CONCLUSIONS 1st ‘WEAVING NETWORKS FOR INCLUSION VIA SPORT’ CONFERENCE

 

• The 1st ‘Weaving networks for inclusion via sport’ Conference, organised by GaituzSport,held on 29^thNovember at Yimby Sota in Bilbao was successful on all levels, i.e. attendance, participation and contents.

• The innovative conference could be followed live vía streaming with real time participation using the hashtag #GaituzSportenRed,likewise the attending public.

The main aims of this GaituzSport Conference including sponsorship by the Basque Government, Bizkaia Provincial Council andKirolene; was to give voice to all the social agents, making sport visible and acknowledging it as a tool and social inclusion channel, to break down stereotypes; and discuss existing policies in terms of inclusion and identify the factors preventing their implementation together with improvement proposals.

EXPERIENCE & 2 DISCUSSION TABLES

The conference moderators and co-ordinators were Xabier Leizea, GaituzSport General Co-ordinator and Teacher at Kirolene; and Marta Fernández Rivera, GaituzSport Communication & Marketing Manager and journalist.

After the Conference welcome and presentation, the athlete and journalist Begoña Beristaintook the centre stage narrating her experience in the world of sport.

Next, 2 discussion tables were held where the speakers made valuable contributions and testimonies, identifying points for improvement and proposing actions to advance in the real conclusion of everyone.

At table 1: ‘Real inclusion as a social paradigm’, the following people took part:Maite Alonso Basque Government Deputy Education Minister;  Lide Amilibia Basque Government Deputy Social Affairs Minister;Maite Iturrate, Bizkaia Provincial Council Social Action Department Social Administration & Promotion General Director;Porfirio Hernández Zubizarreta, GaituzSport Chairman andIker Gamboa. Director ofBilbao Kirolak.

At table 2: ‘Sport as a social inclusion tool’ exchanging experiences during the discussion were:Javi Conde, Paralympic champion athlete; RakelMateo, Paralympic triathlete;Ignacio Lekunberri, Mutualia Managing Director; Txema Alonso, Chairmanof Bilbao BSR; Marisol Arietaleaniz. Nurse and co-ordinator of the physical exercise in chronic illnesses research line at BiocrucesandBorja AbadCo-ordinator at the CEDI Chair.

 

 MOST IMPORTANT CONCLUSIONS

• An advanced society like ours should ENSURE the inclusion of everyone; and SPORT is a great way to do so.

• Inclusion is a task for society as a whole, and whilst we must work as a TEAM, the Institutions must lead the way.

• Inclusion benefits EACH and EVERY ONE.

• When talking about sport, people make an enormous effort, yet when we refer to inclusion, people seem less interested. Seeing the venue for this 1^st‘Weaving Networks for Inclusion Sport’ Conference complete, makes us very hopeful besides showing there is greater AWARENESS among people.

• Through sport we make the world a fairer, more equal, more INCLUSIVE and more diverse place.

• In sport, essential values like: solidarity, constancy, sacrifice and team work, etc., are what move us. Therefore, when we do sport with ABLED and disABLED people together, we all gain in CONFIDENCE besides improving our performance.

• There’s no better SHOWCASE than sport to change social prejudices.

• EDUCATION is lacking but above all a lot of INFORMATION is lacking.

• In terms of education we have to talk about POSITIVE CO-EXISTENCE, education based on values, highlighting respect for diversity and how it enriches. 

• We should be more humble and acknowledge we’re all disABLED in some way.

• The Institutions must CO-ORDINATE with and complement each other. In the Basque Country we’ve been speaking about inclusion for years; not to mention there have been policies in force for a long time likewise enormous investment in resources to attend diversity; nevertheless, there’s still much to be done.

• We need to advance in assistance, resources besides working on the way to INTERVENE with the disabled.

• We have to ensure everyone has EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, not only in the field of disABILITY but also in the policies of gender, education, health, etc.

• Sport is BENEFICIAL for society as a whole and means health, well-being and social cohesion.

• Our society is diverse and this DIVERSITY is what makes it richer not to mention more complex.

• Through sport we’ve managed to get families with disABLED people to see their children differently and value them more.

• There is NO SEX EQUALITY in sport, and if we talk about disabled women much less.

• Everybody’s interested in the PARALYMPICS; however, it’s a different matter when they’re over because they’re less VISIBLE than the Olympics.

• We can’t claim to be an inclusive society when 50% of the population, i.e. WOMEN, don’t have the same opportunities.

• SOCIAL CHANGES are more complex than regulatory ones.

• In the area of HEALTH there are many illnesses, but they’re not all the same, but rather are very diverse so a lot of personalisation is required in terms of physical activity.

• Physical exercise prescribed by SPECIALISTS is a ‘medicine’.

• There are still many WALLS to be torn down in the field of inclusion.

• We foster inclusion via sport at GaituzSport using the RESOURCES extant, yet we have the sensation these resources are underused.

• The inclusion network needs to be woven day by day, because this is a long distance RACE.

 

 VIDEOS

Presentation of the event and Experience by Begoña Beristain, athlete and journalist.

Discussion table 1: “Real inclusion as a social paradigm”.

Discussion table 2: “Sport as a social inclusion tool”.