Surf for All: a social inclusion project

"O sonho comanda a vida."


António Gedeão*

In the "International Day of Surfing", 18 June 2011 was a different day for people with disabilities.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com

During the weekend, "Surf for All" joined 50 participants with disabilites - physical, intellectual and visual - on Costa da Caparica beach, near Lisbon, Portigal, to have a vibrant experience in their lives.

Portuguese professional surfers could join the group and help the participants into the practice of this interesting sport for summer.

The organization "Surf for All" was impressed by the number of participants, and very happy about their excitement and the promise that participants would like to repeat this experience. 

Frederico Morais, João Guedes e Ruben Gonzalez, the Portuguese profissional surfers were there for two days, helping the participants with different disabilities to catch the right wave.

This meeting "Surf for All" was sponsered by Duckdive - Bodyboard & Surf School & Camp, Salvador's Association, Estado Líquido-Org and Portuguese Sports Federation for people with disabilities and the aim was promoting a real social inclusion, equal opportunities access leasure, sports and cultural in an environment that ensured accessibility and security.

"Surf for All" was also sponsered by Billabong, the  and others.

Salvador is a young man who suffered a violent moto accident. He was 16 years old and he felt asleep conducting his moto. Here his personal testimony.

He is a case of success of recovering, helped by his family and friends and his great courage and will.

He enourages other young people to recover and fight for better conditions and social inclusion.

http://www.associacaosalvador.com

Prémio Ser Capaz is annual award that promotes creativity and technologies in order to facilitate the social inclusion of people with disabilities. It 's only available for Portugal.

"Consciente da importância da investigação para a qualidade do seu projecto e para o desenvolvimento global do país, a Associação Salvador pretende estimular o desenvolvimento de projectos que possam facilitar a vida das pessoas portadoras de deficiência motora, através da atribuição do Prémio Ser Capaz - Investigação e Tecnologia"

Leia aqui o Regulamento

Education:

One of the most important school curriculum is Sports. Please read my post "Special Olympics 2011  for Children with Disabilities here

Children with disabilities have wonderful performance in sport. They are enthousiastic because they feel more integrated in the society.

It would be great for a school project developing it with a surfing school for summer holiday.  

A project that would promote the social inclusion in a open space and encourage children and teenagers with disabilities to a healthy outdoor life joining other young people.

And the fact of professional surfers  being  near them on such a good project would help kids and teens to feel less lonely during summer time.

Sports teachers, propose a similar project in your school, if the school is not far from the beach!

Educators have a crucial role helping the integration of children with disabilities.

G-Souto


21.07.2011
Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®


Credits: video SIC


* António Gedeão (Portuguese poet and teacher)

Surf for All: a social inclusion project by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

References:


Ocean.look
http://oceanlook.sapo.pt

Music as social inclusion for people with disabilities : U2

Bono |U2 & Adam Bevell

http://rukkle.com

As an educator, I really can feel how important this kind of actions are for young people with disabilities: social, physical or intellectual.

Roger Waters had a wonderful attitude in Lisbon! Before coming to a concert, he asked for the presence of a project of social inclusion for kids to be with onto stage during his concert, last April 1, 2011. And it was fantastic to watch the enthusiasm of those kids. Please read here

Bono |U2 & Adam Bevell

http://2.bp.blogspot.com

Now, Bono and U2 made the same! During Nashville concert, Bono invited a 32-year old blind fan onto the stage to play a song with U2.

Admitting he was nervous, Bevell took the guitar and played U2's "All I Want is You", and was joined on vocals by Bono, and then by the entire band.

“It took me a second," Bevell told a the Sun Herald, "I had no idea what was going on because in my mind they had left and walked off. I had no idea Bono was still there. Instantly, I was lifted over that front rail and hoisted on stage by the security guards. Before I knew it, I could hear Bono’s voice saying, ‘what do you want to play man?’

The video has been posted on several YouTube accounts, and one comment left on the video below seems to give some context to the situation: 

"This is our good friend Adam Bevell of Mesa, Arizona. He is always playing or listening to U2. He's been to tons of concerts like 12 -13 or more, this was a life long dream of his!"

After the performance, Bono gave Bevell his guitar - a very rare green Gretsch Irish Falcon - and said to the young man to keep it.

Watch now the video below:

Education:

My goal is to show educators, parents and fellows that inclusion is possible for kids and citizens with disabilities and highlight actionable opportunities in the different curricula in school or in the different acts in society  and Citizenship organisations. (...)

Music, Sports are offering good experiences for inclusion. I wrote several posts about it. Please search on this blog.

In this case, the holistic immersive approach of music (rock, pop, classical) and the engagement of important and experienced musicians is central to achieving significant transformation, particularly to the lives of the most vulnerable children and citizens.

As Anthony Laken chief executive UNICEF said during Special Olympics 2011:

"These kids, or citizens are denied the right to become productive members of their societies, which is a loss to the societies as well as the kids and citizens,”

(adapted quote)

G-Souto

14.07.2011

Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Credits: video YouTube

Music as social inclusion for people with disabilities by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.