The “Basket Change Maker: Play, Include, and Educate” (BaskEUball) objective is to respond to the vulnerability and social exclusion situation of children aged 6 to 12 who study in multicultural schools in Europe.
The project aims to use basketball as a powerful tool to promote inclusion and democratic values as the practice of sport becomes a generator of opportunities for everyone, not just from the sport but also for children’s academic, personal and collective development. In other words, curricular learning and the development of life skills for all children. In this sense, the project will implement active methods that connect the practice of sports and the creative use of art and technology to develop lifelong learning and skills for both children and teachers, as well as the entire educational community involved in the project.
The project involves partners from three different countries where basketball is strongly rooted (Spain, Lithuania and Greece); for example, in Lithuania, it is considered a “second religion”. In each country, a school, a basketball club, and a university (or educational organisation) are involved as partners. Each year, the project will select a group of girls and boys from vulnerable communities, integrate them into different basketball teams (inclusion) and provide them with training following the school project. It’s about working together in school and extracurricular basketball to provide integral education in and out of school hours. It’s about getting basketball into school and, at the same time, getting school into extracurricular activities. It’s all about educating the kids.
In this process, a European network of children and educators will be created by using the
Internet and ICT not only to interconnect and engage in cultural exchanges but also to co-create initiatives.
The project will involve at least 3250 children and 275 educators. The results will include a program of extracurricular activities, a guide to integrating these activities into the school curriculum, training materials and methods for teachers and coaches, and a report explaining the know-how for replication.
