Terra incognita is a term used in cartography for places that have not been mapped or documented. Strategic partnership Terra Incognita is an international project that aims to map and document “ways” and “routes” of mixed-ability adventure tourism activities, which are not explored enough by the world of non-formal education and our societies. Partnership involves organizations coming from Poland, Spain and Ukraine. The Partnership background : People with disabilities are the largest social minority. In order to support sustainable development of our societies, we need to advocate disability inclusion. The best way is to organize mixed-ability activities, which do not “close youth with disabilities” into “project ghettos – only for disabled”, but give them opportunity to integrate with their peers without disability. Since all project organizations support active life style, appreciation and access to nature for everyone – as our type of mixed-ability we chose - adventure tourism activities. Mixed-ability adventure tourism activities are group activities, which are organized in nature, involves youth with and without disability, empower them to go out of their comfort zone, to think outside the box, to learn about each other, integrate (e.g. group trip to forest, hiking in mountains etc). The main aim of Partnership is to increase number of group outdoor activities in nature, which actively involve youth with/without disability. The following objectives, will help us to achieve our aim : - to create, approve and disseminate "Manual of mixed-ability adventure tourism as a tool in youth work" - to equipped around 100 youth workers/youth leaders with professional and personal skills/competences, empirical knowledge base, needed in implementation of Mix-ability adventure tourism activities - to create, approve and disseminate 3-days Training Program for those who want to implement mixed-ability adventure tourism activities in their local communities. Methodology to be used in carrying out the project is based on one of traditional project management methodologies – Waterfall. It is linear, sequential approach, according to which moving to the next phase is possible, once the current one has been completed. In our project every activity leads to achievement of outputs, which relevantly lead to achievement of objectives. In all Partnership activities will be used methods of non-formal education, like group work, work in pairs, interactive discussions, role plays, simulation games, team-building, theater exercises etc. Working methods will be re-shaped according to participants profiles and abilities. We put accent on collaborative working methods, which foster mutual learning and cooperation. All the activities will have pro-active and practice-oriented approach and will be based on experiential learning, learning-by-doing and best practices exchange. During the Partnership we plan: - 4 transnational meetings - 1 Training course - 1 study visit - Local activities (3 day long Training program + newly created and implemented routes for mixed ability adventure torism activities ) - 3 multiplier events This project is addressed to - those who work with youth/ youth workers/ leaders, who are looking for educational tools on how to implement disability inclusion in their activities. - youth with/without disability, for whom involvement in mixed-ability adventure tourism can be a great possibility to understand each other needs, become more initiative, improve self-esteem In our project we would like to specify disability we would work with to seeing and moving disability, since we believe that these 2 groups are the most excluded from outdoor activities in nature. Partnership intelectual output: Manual on how to organize mixed-ability adventure tourism activities. It is complete, in-depth set of instructions/data/practical advice/ideas/tips and hints/scenarios of Training program etc. Thanks to our dissemination strategy (including multiplier events, Erasmus + Results platform) empirical knowledge on how to organize mixed-ability adventure tourism activities will be shared with people who are working with youth (youth workers, youth leaders, teachers from schools and universities, organizers of summer/winter camps etc) coming from all Europe and not only. In that way, the number of mixed-ability outdoor in nature activities will be increased and involvement of youth with and without disability in social life will be expanded.
- to dispel youth workers\organisations\institutions' fears, stereotypes around participation of youth with disabilities in outdoor activities, - to show that mixed-ability outdoor activities are possible, can be creative, fun and great learning experience for both youth with and without disability - to inspire, encorage to organise mixed-ability outdoor activities - to create a "compendium " of useful and practical information for those who organise outdoor activities and would like to start implementing mixed-ability outdoor activities, for those who work with (young) people with disabilities and would like to start involving them into mixed-ability outdoor activities, for those who neither organise outdoor activities nor work with (young) people with disabilities and would like start implementing mixed-ability outdoor activities - to develop startegic cooperation between Polish, Spanish and Ukrainian organisation, exchange experience, good practices, develop organisational and project management skills of all the 3 teams
We were inspired by the activities of Ukrainian partner organisation On3wheels, who are doing climbs to the highest points of Ukrainian Carpathians with people with moving disability. For Polish and Spanish organisations, which are also situated in mountain regions, those activities were very inspiring and a great source of ideas for development of their own activities. Ukrainian organisation, which was not that much experienced in non-formal education could improve their activities, develop international cooperation For all 3 organisations topic of inclusion is an integral part of organisation philosophy, personal culture. Each organisation experienced situations,when participants with disabilities were excluded or discriminated by not accepting into projects with outdoor activities, as result of lack of knowledge, stereotypes and prejudices. So in general our main “why” - to dispel outdoor activities in which people with and without disabilities can actively participate. Needs: promotion of practical information on how to implement mixed-ability outdoor activities; improve offer of outdoor activities for people with disabilities; make inclusion project more creative, challenging, experiencial