Sports Ambassadors

The “Sports Ambassadors” project was launched in 2021. Its goal is to prepare veterans to act as agents of change in their communities — people who are able to initiate local transformations and influence the development of inclusive, barrier-free environments and veteran communities.

The program provides comprehensive training, including courses in leadership, mentoring, public speaking, psychological resilience, and community work. The practical part includes familiarization with adaptive sports and methods of designing/forming their own projects, which will help participants feel their own strengths and find new opportunities for developing their own initiatives. That is, the emphasis is on developing those skills that open up opportunities for veterans to work effectively with local authorities, communities, businesses, and public organizations, and that ensure the active participation of Sports Ambassadors in social processes.

Today, there is a clear gap between two groups:

– local authorities, which declare their readiness to develop inclusiveness and accessibility (in particular, through the creation of local accessibility councils), but often do not understand what practical steps to take;

– veterans, who have unique expertise, motivation and experience in overcoming challenges, but do not know how to implement these competencies in interaction with authorities and communities.

The “Sports Ambassadors” project helps to fill this gap: it prepares veterans for active interaction with local institutions and communities, teaches them to initiate changes and influence transformational processes, turning their own skills into concrete results. Thanks to trained ambassadors, communities become more sustainable, healthy and inclusive.