In order to achieve main objective partners will:
- Organize Halliwick foundation course
- Organize Halliwick advance course
- Organize Halliwick gala competition
- Organize Halliwick assessment
- Swimming for persons with down and autism
- Recomodations and findings
With LET’S SWIM project we want to promote swimming sport as health enhancing physical activity and as a powerful tool for providing equal opportunities and enabling better social inclusion for individuals with disability. During project we will share experience, knowledge and best practices how to motivate and attract (1) individuals with disabilities to get engaged into swimming/sport, and in physical activity in general, thus enabling them to get the most health benefits by being physically active on one side and to support and improve their social inclusion on the other side. Namely, being involved into sport, particularly in swimming, beside health benefits, improves self-confidence and gives people with disabilities unique way for better social inclusion, networking with other swimmers (with and without disability) in their sports clubs and, with participation in different forms of sport’s competitions, sense of own value and accomplishments. To get to this point we also need to continually build and upgrade the (2) knowledge, competencies and skills of swimming coaches, necessary for coaching and organizing adequate forms of trainings and competition for children and adults with disabilities. We plan to do that by sharing knowledge and best practices related to Halliwick Concept (as one of best swimming programs/method/approach that can be provided together, to people with and without disabilities) and related to organizing and execution of specific competition (Gala, that enables people with and without disabilities to swim/compete together) thus making swimming organizations and their coaches up-to-date with continuous development of Halliwick Concept in accordance with scientific advances and making them well equipped/competent to lead and support their swimmers with disabilities.
Partners from Croatia, Denmark, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia, all having strong background in sport/ swimming and interest to improve further swimming programs and practices for people with disabilities in their countries, formed partnership to learn more about changes/continuous development of Halliwick Concept in accordance with scientific advances; to increase competencies of their coaches and share experiences and best practices related to deployment of Halliwick Concept in sport/swimming clubs; and approaches and forms of competitions (in particular Gala competition) where people with and without disabilities participate together thus encouraging social inclusion of people with disabilities.
LET’S SWIM project, is contributing to the fulfillment of several goals of Small collaborative partnership:
- Encourage social inclusion and equal opportunities in sport;
- Protect persons with disabilities especially the youngest, from health and safety hazards by improving training and competition conditions;
- Promote education in and through sport with special focus on skills development.
Project will result with generating, sharing and spreading experiences and knowledge about Halliwick Concept, as one of the best swimming programs and coaching approaches/methods for coaching people with disabilities; about Gala, as one of the most adequate competition formats for people with disabilities; and with increased competencies of partners’ organizations and swimming coaches (all being issues that are affecting sport at the European level).
With successfully conducted LET’S SWIM project, we will contribute to higher/increased level of participation of people with disabilities in swimming and consequently in sport and physical activity in general.