The SEDY2 project started in 2020 as a follow-up to SEDY1. The research was led by the Research Group Power of Sport and Physical Activity (Kracht van Sport en Bewegen) and carried out in close collaboration with partners from Portugal, Finland and Lithuania. 

"Inclusion is an ongoing process", stated Marije Deutekom, Executive Board, opening the conference. "And that means we have to work hard on it every day." In the morning, the results, the best practices and the developed educational material were shared. There were contributions from Raymon Blondel (President of the European Paralympic Committee) and Peter Downs (founder of the Inclusion Club) from Australia. And to conclude the plenary part, international representatives and experts from sport, politics and practice discussed the future implications of the SEDY2 project in two panel discussions. Those who wanted to go more in-depth, could join one of the three workshops in the afternoon. 

Work packages 
"If you want to promote inclusion and equal rights in sport for young people with disabilities, it is important to know what inclusion means for this group," says Jasmijn Holla, Professor Power of Sport and Physical activity. "That's why we held focus group discussions with children with disabilities, their parents and sports professionals who work with them. Furthermore, we have collected and exchanged the best practices that contribute to an inclusive environment with different countries. And finally, we have developed educational materials for sports professionals. Based on this, the SPIN tool (Sport Participation and INclusion) was created, containing all kinds of materials that contribute to inclusion in sports of this target group." 

Choice 
One of the most important results from the SEDY2 study is that inclusion is mainly about having a choice, according to Afke Kerkstra, lecturer-researcher at Inholland. "That can vary from adapted sports with other people with a disability, to fully participating in the regular sport setting where nothing has been adapted. And everything in between. It's about being able to choose, being able to try things, and the feeling of belonging. If you want everyone to be able to participate, you have to create good sports opportunities for this target group, look for what fits together with them and see how you can support them. That's how you remove barriers." 

Nothing about us without us 
In the process of the project, all steps were consciously completed together with the young people with a disability. Jasmijn: "We did everything with the motto: nothing about us without us. For example, the two discussion panels included not only policymakers and sports professionals, but also the young people themselves. Do you agree with the results? Do you see that reflected in your own country? Where are we in the process and what is still needed? 

We also gave various workshops together with young people from STERKplaats Haarlem. About how you can include the voice of a child with a disability in the conversation, with the help of drawings, Lego or, for example, emoji pictures. Research, practice and education came really well together. In addition, I think we have made optimal use of each other's best practices: we have exchanged all existing knowledge in order to be able to learn from each other." 

PAPAI students 
One such best practice from Finland is the PAPAI programme, in which Sports Study students help children with a disability to find a suitable sporting hobby within their study specialization, Adapted Sports. They also assisted in the final conference. "In the Netherlands, we are well on our way to making sports inclusive and integrating them," says Sports Study student Jay Smit. "But there is still something to be gained in offering choices and providing tailor-made programs." 

"Guiding children with disabilities has taught me one thing," says student Maaike Gerritsen. "Ask them what they want! Because nine times out of ten they can explain that much better than we can do it for them." 

There are currently no concrete plans ready for a SEDY3, according to Jasmijn. “But I certainly expect that we will continue to work with some of the partners.” 

Young people with disabilities are less likely to engage in sports than their peers. Inholland is currently coordinating the European Sport Empowers Disabled Youth 2 (SEDY 2) project in an effort to address this issue. Researchers and specialists from the field are joining forces to make sports more inclusive and make sure everyone can participate.

Sports and exercise are good for us. They offer an opportunity to improve our health and participate, boosting our self-image and confidence. These things are particularly beneficial to young people with disabilities. All the same, relatively few of them play sports. During the SEDY 2 project researchers and experts from the Netherlands, Finland, Lithuania and Portugal assess the impact of inclusion in sports on this target group's lives and identify interventions in the respective countries to help promote participation in sports.

SEDY 2 
The SEDY 1 project ran between 2015 and 2017. The follow-up project, SEDY 2, was launched in 2020. ‘We are conducting several sub-studies aimed at developing practical tools to promote inclusiveness in sports', explains Vera Dekkers, lecturer-researcher at the Power of Sports research group. 'That includes an inclusion handbook for sports clubs and the PAPAI programme, which helps children with disabilities to find a suitable hobby or sport. 

Identifying needs 
During the project focus group sessions with disabled children, their parents and sports professionals were held. 'We conducted those sessions in every country', Vera explains. 'We wanted to find out what inclusion means for children with disabilities. The sessions identified a total of seven core themes. For example, it's about having a choice, a sense of belonging and that everyone can participate.' At the start of this year, young people with a disability and Sport Studies students came together to visualise the themes during a drawing session. After having been validated by the various project partners, the results were incorporated into an appealing illustrated statement on inclusion in sports: 

Opportunity 
Joey Faneyt, a second-year Sport Studies student at Inholland Haarlem, participated in the drawing sessions. He has a strong personal motivation to be focused on inclusiveness in sports. 'Out of his personal experience he knows that children with disabilities really enjoy sports, maybe even more than other kids. I want to give them all that opportunity. I also know what it's like to live with a disability. I have some issues myself because of a serious accident on the beach. I have difficulty concentrating and get tired easily. Luckily, I don't have that much difficulty moving. That's good, because I love sports. 

Training coaches 
Joey learned a lot from the drawing session. After all: talking with members of the target group tends to be more effective than talking about them. 'It's really valuable to hear what these young people need from their own perspective. In some cases, that can be a minor adjustment. A lot of sports trainers and coaches tend to overlook those things. I play basketball in Zandvoort and I only know one coach who could actually supervise children with a disability. I think more coaches should be trained as educators in order to make sports more inclusive. That's why I want to learn myself.' 

Sport Studies programme 
SEDY 2 also offers Sport Studies students the opportunity to provide sports counselling to young people with a disability as part of the PAPAI programme. 'Sport Studies offers an Adaptive Sports specialisation to equip students with knowledge and skills on inclusiveness in sports', Vera explains. 'We're also developing online learning modules and organising multiplier events as part of the project so that sports professionals can put our theoretical knowledge into practice.' 

Multiplier event 
As one of the SEDY partners, Gehandicaptensport Nederland was organising the Dutch multiplier event in Utrecht on 19 May in cooperation with Inholland University of Applied Sciences. 'A lot of sports associations have good intentions when it comes to inclusiveness', explains director Dos Engelaar. 'The problem is, they usually don't really understand what inclusion in sport means for youth with a disability and don't know where to begin. Training programmes for coaches should be focusing on that more. Sports clubs also need to address the issue of accessibility. They may have made the right physical adjustments, but what about the social side of things? Does everyone really feel that sense of belonging and can everyone participate? For example, could someone with a disability be or become a trainer at the club? 

The younger you learn, the better 
'As a part of the multiplier event, we'd also present our statement on inclusion and handbook to help sports clubs to become more inclusive', Dos Engelaar continues. 'However, that's just one of the aspects we need to address. Inholland University of Applied Sciences has made inclusion in sports a key component of the Sport Studies curriculum, so that future sports scientists can apply that knowledge at sports clubs. That's incredibly important. After all, that's where you create real change. Kids' first experience at a club needs to be positive, because it's usually also their first step outside of the protective family environment and a chance to develop self-reliance and social skills. The younger you learn, the better; sports clubs can have a positive influence on children with disabilities.’ 

In a mini symposium, led by Peter Downs – Founding Director of The Inclusion Club, about 35 attendees were listening and participating online. The findings of the focus group study on the meaning of inclusion in practice due to children with a disability themselves, their parents and sport professionals in Finland, Lithuania, Portugal and the Netherlands were presented.

Out of the data seven main themes on the meaning of inclusion in sport in practice were identified. For all three stakeholder groups (children, parents and professionals) inclusion in sport is about having a choice regarding sport, the sense of belonging to a group or team, having the same rights as others and feeling equal and that everyone can participate in sport in their own way. Parents and professionals stated that people have to acknowledge that everyone is unique, with or without a disability, and that inclusion is an ongoing process. Professionals added that the terminology regarding sport for people with a disability can be challenging and that it seems that there is no broad consensus in the field about the meaning of inclusion in sport.

After the SEDY2 presentation Maxine de Jonge from the Mulier Institute presented about the meaning of inclusion in sport according to various stakeholder groups in the Netherlands, followed by Sabine Radtke from Paderborn University from a the perspective of elite athletes and coaches. In a lively discussion after the session Catherine Carty, UNESCO chair, shed her light on the meaning of inclusion from the UNESCO perspective.

In this Sway we will update you on the current status of the project.

Teacher-researcher of Inholland University of Applied Sciences and project member of the Sport Empowers Disabled Youth 2 (SEDY2) project Afke Kerkstra tells about the success of the PAPAI intervention in the Netherlands.

Read the article (in Dutch) here. 

In this Sway we will update you on the current state of the project.

In a session with two other European funded projects about hundred attendees were listening and participating online. We talked about a rights-based approach to the inclusion of people with a disability in sport. This covers the spectrum of opportunities for people with disabilities: inclusion within mainstream settings as well as inclusion within disability-specific opportunities. And all of this in accordance with their individual preferences, wishes and choices.

During the interactive session input about the main question ‘What does inclusion in sport mean in practice?’ was collected from the participants resulting in a word cloud with keywords.

In a lively round table discussion after the session we talked about the current situation for people with dissability to keep them active online and how to listen to the voice of people with a dissability on what they want for physical activity.

You can take a look at the recording of the presentation via this link (Afke starts at 1:18:50). We are looking forward to present the full results during the online ISAPA conference in June 2021.

In this sway we will update you on the current state of the project.

Sport has health and social benefits. When people are participating, they feel better, which in turn is good for their self-image and self-confidence. These aspects are particularly beneficial for young people with disabilities. All the same, relatively few of them play sports, not just in the Netherlands, but also in the rest of Europe. Inholland has therefore set up the Sport Empowers Disabled Youth (SEDY) project with a grant from the Erasmus+ Sport programme.

Inholland as overall coordinator
'This programme has already run from 2015 to 2017', says project leader Afke Kerkstra, a researcher in Inholland's Power of Sport research area. 'Afterwards, we discovered that more was needed to ensure inclusion in sport. For this reason, we re-enrolled together with universities of applied sciences and sports organisations from Finland, Lithuania and Portugal. Three years later, we are picking up where we left off. Inholland is the overall coordinator of this SEDY 2 project.'

Students as personal coaches
The previous project led to two major interventions. 'Through the Focus on Me method, we made young people's voices heard', says Kerkstra. 'What do they need and how can sports opportunities be tailored accordingly? In addition, we worked with Sport Studies students as personal coaches to actually get the children to play sports. Both the children and their parents experience barriers to taking that step. With their enthusiasm, students can break through those barriers and look for suitable opportunities.' In the SEDY 2 project, the researchers focus on exactly what inclusion in sport means. They are developing, testing and sharing new methods and measuring their impact.

Combining research and education
Kerkstra focuses on the interaction between research and education. 'SEDY offers fourth-year students a great project for their graduation profile. Second-year students can also join us for a short work placement. At the same time, we can make good use of their reports for our research objectives to improve the interventions still further.'

'Trained to lead discussions'
One of the participating students is Geert-Jan Borst, a fourth-year Sport Studies student at Inholland Haarlem. 'In the SEDY project, I supervised a 15-year-old boy with a language development disorder. Together, we considered what sports could do for him and searched for opportunities. For SEDY 2, I trained as a discussion leader for focus groups. These bring together young people, parents and other stakeholders to discuss various issues relating to sport and children with disabilities.' Geert-Jan does not yet know whether he will continue down this path after graduation. 'I would actually like to work in rehabilitation. But what I am learning about mentoring young people and as a discussion leader will certainly come in useful in my later career.'

'In Portugal, we are working to raise awareness'
Project partners in other countries express the same enthusiasm, such as researcher Nuno Pimenta from Sport science school in Rio Maior, Portugal. 'SEDY 2 is intended to focus more on what each country needs most. In Portugal, we will mainly focus on raising awareness: not enough people currently recognise the importance of inclusion in sports.'

'Different countries supporting each other'
'In Finland, the situation is similar to that of the Netherlands', says Aija Saari, a researcher at the Finnish Paralympic Committee. 'For example, we also worked with personal coaches. To our surprise, we were able to reach over 400 children in this way – much more than we had thought. Our colleagues in the Netherlands encouraged us to go for it anyway. That's one of the great things about this project: you can support each other from different countries, and we can pass on the results we gain in practice to other countries and vice versa.'

Want to find out more?
Read more about the SEDY 2 project, which falls under the Power of Sport research area of the Knowledge Centre The Healthy Society.