Since 18 years the sporting association Tutto Bowling has been implementing activities to promote sports in partnership with schools (primary, secondary, high schools) in several Italian regions. The main issues addressed by this action concern: few opportunities for young people to be involved in sporting activities, notably “non-traditional” activities, which negatively affect their health and psycho-physical growth; social marginalization and risk of deviant behaviors, mostly for youths in suburban areas of cities, also due to the lack of socialization opportunities; poor collaboration between sporting organizations, schools, bodies committed to social inclusion of youths (notably the most vulnerable).
This project intends to provide innovative and lasting solutions to the need of developing socialization opportunities and promoting relationships between peers, also from different areas and backgrounds, with a special attention to students from marginal neighborhoods.
The general objective of this action is to encourage sporting activities, promoting collaboration between schools and sporting organizations, and fostering social inclusion practices by which the key inclusive role of schools is reasserted .
The specific objective is to establish paths of participation in sporting activities and social cohesion by increasing the popularity of bowling, exploiting the inherent potential of this sport in the development of social inclusion, intercultural integration and social participation, through cooperation between subjects of different kind (sporting associations, sporting centers, schools, organization committed to young people’s inclusion).
The direct beneficiaries of this project are boys and girls aged 6-19; primary school pupils, students of junior and senior high schools, both public and private.
This action will also indirectly involve 30 instructors from the association and sporting centers, who will strengthen their skills in the area of youth social inclusion and the promotion of actions addressed to vulnerable social groups in the Lombardy region.
Expected results
1) This action is focused on fostering sporting activities as opportunities for socialization, entertainment, training to the practice of sports, while performance is not considered a major outcome indicator.
12,000 students aged 6-19 in the Lombardy region will be involved in sporting activities related to the game of bowling , involving on the whole 80 school complexes. At least 20% of these students are living in suburban and/or socially vulnerable areas.
The diffusion of good sporting practices will valorize the inherent features of bowling (motoric skills, physical training, perseverance, prevention of obesity etc.) even in population groups who often have little access to sporting activities and to socialization opportunities.
2) The sporting organizations involved in the project will develop specific skills concerning the social inclusion of young people and will integrate this aspect in their current operations.
30 instructors will be trained and accompanied in managing the activities in the bowling centers involved. Such professional enhancement will improve their capacity to meet the needs of young trainees, furtherly increasing the effectiveness of sporting activities and their attraction for youths living in areas at risk.
