Can sport and recreational activities be useful in acquiring social skills and ethical-moral values?
Minors and young people who end up in the meshes of the criminal justice system are among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our society, even before they are sentenced to imprisonment. In fact, numerous studies show that a significant number of incarcerated youth have very low literacy levels and learning disabilities that have consequences for their opportunity.
The ActiveGames4Change project team selected 5 communities in the province of Palermo where young offenders and minors at risk reside, in order to allow them to acquire and employ key skills aimed at facilitating their social inclusion, training and employment.
During the months of November and February, training was carried out for community staff (social workers, educators), to provide them with digital tools and methods of non-formal education. During the training the pedagogical principles at the base of the project were deepened and the 18 recreational activities designed by the University of Gloucestershire were explained in detail.
Since March 2022, 51 youth and 28 educators have been testing AG4C activities, which are divided into three levels: level one requires less complex social and emotional skills; level two is useful to consolidate the skills obtained; while level three requires more complex skills.
The pedagogical approach of AG4C aims to offer young people the opportunity to explore their possibilities independently and then devote time to reflection and self-assessment of their skills: self-awareness, self-control, ability to make responsible decisions, interpersonal skills, social awareness.
So far, the feedback from the educators and youth workers has been very positive: they have expressed their enthusiasm for the AG4C methodology and the proposed resources, especially appreciating the non-formal approach to education.
In parallel, AG4C resources are being tested in the UK, Portugal, Italy, Romania, Hungary, Turkey and Spain. At the end of the piloting phase, educators and users will undergo an impact assessment, measuring the skills acquired as a result of carrying out the proposed activities. The feedback of the involved educational staff and other stakeholders collected during and after the activities will be useful to improve the educational tools created and make them more usable for educators who want to use them in their contexts.
About the project
ActiveGames4Change: Sports and Physical Activity Learning Environment for Citizenship, Emotional, Social e-Competences is cofunded by Erasmus+, KA3 Social inclusion and common values: the contribution in the field of education, training and youth.
Partners
- University of Gloucestershire (Regno Unito, coordinatore)
- University of Beira Interior (Portogallo)
- CESIE (Italia)
- Aproximar (Portogallo)
- IPS – Innovative Prison Systems (Portogallo)
- Centrul pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente – CPIP (Romania)
- BAGázs Public Benefit Association (Ungheria)
- Republic of Turkey Ministry of Justice – General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses Izmir Probation Directorate (Turchia)
- Fundación Diagrama Intervencion Psicosocial (Spagna)
- ANTER (Romania)
For further information
Read more about ActiveGames4Change and visit www.activegames4change.org.
Contact Alice Valenza: alice.valenza@cesie.org.
