On the 27th of October 2023, within the premises of the Youth Center at the 1st Sports, Health, and Tourism Fair, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Sarajevo, and the 14th Symposium "New Technologies in Sports," the NGO Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures promoted its objectives, mission, and vision. It presented the ORIENT project - "Young Researchers Rediscovering Local Communities through Orienteering Activities," conducted as part of the Erasmus+ SPORT program co-financed by the European Commission. The project was implemented in partnership with a consortium from Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, coordinated by CESIE from Italy. ORIENT aims to cultivate social inclusion and equal opportunities in sports through the creation of a series of innovative outcomes. Its aim is to involve vulnerable young people who are at risk of social exclusion or are socially excluded from sports activities at the community level. It involves equipping sports trainers, sports associations, and civil society organization staff working in the field of social inclusion, using tools to promote the participation of vulnerable young people in the local community through orienteering. It also aims to enhance social inclusion in partner countries by raising awareness about social barriers and social exclusion, promoting long-term and positive change at the local level. Orienteering is a sport where athletes navigate unfamiliar natural or urban areas using a map and compass. The objective is to locate and visit control points marked on a predefined route on the map in a specific order. Through orienteering, participants have the opportunity to deepen their connection with the local community, increase their sense of belonging, and positively impact social inclusion. Fair visitors had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the ORIENT project, orienteering, and the ORIENT curriculum, designed as a tool for training coaches to integrate orienteering into their work with young people. It encompasses a wide range of methodologies to conduct activities with young people that align with the specific needs of the target group they collaborate with.
We would like to thank the Ministry of Sports and Culture of the Canton of Sarajevo for their help in the realization of the third phase of this project.
