Stories
Alessandro is a 13-year-old boy suffering from autism spectrum disorders who has always wanted to be able to play sports like all children his age.
Fondazione Milan, thanks to the meeting with the “CVS Emilia” organisation,has been able to fulfill the request of families of young people with disabilities, who want to give their children the opportunity to practice sports in inclusive contexts, not isolated, with peers and outside the contexts designed for young people with disabilities.
The key word of the project immediately became inclusion. The way forward was simple, that is, to have Alessandro play with his teammates, promoting a culture of inclusion, that is, putting Alessandro in a position to express himself in sports together with his teammates, in the normality of sporting activity: without surprises, it turned out to be normal for everyone, not only for athletes and parents, but also for coaches, sports clubs and the public (where possible…)
Alessandro is a member of a basketball team and is accompanied by a tutor at every practice.
He is a boy who has never shown problematic behaviors, on the contrary he had difficulty in opening up and relating to his teammates. So, initially, the main objective was to help him acquire skills both from a sporting and a social point of view, to make him open up, little by little and at his own pace, to his team.
Barbara, Alessandro’s mother, tells us: “Tough roads often lead to wonderful destinations! Being able to play basketball like everyone else has given my son the confidence to say ‘I can do it’, not only in the context of the team and the game, but in life in general: a resource for integration and growth of self-esteem, a new deep motivation to get out of himself. For the first time, I now see Alessandro outside school reaching out to groups of his peers and playing with them casually, without the fear of being excluded… a goal that was previously absolutely unthinkable.”Sport, in itself, is a gymnasium of life, in which values and autonomy are learned. And it is a way to break down walls and barriers, both physical and figurative.
Alessandro wants to play, and he succeeds. Everyone cheers for him and the team!
With a donation you can support Alessandro and the Sport for All project born to the collaboration beetwen Fondazione Milan e CSV Emilia.Cheer and support Alessandro with us!
JOIN THE TEAM!
A small gesture is enough to contribute to the realization of projects in support of the most fragile and marginalized children.
