this area, so that the quality of sports activities would improve. Our pupils have attended several local sports events and sports activities.
The school has experience in collaborating in international projects. They were partners in the Erasmus + project Animal Integration in the Educational Programme from 2015 to 2017.
All of our staff members are highly qualified, with pedagogical as well as defectological education, our teachers are constantly involved in various trainings and education in the field of special needs education.
We are aware of the importance of adapting our pedagogical processes to the pupils with special needs and are therefore constantly striving for implementing new, innovative and beneficial methods of teaching. We are also acquainted with the beneficial effects of sports on learning achievements of students, especially the ones with special needs and we have therefore included some sports activities into our schools curriculum.
The members of the staff, who are going to be involved in the project, include a school psychologist with many experience in the field of working with students with special needs and with a long list of various trainings in various fields of education, a member of the teaching staff, who is involved in coordination of all school activities through the entire school year, and our school accountant with many years of experience in this field.
MORE ABOUT LJUDSKA UNIVERZA ROGAŠKA SLATINA AND III. PRIMARY SCHOOL ROGAŠKA SLATINA
1st SPECIAL PRIMARY SCHOOL OF PATRAS, Greece
1st Special Primary School of Patras is a public (government – funded) special school located in the city of Patras in the southern mainland of Greece (Achaia) having 52 pupils. It is considered to be the biggest public special school in the region of Achaia, since the number of special schools in the area (and all over Greece) is in fact somewhat limited. The pupils attending school are children from 6 to 14 years old with various disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC), educational and mental disabilities, developmental delay and multiple handicaps.
The school staff consists of highly-qualified, experienced, special educators and other key professionals as speech and language therapist, psychologists, ergotherapists, social workers, nurses, assistants, physiotherapists.
Our vision and main goal is to provide a congenial learning environment for all pupils, in order to enable them to achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and independence.
We believe that every child has the ability to understand and learn. In addition to that, we passionately feel that if a child can not meet the demands of the education system then we must meet the educational needs of the child.
Considering the fact that the school features fully-equipped spacious classrooms and schoolyards and also facilities such as kitchens, bathrooms, a pool and toilets for each classroom, we have incorporated in our curriculum activities that promote what is referred as “independent living”. It is a programme where children are taught step by step how to implement important everyday home tasks (which is necessary for them to know and do on their own) inside the school (e.g. teeth washing, cooking, taking bath e.t.c.)
Regarding learning, pupils having the chance to be an integral part of their class and join in team activities with their classmates and at the same time they get the individual attention that they need with daily interventions (from the educators) within the school premises. The educators of the school work with the pupils in groups and also in one to one basis.
Furthermore, according to assessment made at school, a customized programme is set for each child in order to accommodate his/her needs regarding speech therapy, ergotherapy, e.t.c.
Last but not least, our school takes part in various projects and also collaborates with many different establishments. We are currently participate in e-twinning project and highlighting the cultural heritage of the city of Patras. Other projects that we are doing at the time are the health education project and the environmental education project. The establishments that we collaborate with are mostly educational namely: the University of Patras, the Technological institute of Patras, various mainstream primary schools in the region.
As such, very often our school organizes visits and hosts events and celebrations where our children get to meet and interact with the children from mainstream schools.
OSNOVNA ŠKOLA JOSIPA MATOŠA, Croatia
Josip Matos PS is the only independent School for children with developmental disabilities (special needs) in Vukovar-Srijem County. It was founded in 1970. Currently attending 64 students with different disabilities (age 7- 21), primary with intellectual disabilities, chronic illness, cerebral palsy, autism. Students are divided in classes and educational groups, depending on their abilities and capabilities. The school employs 35 educated and motivated professionals of different profiles (Special Education Teachers, speech therapists, psychologist, special pedagogues, nurse, administrative and technical staff) and provides various activities for our students and support for teachers and students with special needs from regular schools. School provide curricular and extracurricular activities and contents, rehabilitation activities and other forms of support for students and parents.
In addition to regular educational work (by subjects and areas) is organized and extended professional procedure and a number of rehabilitation procedures (speech therapy, sensory integration therapy, Mozart therapy, rehabilitation through movement, kinesitherapy). With the learning of academic knowledge, the school is working on developing the skills needed for everyday life (self-care, managing in environment, and training in performing simple occupational tasks). For students are organized and extra-curricular activities (drama and poetry, art and creative, folk, household, ecology group, selfadvocacy, sports group, etc.). The framework program of the school are prescribed by the responsible Ministry of education but individual programs according to the needs and abilities of each student prepare special education teachers with the support of professional school service (special educator, psychologists).
In addition to the obligatory training on faculty level, school teachers improve their abilities through professional trainings and apply the acquired knowledge in their everyday work (early intervention, PECS, Animal assisted intervention). School has participated in various national and international projects and collaborates with different organizations and institutions at local, regional and international level. Through projects we have developed cooperation with the special and regular schools, kindergartens and associations in the country and abroad and gain new knowledge and competencies. Our students are actively involved in all cultural and sports events in the city and county (sports competitions, performances, events).
In addition to working with students, the school is also focused on cooperation with parents. In addition to regular parent-teacher meetings school organized education and lectures for parents and various workshops which together involved parents and students (open school day, excursions, etc.).
Local communities and institutions dealing with education have recognized the work of the school, and we have received several awards for projects and activities that we implement (award “Stjepan Cipek” of the Forum for Freedom in Education, an award of Academy of Central European schools in the category of Special bonus for the project “As our hand align”, Award of the Royal Foundation for students volunteering in the community with elderly people). School does not perform any economic activities on the market.
ADDJ – Associação para o Desenvolvimento do Desporto Jovem
The Association for the Development of Youth Sport (ADDJ) was founded in 2003 by a group of 3 graduates in Sports Sciences with the aim of developing an appropriate intervention among young people, namely through sports projects in a school context.
ADDJ has a strongly educational approach, adapted to the levels of performance and oriented towards the development of the individual and social capacities of young people. It has a team of qualified trainers and subject to a continuous training program and regular assessments.
At the time, ADDJ continues to work with several schools with different sports (tennis, karate, futsal) and manage a tennis school in a club.
ADDJ develop projects with a strong educational component and especially aimed at young people (between 4 and 16). It has among its objectives:
– “Promote the development and dissemination of educational and socio-educational activities in the context of leisure activities, holiday camps, teacher training and other educational activities”;
– “Integrating young people into society through the practice of sport to avoid social exclusion”;
– “Promote and support sporting events and encourage physical activity in an appropriate sociocultural context”.
The organization is running several sports projects, along the school year, in different modalities, with several schools;
• Work in partnership with City Council of Lisbon and with a joint parish council with the purpose of developing and promoting sport among young people;
• Organization of dozens of meetings and sports tournaments in different modalities;
• We are starting projects in continuous training of trainers and in nutrition;
• Experienced staff in sports promotion, research and funded projects management.
UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA
University of Coimbra (UC) is a reference in higher education and R&D in Portugal, due to the quality of the courses taught at its eight colleges and to the advances achieved in pure and applied research in various scientific domains and on technology related areas.
UC pursues a policy of continuous improvement in several areas, ensuring high standards of teaching and research, as well as being an active participant in the development of the corporate world.
The continuous technological development promoted by UC’s different R&D units addresses the challenges involved in the design, operation and regulation of technologies, bringing together teachers from different scientific disciplines with a long experience in teaching, research, technology transfer and consultancy in different areas in the context of technology.
UC offers advanced training programs in different areas that bind to technology, where we highlight those related to MIT Portugal Program and Associated Laboratories, like ADAI (Association for the Development of Industrial Aerodynamics) , CNC (Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology), IMAR-CMA (Marine and Environmental Research Centre), INESCC (Institute for Systems Engineering and Computers at Coimbra), ISR-UC (Institute of Systems and Robotics – University of Coimbra), IT (Telecommunications Institute – Coimbra Pole) and LIP Coimbra (Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics).
The offer in technological research makes UC an undeniable reference in R&D in Portugal, which highlights the excellence of work developed by the R&D units of UC, in particular CEMUC – University of Coimbra’s Mechanical Engineering Research Centre, CEMDRX (Centre for the Study of Materials by X-Ray Diffraction), CFC (Centre for Computational Physics), CISUC (Centre for Informatics and Systems), CI (Instrumentation Centre), CIEC (Research Centre for Civil Engineering), CIEPQPF (Chemical Process Engineering and Forest Products Research Centre), CMUC (Centre for Mathematics of the University of Coimbra), CQ (Centre for Chemistry – Coimbra), CFE (Centre for Functional Ecology) and IBILI (Institute of Biomedical Research on Light and Image), besides the previously mentioned Associated Laboratories
UC stands out also on technology transfer being involved in the promotion of several initiatives, like IPN Incubator and Biocant, and in the creation of diverse technological spin-offs, as Active Space Technologies, Artscan, Crioestaminal, Critical Software, Feedzai, InfoGene, Inogate, iNovmapping, ISA Intellicare, Luzitin, Move Mile, Sensebloom, SPI and Take The Wind, amongst others.
The University of Coimbra is today an example of dynamism in its constant search for improvement and enhancement of knowledge, research and technology, contributing decisively to the improvement of science, technology and to the enhancement of knowledge as an essential element of people’s lives.
GDYNIA SPORTS CENTRE
Gdynia Sports Centre is an institution of local public administration (budget unit of the municipality of Gdynia) authorized to represent the city in projects related to sport and recreation. GSC has been appointed to carry out one of the most important missions of any modern city, which is to create conditions for the development of the sports activity of the inhabitants of Gdynia. GSC organizes events that bring many fans of physical activity and hundreds of free recreational activities, all of which can benefit everyone – regardless of age or ability. For young people Gdynia Sports Centre ensures an adequate quality and wide range of school and extracurricular sports activities and for adults an opportunity to spend their free time actively. The city, within its budget, also supports sport clubs both professional and youth, funds sports training for children and young people, and successfully organizes competitions of different rank in many disciplines. GSC earned the title of the sport community not only because of supporting sports initiatives eagerly, but also to the fact that it created the perfect conditions for their implementation. The town for many years has been carrying out a project of construction and upgrading sport facilities. As a result, Gdynia has large complexes as well as small multifunctional school pitches. The largest investments made in Gdynia in the last few years are: Gdynia Municipal Stadium, National Rugby Stadium, Marina Gdynia, Gdynia Arena. GSC is taking part actively in local and international projects that allow to exchange experience with major European countries. GSC constantly popularize sport in Gdynia, Poland, and in the world.
Size of the organization:
GSC employs a total of almost 120 permanent staff working in departments dealing with Promotion, Sport events, Management of sports facilities, Marina, Hippotherapy, Tourist Information, Accountancy, HR and Administration and several dozen of workers on fee-for-task agreement during summer. This group of committed and creative young enthusiasts put all their energy in order to do sport in Gdynia getting better.
Key activities:
– administration of sports facilities in the Gdynia Sports Centre and beyond,
– implementation of investment projects in terms of expansion, modernization and reparation of these sports facilities and their adaptation to the needs of the disabled,
– offering the sports facilities in order to organize sporty, recreational and cultural activities related to the organization of exhibitions, competitions, festivals, shows and performances,
– organization of recreational, sports, cultural and entertainment events,
– promotion of sport among children, youths and seniors,
– creation of appropriate legal and organizational conditions and the economic development of physical education,
– cooperation with the management of land use districts in terms of sports and recreation, joint organization of sport events,
– support the trainings of children, young people and athletes with disabilities,
– cooperation with sports clubs,
– organization and assurance of the safety of swimming in the water areas,
– organization of rehabilitation and recreational activities, including conducting hippotherapy for people with disabilities,
– activities for the development of tourism, including the management of tourist information point,
– organization of holiday activities for children and young people,
– activities related to the prevention and education in the fight against alcoholism and drug addiction,
– obtaining external funds for the implementation of national and international projects.
Gdynia Sports Centre makes every effort to ensure that new events are marked on the sporting events calendar never year and make sure there are plenary of events which generally attract hundreds of participants and are very popular among the residents.
MORE ABOUT GDYNIA SPORTS CENTRE
IES La Puebla
ES La Puebla is located in the municipality of Vícar (Almería), Spain. It is an agricultural area specialized in greenhouse cultivation. The population of Vícar is multicultural since we have a large number of inmigrants from Europe and other continents. IES La Puebla offers numerous programs varying from regular Secondary Education for teenagers, a plurilingual program (French, English and Spanish), Vocational programs on ICT, air conditioning and heating, as well as Secondary Education for Adults in blended programs and face to face programs.
The inmigrant and/or disadvantaged students receive, on a regular basis, special guidance and assistance in order to help them in the process of adaptation to the Spanish Education system or to overcome any other possible difficulties. There are also specific programs and resources for students with learning difficulties.
The school has a very strong ICT department which is responsible for developing, programing and implementing various online platforms and applications for the school and teh municipality.
The school has a very strong ICT department which is responsible for developing, programing and implementing various online platforms and applications for the school and teh municipality.
In other relevant areas, there are ICT vocational programs for Secondary Education level and also for Higher Education level in the fields of Web Applications Development as well as Micro-computing Systems and Nets. There is also a blended learning program for adults that combines online and face to face sessions. Due to this program, many teachers in our school are trained in the use of ICT for teaching/learning purposes.
Regarding students with special needs, at IES La Puebla, the students with learning difficulties are assessed by the teachers, the school psychologist and the counselling department. After this assessment, the students may: a) enter a special program of Pedagogical Therapy implemented by specialized teachers or b) the school curriculum may be adapted to their specific needs so that they can overcome the difficulties and improve their progress.
In regards to the area of sports, there are regular Physical Education classes offered in different programs and also free additional sports activities offered to the students after the regular schedule. These activities are funded by the Regional Authority.
IES La Puebla has coordinated and participated in numerous European projects in the past, such as bilateral and multilateral Comenius projects, Grundtvig, Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus+.
Elio Artic s.p.
Perun Academy is a community based gym in a 500 square meter flagship facility, led by bachelor of sports training, Elio Artič, located in Rogaška Slatina, Slovenia. The organization offers group, individual or tailored trainings and workshops, as well as theoretical and practical workshops considering healthy lifestyle and healthy diet.
This unique facility combines martial art trainings (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts) with innovative, yet effective, strength and conditioning trainings, with the well proven methodologies and highly trained personnel to provide you with unmatched performance. The organization offers special tailored sports activities to individuals, groups and companies, including tailored programs to people with special needs.
Perun Academy utilizes highly refined implements and effective training techniques to help you achieve maximum performance gains, with the main objective, to teach men and women of all ages and abilities the techniques and methodologies to overcome any physical challenge.
Staff expertise and skills: Elio Artič, Bachelor of Sports training, Certified Muay Thai Coach by International Federation of Muay Thai, Certified Kettlebell lifting Coach by Elite Girevoy Sport Association, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete – Purple belt by professor Bojan Mirković, Certified Fitness Coach by FZS – Fitnes zveza Slovenije. Coaching as an Own profession, Communication attending skills, Communication Influencing skills, Facilitate and Learning results, Coaching competencies within Sport.
Prime Osijek
The organization offers services in the field of sports workshops to children with special needs. For the last two years they have been cooperating with two associations, Roditelji djece s autizmom ˝Dar˝ (Parents of Autistic Children Association) and Udruga za djecu s down sindromom Osijecko-baranjske županije (Association for children with Down Syndrome in Osijecko-baranjske županija). The workshops take place every weekend and are divided according to the age level of the participants. At the moment their workshops are attended by 4 children with Down Syndrome (age 3 to 4) and 32 children with autism, who are divided into 4 groups (age 2 to 21).
The workshops are carried out multidisciplinary and involve a kinesiologist, work therapist and educational rehabilitator. The activities are conducted in such manner that the participants benefit from each area. During the 2-year experience the organizations has developed a paper in connection to the gross motor skills of children with autism and at the moment they are during the investigating process in the area of general motor of children with autism.
For the last two years they have been cooperating with two associations, Roditelji djece s autizmom ˝Dar˝ (Parents of Autistic Children Association) and Udruga za djecu s down sindromom Osijecko-baranjske županije (Association for children with Down Syndrome in Osijecko-baranjske županija). The workshops take place every weekend and are divided according to the age level of the participants. At the moment their workshops are attended by 4 children with Down Syndrome (age 3 to 4) and 32 children with autism, who are divided into 4 groups (age 2 to 21).
The workshops are carried out multidisciplinary and involve a kinesiologist, work therapist and educational rehabilitator. The activities are conducted in such manner that the participants benefit from each area. During the 2-year experience the organizations has developed a paper in connection to the gross motor skills of children with autism and at the moment they are during the investigating process in the area of general motor of children with autism.
Marko Torić: special education teacher, occupational therapist and magister of kinesiology. For several years Mr Torić works with special need children at local promary school for special need children and at the same time he is a part of the Prime Sport Studio where he has been using his education, experience and skills geined during his education and working experience in the field of special need children and sports.