We are looking for funds to run the Sailing 2 Cohesion (S2C) project. It will be a social cohesion project using restorative justice values and sailing as vehicles for bringing disabled and able young people together to reduce prejudice and negative stereotyping, while reducing their isolation, improving their health and increasing their skills and confidence.
Hate attitudes and social divisions are the consequences of a failing society that ignores persistent inequalities such as disablism. We grow up in competitive environments that make us believe that if you are less physically able, then you cannot do as much and thus you are inferior. Sports can become the best vehicle to break the vicious circle of stereotyping and power manifestations. Restorative justice offers the principles for creating unique community sport projects.
The project will work directly with disabled children and young people from different social, racial and economic backgrounds bringing them together with their able peers to (a) learn how to sail (b) volunteer by helping other to learn sailing (c) sail and compete (d) organise and participate in celebration events and annual award ceremonies (e) support the management and quality control of the project.Using the values of restorative justice S2C will create a safe space to learn and compete.
Through shared learning and by sailing and competing on equal footing, we anticipate multiple outcomes for the childen,and their families. This includes soft outcomes (e.g. boosting their confidence and self-awareness, increasing trust between them and disability awareness). It also includes hard outcomes such as acquiring new skills (e.g. being able to sail, progress to different RYA levels, but also how to run a project such as this one and participate in its management and control.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
