partners

Courage Foundation - Bulgaria

LOVE HELPING PEOPLE.

Together we can overcome any difficulties.

Courage Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established in Plovdiv in 2007, the year in which Bulgaria joined the EU. The Foundation is focused on supporting and expanding the opportunities of disadvantaged people: unemployed, women victims of violence, people with disabilities, youth from minorities, through the development of an active civil society, raising awareness of the legislation, policies and strategies for inclusion of the European Union and increasing the knowledge of Bulgarian citizens for the European integration process.

Courage Foundation implements media and information campaigns in the field of European integration, inclusion, and diversity; assists organizations, local and educational institutions, working with vulnerable groups in the application of European development policies, participation in programs of the European Union and European collaboration networks; organizes and implements seminars, trainings, study visits, sports and cultural activities for people from the target vulnerable groups.

The Foundation has developed and implemented a number of transnational projects against negative phenomena: social exclusion, racism, violence, discrimination of ethnic groups, handicapped people, women, orphans.

The Foundation experts apply innovative methods of non formal learning, proved to be efficient especially in " difficult" fields. They place special attention on educating people in solidarity and active citizenship. Sports and cultural activities are used to reach vulnerable groups and help them integrate in the society. Volunteering is in the core of the Foundation activities, and as such is highly appreciated and promoted.

Most of the initiatives carried out by the Foundation are financed by Erasmus+ program – KA1, KA2 and Sport. Since its establishment in 2007, Courage has implemented successfully more than 80 projects, some of these: ARIES – Against Racism in Europe through Sport, SAVE – Sport against Violence in Europe, IRIS-International Roma Integration through Sport, IRISES International Roma Integration through Stakeholders Exchange of Successful Practices with focus on women and children, SPRINT – Sport, Inclusion, Tolerance, CHANCE – Changing lives through community engagement, SPIRITS –Skills development for prison inmates through sport, WINGS – Women and Girls Empowerment through Sport, AMORE, See & SHARE, SEE & Hear and others.

In 2020 and 2021 Courage Foundation implemented the WINGS Erasmus+ Sport project with a wide transnational campaign against violence on women reaching more than 50 000 persons through the dedicated WINGS FB Page https://www.facebook.com/WINGSprojet. The Involvement of municipalities, schools, sport associations and ordinary citizens was crucial in saying NO to violence. The Foundation will continue awareness raising initiatives against violence on women every year on the 25 November – the international day to eliminate violence on women.

The Foundation has a very good network of stakeholders (local and regional decision makers), media partners and partners from Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, North Republic of Macedonia. The network is wide and includes municipalities, schools, NGOs and media.

Media has reflected Courage Foundation initiatives reaching hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens in their everyday life and making them reflect on important issues.

KEAN - Greece

“KEAN” was founded in 2005, aiming the development and implementation of humanitarian programs for the protection of the social and physical environment. Its ultimate goal is upgrading the citizens and especially vulnerable social groups’ lives, combating social exclusion and poverty, promoting a better organized society with respect for human rights and the environment and promoting, active engagement and volunteering. It is the body responsible for the EU Diversity Charter in Greece, it runs three hosting structures for Unaccompanied Minors and a social grocery and it has developed the first environmental board game.

Si può fare - Italy

The Cooperative SI PUO’ FARE was established on November 2020 with the starting aim to partecipate to the municipality announcment for the Anti-Violence Center management. Afterward it was decided, due to the redtape and organizational reasons, to join the project with the volunteers Association Donna Chiamata Donna,  member of the Cooperative itself. .

SI PUO’ FARE focuses its job on   the well-being empowerment  of women and men, couples and teenagers and our services are offered at fair prices by a very professional team who gained a long-tem experience either in the public or the private services. Furthermore, as all the Cooperative partners are strongly involved in the context of gender-based violence, we work to protect those women victims of violence and their children. 

Therefore SI PUO FARE next step is to offer a space to abusive men, to help them to achieve a new awareness of their actions, thanks to a specific psycho-socio-educational support.  

Most of the SPF partners come from the Association Donna Chiamata Donna, thus bringing to the cooperative an important experience on gender-based violence.

The fundamental starting points of the  cooperative’s mission are: “Support”, “Prevention”, “Training”, SPF,  acronym of our Cooperative. We chosethis name in memory of our friend and  lawyer Lucia Fazzina, who often used and repeated  such expression when the issues to be resolved seemed to be too tricky. Her attitude taught us that even those projects who appear to be a ‘mission impossible’ can be turn into “IT CAN BE DONE”. With this mood in mind we aim to think about the future of our Cooperative and of all our projects.

Comune di Padova

Settore Servizi Sportivi - Italy

The Municipality of Padova Services for Sports takes care of organization and promotion of sport activities, manages the use of city owned sports facilities through agreements with associations and contracts with commercial entities.

We also support associations that supply City inhabitants with sport activities by money contributions, services and loans materials.

Finally, we manage the sport library.

Department organization:

Physical activities fostering bureau: encourages initiatives that allow to experiment the benefit of the correctly physical activity in all age groups.

Sports facilities management bureau: provides for the management and the authorization of the use of municipal sports facilities.

Sports events bureau takes care of collaborations with local sport associations and organizes sports events to promote physical activity. The bureau handles all requests of economic contributions, supports the patronage requests for sports events that take place in the city, taking as well care of the advertising of sport events through the media.

USMA – Italy

Founded in 1963, USMA is a youth hub and multisport club located in the south west metropolitan area of Padua devoted to promoting the value of sport and life skills and countering educational poverty through sports and social collaborations. USMA involves about 800 youth, male and female, managers, plus several educators, coaches, referees and volunteers. This remarkable result was due, in part, because USMA's

firmly convinced of the importance of the social development of the young athlete, not only in sports but also in performing the functions of everyday life, setting itself the ambitious goal of training contributing to this through its commitment in favour of the young people who attend our organization trying to offer them a positive role model for life. In fact, USMA is strongly convinced of the importance of youth social development; USMA assumed the ambitious commitment to provide young people with an inclusive educational environment and positive role models for life; provide youths leaders with learning and promote volunteering, social integration and youth's skills development. Since 2014 USMA has participated

as a beneficiary or co-beneficiary, often as a proposal writer, of a series of proposals under the call Erasmus+, Erasmus Sport, REC, and CERV, beyond having participated in national and regional funding calls.

SPOR ELÇİLERİ DERNEĞİ – SPELL Turkey

Sports Ambassadors Association

SPELL was founded in 2018. It is a voluntary sports association. All members are volunteers working to increase the sport culture in the society, to enable people to do physical activities and to have an active lifestyle. The target group is all age groups of people. Disadvantaged and disabled people are mostly integrated in our activities. 

The main focus of the Association is to work in the following fields: 

– Promoting Physical Activity and Health (namely HEPA) 

– Social inclusion and integration through Sport

– Fight against obesity and sedentary lifestyle

– Outdoor education

– Non-formal education

– Human Rights, Anti-discrimination

– Immigrants and Refugees

– Environment, Health

SPELL has been established to be active in local, national and international projects. With the help of the projects carried out, it seeks to promote lifelong learning and to enhance the skills related to sports activities. It also aims to involve youth in international youth work, international educational, scientific, cultural exchange programs and it wants to create chances for young people to be sporty, strong, physically and mentally fit, understanding, successful and ambitious. 

SPELL has been working with the young people in the region. Volunteer members organise sport activities on special days for social inclusion of the children, the disabled, the adults who never do sport, and the elderly. 

The founders of SPELL have international experiences in Erasmus+ projects. They have participated in several youth programme trainings and have already worked with the youth in the neighbourhood. 

The members also participated in conferences and seminars organised at national level to promote social inclusion and fight against sedentary lifestyle through sport. Using non-formal education, it seeks to enhance the skills and learning of young people. The Association organises sport activities regularly. Every weekend, it tries to introduce a rarely-known sports discipline and attract the youth in youth work voluntarily. 

Previous Projects: 

Erasmus+ Sport Programme, Small Collaborative Partnerships – – “Let’s Remove Borders With Kin-Ball/ REBOKIN” (COO)

Erasmus+ Sport Programme, Small Collaborative Partnerships – “Do Nature Sports, Protect Nature, Save Your Future / SpoNaFu (COO)

Erasmus+ Sport Programme, Collaborative Partnerships –“Interventions in the Elderly’s Mobility Modes for Promotion of their Physical Activity and Fitness/ Fit-Old”

Erasmus+ Sport Programme, Collaborative Partnerships – “Play this Game – Mixed Football for Children”

Actividades Alternativas

KEAN SPAIN

Actividades Alternativas is a non-profit organization based in Málaga (Spain) that wishes to help develop a more fair and sustainable world. 

KEAN SPAIN was legally constituted in 2014 and operates independently of any government. We expressly prohibit the distribution of any profit and have staff and volunteers working for our main purposes, which are:

  • Provide education and tools for environmental protection and awareness.
  • Collaborate with other organizations, communities, authorities, research centers and public bodies in order to facilitate dissemination and effectiveness.
  • Create and implement educational material in terms of diversity & culture, sport & healthy habits, new technologies, discrimination & bullying, violent behaviour and racism.
  • Give support to vulnerable individuals such as unemployed, immigrants, people with special needs, victims of abuse or trafficking, ex-users of addictive substances, and facilitate social inclusion.
  • Promote solidarity and active participation in the design and implementation of social programs and actions.
  • Encourage citizens to develop good practices and awareness regarding pet and animal wellbeing.
  • Disseminate practices of respect and empathy.

Since KEAN SPAIN started its activity  it has been able to develop national actions such as ‘free-range’ and ‘El Chaparral language exchange’ , host European projects such as ‘Breaking the wall’ and be part of others like ‘LAUGH’, ‘WHISTLE’, ‘AMELIA’ or ‘PAW’. In collaboration with national and European authorities, as well as NGO’s.

Staff and volunteers at KEAN- Actividades Alternativas are energetic, positive and honest people with skills and eagerness to contribute to a better and happier world.

HELLENIC VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION

The Hellenic Volleyball Federation is Sports Association governed by Hellenic Law, founded in 1970 and based in Athens, Greece. Is the only governing body responsible for all forms of Volleyball (Volleyball, Beach Volleyball and Snow Volleyball). Working closely also with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) aims to develop all forms of Volleyball in Greece.

The total number of registered Clubs-members of the Federation is 473 clubs, with a total of 30.311 registered athletes. Federation is responsible of the operation of the National teams of all age groups, which are formed and supported with the aim of spreading the sport in Greece and the best possible representation of the country in the International field of the sport.

The National Championships of all ages are also organized by the Federation and in cooperation with the active Volleyball clubs the following Championship categories are organized:

Volley League Women

Pre League Men

Pre League Women

A2 National Men’s Division

A2 National Women’s Division

Local Divisions

HVBF organizes also the National Cup competition, where an annual celebration of Volleyball is organised for three days. The National Cups take place every year in another city of Greece in order more people getting to know the sport as much as possible.

HVBF also organizes Age Group National Championships for the following categories:

U21 Boys Championship, U20 Girls Championship, U18 Boys Championship, U18 Girls

Championship and the Development campus that consist the source from where the athletes

that compose the National teams of Age groups are selected.

As concerns the Beach Volleyball, every summer we have the responsibility to organize the

National Circuit with stations at the whole Greece. These events are of the most popular summer competitions.

National teams of all age groups are formed and supported with the aim of spreading

Beach Volleyball in Greece and the best possible representation of the country in the international field of the sport. We already have four (4) participation of Hellenic Beach

Volleyball National team of Women in Olympic Games.

Snow Volley. Since 2018 onwards, HVBF organizes also the National Snow Volley Championship, which is a new and emerging sport, that, hopefully, will soon become an Olympic sport at the Winter Olympic Games.