Particular Olympics Slovakia recognized a number of challenges in recruiting coaches due to a reluctancy amongst potential coaches to coach athletes with mental disabilities. Moreover, there was a scarcity of well-educated, English-speaking coaches, which restricted their entry to a wealth of knowledge.
“We gained’t do something with the mindset of my [older] technology, but when we assist and educate the youthful technology in inclusive considering, we will look to the way forward for Particular Olympics athletes extra glad and safer,” mentioned Eva Gažová, Particular Olympics Slovakia Nationwide Director.
Discovering a Resolution
After weeks of brainstorming, the workforce realized the answer was to formalize a path to draw younger coaches, empowering them with confidence and official recognition. The breakthrough got here within the type of an thought to determine a acknowledged teaching standing by larger schooling establishments.
Forging Key Partnerships
With a transparent imaginative and prescient, the workforce launched into a mission to accomplice with universities famend for his or her sports activities schools. The purpose was to work with universities to develop a program to coach coaches particularly for athletes with mental disabilities, thereby fostering a tradition of inclusivity in sports activities schooling.
After three months of intensive conferences and discussions, Particular Olympics Slovakia solid a partnership with two prestigious establishments: the College of Matej Bel in Banska Bystrica’s School of Sport, Bodily Training, and Well being, and the School of Bodily Training and Sports activities at Comenius College in Bratislava.
The Memorandum of Cooperation with these establishments outlined a complete plan to assist and develop sports activities actions for people with mental disabilities.
This Memorandum included commitments to:
- Help and develop sports activities actions for Particular Olympics Slovakia athletes.
- Promote inclusion in sports activities.
- Provide specialised bachelor’s and grasp’s applications.
- Improve visibility for lively existence.
- Combine scientific information into educating and analysis.
Particular Olympics Slovakia will implement actions for youth with mental disabilities, present experience for teaching programs, coordinate measures to realize the memorandum’s aims, facilitate volunteer alternatives for school college students and staff, and guarantee mutual assist and visibility of the collaboration. What occurred to the concentrate on English-speaking coaches?
Constructing Capability for the Future
This collaboration paves the best way for college students to use for bachelor’s and grasp’s levels in Educating Bodily Training and Teaching of Athletes with Mental Disabilities beginning within the 2025/2026 tutorial yr. Particular Olympics Slovakia dedicated to overlaying the lecturing and sensible periods, which is able to happen at Particular Olympics occasions.
The curriculum improvement is presently underway, with plans to introduce the topic ‘Didactics of Inclusive Bodily Training’ in 2024 and 2025. This initiative goals to supply extremely certified coaches fluent in English, outfitted with specialised schooling in inclusive sports activities.
