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Project Duration: 01.04.2018 - 30.06.2020
Project ERDF Financing: € 638 327.90
Project call: 2nd call
The project was designed to elaborate, test and introduce a new social inclusion method for integration of at-risk teenagers through sports activities by offering them access to the street sports activities and fostering their integration back in the education process and society as a whole. Sports was used as an instrument for social inclusion of children and youth to prevent them from involvement in risky, criminal or immoral activities. The project intended to contribute to establishing a street sports culture in the border region of the Latvia-Lithuania programme.
The project was commenced with development of support mechanism for social inclusion of at-risk teenagers through sports consisting of (1) capacity-building for persons working with the at-risk children and teenagers to raise their competence in working with and better understanding this specific target group, as well as created a network for exchange of information and best practice, (2) elaboration of approach and methods on how to use sports as an instrument for social inclusion of at-risk teenagers that was compiled in a Methodological manual for staff working with the at-risk teenagers, and (3) improvement of public outdoor sports infrastructure to ensure accessibility to organised sports activities to vulnerable groups, especially at-risk teenagers at no cost thus contributing to creating street sports culture in the Latvia-Lithuania cross-border area that served as an instrument for social inclusion.
It continued with testing of the developed approach, methodology and capacity of the trained staff in involvement of at-risk teenagers in sports activities. In the project 3 types of sports activities with the involvement of the target group was organized, i.e., (1) sports activities including training and coaching of a selected group of at-risk teenagers at each project location based on the developed infrastructure on average once a month, (2) open public street sports activities led by a person popular among the teenagers thus promoting the street sports culture, and (3) Ghetto games – 1-day street sports competition events that gathered teams from both Latvia and Lithuania competing in various street sports disciplines. The work with the at-risk teenagers and lessons learned from implementation of sports activities was recorded and discussed among the partners during the project meetings and was taken into account in finalising the developed approach and methodology that was summarised in the Methodological manual for staff working with the at-risk teenagers.
Aforementioned activities were supported by series of communication activities such as promotion of the developed model for social inclusion of at-risk teenagers through sports on project partners websites and social media accounts, and organised an awareness raising campaign in social media targeted at children and youth promoting street sports culture and the established sports infrastructure, as well as marketing of the project events.
Social media and contacts:
Phone: + 371 26461457
E-mail: kristine.smagare@lpr.gov.lv, pasts@lpr.gov.lv
Website: www.lpr.gov.lv
Address: Saules street 15, Daugavpils, Latvia, LV-5401
More than 120 children and youth from Latgale region (Latvia) and districts of Ignalina and Visaginas (Lithuania) participated at the closing event of the project LLI-402 “risk-free” taking part at sports competition in 4 different sports: 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, beach soccer and arm-wrestling.
While implementing project of Interreg V-A Latvia–Lithuania Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2014–2020 „Sports for Social Inclusion of At-risk Teenagers” (acronym „risk-free“), new sports equipment was purchased for Visaginas municipality ensuring accessibility of it for children and youth, especially for vulnerable and at-risk groups, promoting sports activities and sports culture and contributing and promoting social integration using purchased equipment and organized activities.
Earlier this year methodological manual for staff working with at-risk children and youth was translated in Lithuanian and is now available online for the Lithuanian audience.
Latgale Region Development Agency as one of the project’s LLI-402 “risk-free” partners has coordinated the improvement and/or creation of sports infrastructure in 13 municipalities in Latgale region.
During the last two months, Latgale Planning Region has organized 48 publicly available sports events in 13 municipalities, where equipment for sports infrastructure has been improved or created in the framework of the project.
In the framework of the project LLI-402 “risk-free” new methodological manual for staff working with at-risk children and youth was elaborated and is now available online. Methodological manual is available in Latvian language, but at the beginning of 2020 it will be translated in Lithuanian language.
During the third project LLI-402 “risk-free” period, Ignalina Culture and Sport Centre has organized 12 sports events to present sport equipment, which was purchased in the framework of the project.
In September 2019 two new sports infrastructure objects were opened in Latvia – skatepark in Krāslava and outdoor gymnastics and parkour field in Viļāni. These are two of 13 municipalities in Latgale region, where indoor and outdoor sports infrastructure will be created or improved in the framework of the project LLI-402 “risk-free”.
In the framework of the Interreg V-A Latvia–Lithuania Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2014–2020 project LLI-402 “Sports for Social Inclusion of At-risk Teenagers” (acronym „risk-free“), 27 sports events were organized in Visaginas municipality in September.
In the framework of project LLI-402 “risk-free” specialists from Latvia and Lithuania working with at-risk children and youth gathered for three 2-days sessions to exchange their experience and learn new methods for their everyday work. Two sessions were organized in Latvia – Daugavpils and Krāslava – and one in Lithuania (Visaginas).
More than 1500 participants and spectators took part in the two major summer events – international street sports festivals in Visaginas (Lithuania) and Daugavpils (Latvia), which were organized in the framework of the Interreg V-A Latvia–Lithuania Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2014–2020 project LLI-402 “Sports for Social Inclusion of At-risk Teenagers” (acronym „risk-free“).
Latgale Planning Region invites youth from Latgale region and Visaginas and Ignalina municipalities to take part at the international street culture festival – sports competition “Ghetto Games in Daugavpils!” in the framework of the Interreg V-A Latvia–Lithuania Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2014–2020 project LLI-402 “Sports for Social Inclusion of At-risk Teenagers” (acronym „risk-free“). The event will be held on July 6, 2019 in Daugavpils (Latvia) at the main square of the city – the Unity square.
Visaginas, Lithuania
Visaginas, Lithuania
Visaginas, Lithuania
Ignalina, Lithuania
Visaginas, Lithuania
Preiļi, Latvia
Aulejas pagasts , Latvia
Visaginas, Lithuania
Daugavpils, Latvia
Visaginas, Lithuania
During the project 27 public indoor and outdoor sports grounds were improved or created and equipped in 13 municipalities in Latgale region (Aglona, Balvi, Līvāni, Ludza, Rugāji, Baltinava, Daugavpils, Krāslava, Preiļi, Riebiņi, Viļaka and Viļāni municipalities and Daugavpils City) and in Lithuania (Ignalina and Visaginas municipalities).
The main aim of this activity was to ensure accessibility to organized sports activities to vulnerable groups, especially at-risk children and youth, thus contributing to creating and promoting street sports culture at partners’ locations and that will serve as an instrument for social inclusion.
Model for social inclusion of at-risk teenagers through sports was developed and tested. First of all, 32 specialists from Latvia and Lithuania working with at-risk children and youth gathered for three 2-days sessions to exchange their experience and learn new methods for their everyday work. It helped to make actions towards reaching one of project’s objectives – develop support mechanism for social inclusion of at-risk teenagers through sports. These trainings helped to create a network of professionals from Latvia and Lithuania who work with children and youth at-risk in Latvia and Lithuania, share their experience and in a such way to raise their competences working with the target group and understanding it, as well as exchanging information and best practices. It was also an opportunity for Lithuanian specialists to find out more about the non-formal education and methods provided.
In the framework of the project, methodological manual for staff working with the at-risk teenagers was created. Material is intended for any children and youth care professional (sports trainers, social workers, social educators, psychologists, youth workers etc.), who wants to carry out support work with at-risk children and young people by promoting social inclusion of the target group, using sport as a support tool. Professionals from the field were involved in the elaboration of the material. They shared their experience, observations and made recommendations for working with the target group. The theoretical framework of the material was elaborated by participants of the training cycle held in late 2018 and early 2019 – youth specialists, representatives of orphan’s and custody courts, social workers, psychologists and sports trainers from Latgale Planning Region and Ignalina and Visaginas regions in Lithuania. Methodological material is one of the main outputs of the project and it will ensure continuity of the developed social inclusion model through sports with a special focus on at-risk children and youth in remote rural and cross-border areas.
Material in Latvian is available here: Methodological manual for staff working with at-risk children and youth
Material in Lithuanian is available here: METODINĖ MEDŽIAGA-VADOVĖLIS DIRBTI SU RIZIKOS GRUPĖS VAIKAIS IR JAUNUOLIAIS
There were organized activities for children and youth (especially for the at-risk group) to get acquainted with purchased equipment and created public outdoor spaces for sports.
The main events of the project that fostered the social inclusion of at-risk children and youth among other young people with a promotion of street sports culture and active lifestyle “Open Beach Sports Games” were organized in Visaginas and international street culture festival – sports competition “Ghetto Games in Daugavpils!”. They gathered more than 1500 participants and spectators at these events.
More than 2000 children and youth were involved in publicly available sports events in Latvia and Lithuania. Well-known athletes, sports trainers, and healthy lifestyle influencers and promoters visited more than 20 schools and centers to motivate at-risk children and youth to be active and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Last updated: 19.05.2022 07:06
