From Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 March the Director of our Committee Roberto Rinaldi , together with Francesca Di Feo of the International sector, flew to Suceava for the kick-off meetingof the SPRINT project . The latter is part of the Erasmus + Sport activities , a European Union program that aims, among other objectives, to promote voluntary activities, social inclusion and equal opportunities in sport . It is precisely on this theme that SPRINT is based, which sees the Committee as a leader in collaboration with the Courage Foundation of Bulgaria, the Former State Fostered Children’s Association of Hungary and the Asociatia Judeteana “Sportul Pentru Toti” Suceava of Romania . Precisely in Romania, to be precise in Bucovina , the project start-up meeting was held, formally started on 1 January , and which will last until June 2019 . “SPRINT sets itself above all the objective of integrating , through sport, children in conditions of social distress , such as children welcomed in institutions or in family homes and those suffering from mental handicaps, ” explains Roberto Rinaldi. “During our stay in Bucovina we visited two different institutions . The first is a school of every order and level, from elementary to technical institutes , which welcomes young people from 6 to 18 years in semi-residence mode from Monday to Friday . Here about 800 children suffering from mental illness find assistance, some with rather serious pathologies, thanks to the presence of specialized personnel ”continues Rinaldi. “The second structure is a rural institution . A sort of state orphanage that deals with children and young people who have been taken away from families by judicial sentence or who have been abandoned . We found 33 boys , aged between 3 and 24 , including five brothers, “the Committee director continues, underlining the commendable work of the volunteers of the structure. The intention of the Romanian partner is therefore to increase activities by focusing on these two realities. “We will provide the necessary tools , through the exchange of good practices , to allow the instructors to better carry out their activities within the institutes” concludes Rinaldi, pointing out the important role of sport as a vehicle for social emancipation . The next meeting, scheduled for June, will take place in Bulgaria instead.
Kick Off Meeting for the SPRINT Project
