5. Presentation Structure Social Inclusion In Brazil: an Olympic Reality? Education Through Values: The Challenge for an Inclusive Society The Social Inclusion by Sports: The proposal of an Olympic Education The Tennis Foundation case
43. Thank you for your attention! Contacts : [email_address] [email_address]
Editor's Notes
WE ARE HERE... IN THE EXTREMELLY SAUTH OF BRAZIL, WHERE I’M A PROFESSOR IN A CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY AND PRESIDENT OF THE PIERRE DE COUBERTIN BRAZILIAN COMMITTEE. THE PRESENT PAPER WAS DEVELOPED BY FERNANDA FAGGIANI, FERNANDA DOS SANTOS, RICARDO SALDANHA AND MYSELF, ALL MEMBERS OF THE OLYMPIC STUDIES RESEARCH GROUP.
GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF. MY NAME IS NELSON AND I’M FROM BRAZIL.... THE THEME OF MY PRESENTATION IS “OLYMPIC EDUCATION: A SOCIAL INCLUSION PROPOSAL IN BRAZIL”. THIS PAPER AIMS TO PRESENT THE INI T IATIVE OF THE PIERRE DE COUBERTIN BRAZILIAN COMMITTEE, AN OLYMPIC EDUCATION PRÓJECT WHICH HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT AT THE INSTITUTION NAMED TENNIS FOUNDATION, SINCE 2008.
THE SUBJECT OF MY TALK IS A REFLECTION ABOUT AN OLYMPIC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM THAT COULD REPRESENT A SPORT AND LEISURE PUBLIC POLICIES ALTERNATIVE FACILITATING THE SOCIAL INCLUSION IN BRAZIL.
THIS REFLECTION IS BASED ON THE CONCEPT THAT, IN A GENERIC FORM, THE IDEA OF PUBLIC POLICIES ARE ASSOCIATE TO A GROUP OF ACTIONS WITH OWN RESOURCES (FINANCIAL AND HUMAN), WHICH INVOLVE A TEMPORAL (DURATION) DIMENSION AND SOME IMPACT ABILITIES. IN THIS SENSE, AS YOU CAN SEE IN SPOSITO AND CARRANO RESEARCH… I’M GOING TO DIVIDE MY TALK INTO 4 PARTS.
FIRST I’LL TALK ABOUT SOCIAL INCLUSION IN BRAZIL: AN OLYMPIC REALITY?. AFTER THAT I’LL PRESENT SOME APPROACHES ABOUT EDUCATION THROUGH VALUES: THE CHALLENGE FOR AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY. THIRDLY THE SOCIAL INCLUSION BY SPORTS: THE PROPOSAL OF AN OLYMPIC EDUCATION. AND FINALLY COMES THE FOURTH PART INTO WHICH I WILL GIVE DETAILS ABOUT THE TENNIS FOUNDATION’S PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE IN OLYMPIC EDUCATION ASSOCIATED TO YOUTH SOCIAL INCLUSION THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN PINPOINTED ABÔVE.
LET’S START WITH THE BACKGROUND ABOUT SOCIAL INCLUSION IN BRAZIL: AN OLYMPIC REALITY? BEHIND THIS INTERROGATION... BRAZIL IS PART OF THE E-9 GROUP. THIS MEANS THAT, TOGETHER WITH BANGLADESH, CHINA, EGYPT, INDIA, INDONESIA, MEXICO, NIGERIA AND PAKISTAN IT IS ONE OF THE NINE MOST POPULOUS COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD THAT IS COMMITTED TO CONSIDER THE EDUCATION AS A DETERMINANT FACTOR FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT. ITS LARGE GEOGRAPHICAL SIZE, POPULATION AND ECONOMY RESULT IN AN ENORMOUS POTENTIAL TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL. HOWEVER, ACCORDING UNESCO THIS POTENTIAL IS LIMITED BY PERSISTENT INEQUALITY AND DISCRIMINATION.
… WICH HAS STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS RELATED TO A PAST CHARACTERIZED BY A STRONGLY STRATIFIED MODEL OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION.
IN THIS SENSE, SOME SECTORS SEEK TO OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES THROUGH THE ERADICATION OF ILLITERACY, IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION, REDUCTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY, SOCIAL CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE, POVERTY, MISERY AND EXCLUSION, THE PROMOTION OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND THE GENERALIZATION TO THE ACCESS OF NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND COMMUNICATION.
GIVEN THIS SITUATION, THE BRAZILIAN SPORTS MINISTRY BELIEVES THAT IT IS THEIR MORAL DUTY AND ETHICAL PURSUIT FOR 'SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY', ESPECIALLY IN REGARD TO THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF ACCESS TO SPORT AND LEISURE FOR CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE. FURTHERMORE, IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT THE LOWER CLASSES HAVE ALWAYS VIEWED THE SPORT AS A WAY OF CLIMBING POSITIONS IN LIFE, OF OVERCOMING BARRIERS OF SOCIAL MOBILITY AND, THUS, POTENTIALLY SUCCEED. HOWEVER, WE SEE THAT THE SPORT IS MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
THAT PRACTICE AND PRODUCTION OF SPORTS GENERATES MORE HEALTH, MORE BALANCE AND IS, PRIMARILY, AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO JOIN SOCIETY IN A CONSTRUCTIVE WAY. THIS IDEA IS SUPPORTED LEGALLY IN THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION OF BRAZIL, WHICH INDICATES THAT IT IS THE DUTY OF THE FAMILY, SOCIETY AND THE STATE TO ENSURE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS, WITH ABSOLUTE PRIORITY, THE RIGHT TO LIFE, HEALTH, FOOD, EDUCATION, LEISURE, PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, CULTURE, DIGNITY, RESPECT, FREEDOM AND FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ACQUAINTANCE, BESIDES KEEPING THEM SAFE FROM ALL FORMS OF NEGLECT, DISCRIMINATION, EXPLOITATION, VIOLENCE, CRUELTY AND OPPRESSION.
NEVERTHELESS, ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SAMPLE SURVEY DATA. IT’S ESTIMATED THAT CURRENTLY ABOUT 15 MILLION OF BRAZILIAN YOUTHS, AGED FROM 7 TO 17 YEARS, LIVE IN 'SOCIAL VULNERABILITY’.
THE ANSWER TO THIS FRAMEWORK IS THAT…
FOLLOWING THE SEQUENCE, THE SECOND PART IS - EDUCATION THROUGH VALUES: THE CHALLENGE FOR AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY…
EDUCATION HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING AND DIFFICULT ISSUES FOR ANYONE STUDYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN BEINGS. IT IS CRUCIAL FOR THE IDEA OF CITIZENSHIP AS WELL AS FOR GUARANTEEING A MODERN AND DEVELOPED SOCIETY…
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THE TENSION BETWEEN SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF POPULATIONS TO BE SERVED, SEEKING ADDITIONAL SOCIAL AND MORAL REFERENCES, AND THE EVER GREATER AVAILABILITY OF KNOWLEDGE AND DIFFERENT APPROACHES… … THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF THESE DISTINCTIONS ARE COMPLEX AND POSSIBLY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES.
… THIS IS NOT AN EASY TASK! THE BIG DILEMMA HAS BEEN TO OFFER THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES WITHOUT HAVING TO PRODUCE INEQUALITIES IN SOCIETY.
HOWEVER HUMAN VALUES SUCH AS BROTHERHOOD, COOPERATION, COMMUNITY, UNION AND DIVISION OF PROPERTY AND INFORMATION SOUND STRANGE, OUTDATED OR WITHOUT A SENSE OF THE UTILITARIAN AND PRAGMATIC MARKET INSIDE THIS UNIVERSE OF UNDERSTANDING AND ACTUAL COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR.
THE DOMINANT MIND-SET LEADS TO THE SAME BEHAVIOR, AND SO WE CAN SAY THAT TODAY’S ERA IS ONE OF HIGH LEVEL OF PARTIAL INDIVIDUALISM, FOLLOWING THE PATTERN OF BUSINESSES AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS, WHICH POSSESS THE MEDIA-PRODUCTION AND THE FORMATION AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS OF RICHES…
IN THIS SENSE… WE ARE SEARCHING A PATHWAY LEADING TO A HARMONIUS AND AUTHENTIC HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, LOOKING FOR A REDUCTION IN SOCIAL EXCLUSION, MISUNDERSTANDING, OPPRESSION, AMONG OTHER POINTS.
THE THIRD PART TALKS ABOUT THE SOCIAL INCLUSION BY SPORTS: THE PROPOSAL OF AN OLYMPIC EDUCATION
THE SPORT BY ITSELF DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING IF YOU DO NOT LINK IT TO EDUCATION, TEACHING AND, WITHOUT ANY DOUBT, THE LEARNING POTENTIAL OF A SPORTIVE SPECTACLE TO A HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT…
IT MUST BE CLEAR THAT THE TERM OLYMPISM DOES NOT REFER TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT, NOR TO OLYMPIC GAMES. IT IS A PHILOSOPHICAL STRUCTURE OF LIFE. IT IS A SYSTEM OF PRINCIPLES, VALUES AND MEANINGS THAT TRIES TO EXPAND IDEAS THAT ARE INTRINSIC TO THEM.
COUBERTIN CONSIDERED THE OLYMPISM AS SOMETHING BEYOND SIMPLE EXERCISES. MCNEELY (1980) REFERS TO “COUBERTINIAN” IDEALISM – ESTABLISHED IN THE OLYMPIC CHAPTER – EMPHASIZING ON QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE ELIMINATION OF SOCIAL INJUSTICE.
IT THUS BECOMES CLEAR THAT THE INCLUSION OF ISSUES RELATED TO OLYMPISM, ITS RECOGNITION AS AN EDUCATIONAL BIAS, WITH TRANSVERSE AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RELATIONSHIPS, IN ADDITION TO SPECIAL TEACHING MATERIALS WITHIN SOCIAL SPORTS PROJECTS, MAY RESULT IN POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN BEINGS.
IN THIS SCENARIO, CAUSED BY ABREU’S (2002) MULTICULTURAL LOOK, WE POSE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
THUS…
IN THIS SENSE…
LET’S TURN NOW TO THE LAST PART - THE TENNIS FOUNDATION CASE
BUILT IN 2001 – THE TENNIS FOUNDATION IS COMPOSED BY 7 NUCLEUS DIVIDED INTO 3 TOWNS CURRENTLY ATENDING OVER THAN 600 YOUNG PEOPLE... THE TENNIS FOUNDATION’S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FROM THE MOST THE PRIVATE DEPRIVED COMMUNITIES, GIVING THEM OPPORTUNITY, THROUGH DISCIPLINED AND SYSTEMATIC PRACTICE OF TENNIS, TO REWRITE THEIR LIFE PLAN.
… ON COURT, THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE SPORT ARE TAUGHT TO CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS THROUGH ACTIVITIES THAT KEEP THEM MOTIVATED. OUT OF THESE, THE FOUNDATION MAKES THE MONITORING OF SCHOOLS AND ALSO OF FAMILIES, SEEKING TO REGAIN THEIR ROLE AS CITIZENS AND IMPROVE THEIR SELF-ESTEEM.
THE FIRST STEP TO MAKE THIS PROJECT EFFECTIVE WAS TO QUALIFY TEACHERS OF THE FOUNDATION. THIS TRAINING AIMED TO PROVIDE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT OLYMPIC VALUES TO THE TEAM WORK.
AS A RESULT, WE SEEK TO ‘TRAIN’ TEACHERS FOR...
BUT, WHICH ARE THE THESE OLYMPIC VALUES? AS PART OF THE OLYMPIC PHILOSOPHY, THE VALUES, ARE:
THESE VALUES ARE REPRESENTED, RESPECTIVELY, THROUGH THE OLYMPIC SYMBOLS: THE OLYMPIC RINGS, THE OLYMPIC FLAME AND THE OLYMPIC MOTTO – FASTER, HIGHER, STRONGER. THE FIRST VALUE - RESPECT –INCLUDE RESPECT FOR ONESELF, FOR OTHERS, BY THE BODY, BY THE SPORT, THE ENVIROMENT AND THE RULES. THE EXCELLENCE VALUE – STANDS FOR GIVING ONE’S BEST, ON THE FIELD OF PLAY OR IN THE REAL LIFE. FINALLY THE FRIENDSHIP - ENCOURAGES TO CONSIDER SPORT AS A TOOL FOR MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AMONG INDIVIDUALS. THE OLYMPIC GAMES INSPIRE HUMANITY TO OVERCOME POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, GENDER, RACE AND RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES AND FORGE FRIENDSHIPS IN SPITE OF THOSE DIFFERENCES.
FROM THIS PROPOSAL WE BELIEVE THAT THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT HAS TAKEN A STEP FORWARD IN ORDER TO REMEDY THE DIFFICULTIES IMPOSED BY DIFFERENT SOCIAL CONTEXTS AND THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW TO WORK THE VARIOUS MEANINGS ATTRIBUTED TO OLYMPISM.
... BUT WILL THE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FROM THE TENNIS FOUNDATION ABSORB THE OLYMPIC VALUES?
TO ENSURE THE CONTINUITY AND EVALUATE THE SUCCESS OF THIS PEDAGOGIC PROPOSAL, A PARTNERSHIP WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE OLYMPIC STUDIES RESEARCH GROUP FROM THE PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS SLIDE, UNTIL THIS POINT, THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT ASPECTS RELATED TO FRIENDSHIP AND RESPECT ARE STRONGER IN THE HABITS OF THE PARTICIPANTS AFTER 10 MONTHS OF THE PROJECT. HOWEVER, EXCELLENCE HAD NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SHOWING THE NEED TO REINFORCE THIS VALUE IN THE TEACHERS’ TRAINING.
AS A FINAL CONSIDERATION, THERE ARE MANY SOCIAL AND POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES WHICH THE OLYMPISM PROPOSES TO FACE, ESPECIALLY THROUGH WHAT WE CALL THE OLYMPIC EDUCATION.
THE OLYMPIC EDUCATION IS NOTHING MORE THAN A PROCESS THAT BRINGS THE OLYMPISM PHILOSOPHY TO EVERYONE THROUGH THE TEACHING OF OLYMPIC IDEALS… TO CONCLUDE…
… IN FACT, IT NECESSARILY DEMANDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.
