Inspiring inclusivity in the sport sector: BeST Inclusion project
Gender, age, disabilities and the barriers to employment in the sport sector were the key challenges we addressed during the roundtable discussion which was organised by ENGSO Youth at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 9 February 2024.
The roundtable was held within the framework of the Erasmus+ funded BeST Inclusion project and based on the project’s main aim which is to achieve a more inclusive and diverse workforce within the sport sector around three main axes: gender, age and disability.
The three guests speakers included;
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport Aistė Zedelytė-Kaminskė who presented a personal story on “Women in the sport setting?”
ENGSO Youth Young Delegate and athlete Gabija Scerbickaite who explained her way to Lithuanian sport,
And coach of the Frame running and Lecturer at VIKO Ramune Motiejunaite who introduced her personal story on breaking the stereotypes of the work of people with disabilities.
This roundtable is a follow up action from the three studies created during the first year of the project implementation which were focused on the barriers to a more inclusive workforce for the sports sector in terms of:
ENGSO Youth Partnerships and Projects Manager Nadica Jovanovik presented the project and its outcomes, specifically the recently published studies, while our Committee and participants from various youth organisations, such as AY Institute, Youth Can, as well as Lithuanian universities, such as Vilnius university and VIKO, public institutions, such as Ministry of Education, Science and Sport as well as Ministry of Social Affairs, and Sport institutions, such as National Olympic Committee and Lithuanian Union of Sports Federations engaged in the roundtable discussion which looked for recommendations on the challenge of:
Inclusive workforce in the sport sector in terms of gender;
Age-inclusive employment in the sports sector;
Employment of people with disabilities in the sport sector.
Discussion highlights mentioned the importance of the role models, guidelines and regulations or even legal implications for diversifying the work-force for different institutions, opportunities and invitations directly attracting the target groups, exemption of the tax regulations, clear certification process to recognise skills gained via internships or volunteering and many more. Main recommendations will be settled in the guide for the inclusion and diversity of the sports workforce, which will be released by March-April.
“Roundtable discussions allow us to step closer for joint collaboration and actions towards inclusivity between public, non-governmental and private institutions, as well as between different sectors of health, sport, education and youth. Diversifying the landscape of the Sport sector is not a one-time moment, it is a process. Thank you for being a part of it!,“ concluded ENGSO Youth chair Ugne Chmeliauskaite.