“Equality through Play”

“Equality through Play” is the annual project we have implemented with the Swimming Club for Persons with Disabilities “Svimbo”, approved by the Zemun City Municipality. 

The program started on 3 February, 2021, and lasted until 31 December, 2021. It was implemented at the pool of Laza Kostić Elementary in Novi Beograd (72 Milentija Popovića).  

The program implementation schedule was every Wednesday, at 15-16h, and every Friday at 16-17h. The club worked without pause and without program interruptions.

The annual program titled “Equality through Play” had the core goal of teaching basic swimming techniques, inclusion of socially vulnerable groups, developing new swimming abilities for already active athletes with disabilities, via rehabilitation through swimming and the Halliwick concept - the improvement of psycho-motor abilities of children with disabilities. 

The goal of the implemented swimming program was to help people, particularly younger children, become more independent, to get socialization, accomplish inclusion goals, and to confirm other capabilities.

The program included 30 children with disabilities, divided by age and disability type: children with cerebral paralysis, persons with autism, persons with Down syndrome, hearing-impaired persons, persons with intellectual difficulties.

As a consequence of the successful implementation of the program, the effects were the following: improving the quality of life of children with disabilities, activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of children with disabilities and their families, creating opportunities for free choice of conditions and ways of life in the chosen environment with the end result of improving the position of children with disabilities and developmental disabilities, which was achieved by this program.

Also, the end result of the project is the teaching of basic swimming techniques, inclusion of socially vulnerable groups, improvement of new swimming opportunities for children with disabilities and developmental disabilities, and above all rehabilitation through swimming and the Halliwick concept, i.e. improvement of the psycho-motor abilities of children with disabilities.

The team that implemented the program includes Bojan Počuča, certified swimming coach and Bojana Milićević Marinković – PhD in sport, physical education and kinesiology, activities implementer.

For years now we have been cooperating with Dr Sci. of physical medicine Danijela Vukućević from the “Dr Miroslav Zotović” Rehabilitation Clinic which is a part of our program, and which monitors the status of all our users, as the program included young children.