BallClusion - Enhancing social inclusion of Visually
Impaired Individuals through football

Description

Acknowledging the lack of opportunities provided to Visually Impaired People (VIPs) to engage with sports and outdoor activities, the project aims at promoting Blind Football (BF) among VIPs and Sighted People (SPs) in Cyprus. By implementing the BallClusion project, the team comprising of both VIPs and SPs aims to promote sports and football in particular to VIPs as a means to facilitate social inclusion and integration acknowledging the benefits of football as a social activity in bringing people together to play. Football will create a feeling of inclusion in the society for all participants engaged in the project regardless of their age, visual ability and gender.

Objectives

BallClusion has set out the following objectives:

To promote sports and football in particular as a vehicle for enhancing social inclusion and integration for individuals with Visual Impairment;
To develop the grounds for Blind Football in Cyprus for both men and women with emphasis given on young people;
To establish a network of sports professionals across Cyprus with appropriate skills, competences and knowledge on Blind Football;
To involve Visually Impaired People in interactive physical and social activities as a means to enhance their well-being, mental health and physical condition;
To raise awareness about Visual Impairment and Visually Impaired People in order to break stereotypes, myths and taboos associated with them.

Activities

For the successful implementation of the project, the following activities will take place:

Blind Football training sessions;
Workshops to raise awareness about visual impairment
Open Blind Football Days

The project has received funding from the European Solidarity Corps Programme of the European Commission and will be implemented between 2021 and 2022.