From December 14th to 16th, the final meeting of the Erasmus+ project “Mermaids for Inclusion” took place in Brussels. The meeting served as the conclusion of the two-year project and provided an opportunity for all partners to reflect on their work and the overall impact of the project in their local communities but also on EU level.
The main topic of the meeting was a review of the project’s activities and achievements according to project plans. Partners discussed the narrative report, analyzed its findings, and shared their feedback on all activities that were implemented. They examined each part of the project and the main conclusion was that all project tasks were successfully implemented. Project has made a meaningful impact in the local communities.
One of the key conclusions of the meeting was that the “Mermaids for Inclusion” project was successful in every aspect. All activities were completed as planned, and each partner fulfilled their responsibilities in line with the project’s objectives.
Participants also agreed that the project had a significant positive impact, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. By introducing finswimming as a sport, the project created new opportunities for inclusion and community building in these countries especially in local communities.
The “Mermaids for Inclusion” project aimed to use finswimming as a tool for inclusion and equality. It focused on integrating people with mental and physical disabilities, as well as individuals from ethnic and religious minorities, into European society. At the same time, the project aimed to stress out the importance of gender equality in sports and beyond.
Over its two-year duration, the project created grounds for finswimming in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. The sport environment created through the project helped to raise awareness about the challenges faced by minorities and people with disabilities while promoting inclusion and equality.
The final meeting in Brussels served as a chance to mark the end of the project and stressed out the importance of projects like “Mermaids for Inclusion” in building a more inclusive and equal society. The partners left the meeting with a sense of pride and achievement, knowing they had contributed to meaningful change.
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
The project “Mermaids for inclusion” introduces fin swimming as a method of inclusion of people with mental and physical disability and people of ethnic minorities to European society, while promoting the importance of gender equality. The length of the project is 2 years which will ensure enough time to set the foundation for fin swimming in partner countries. The specific goal of the project Mermaids for Inclusion is to establish fin swimming as a new sport in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and to use the sports environment to promote awareness raising and inclusion regarding gender equality as well as integration of ethnic and religious minorities.
This will be achieved through advanced education tools and the transfer of good practice from the participating Member States (Croatia and Greece). Sport activities are a strong means for inclusion and cohesive societies, since sport can create a healthy and supportive environment for socially vulnerable groups and local communities to meet and interact. This is especially important in the region of Western Balkans with ongoing challenges regarding the inclusion of ethnic and religious minorities. The project also aims at advancing gender equality which is a relevant topic for the whole region of the Balkans which is traditionally dominated by patriarchal gender norms. In Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Kosovo there is still a dominating stereotype of women’s roles being mainly family-oriented and caretaking rather than actively participating in public life and business. The project will have a great impact not only on coaches, athletes and participating organizations that will be directly involved in the project, but also on wider community and relevant stakeholders by setting a model for good practice of using sport as a means for social integration.