Report on the work of a camp with workshops on active rehabilitation (July 10th -19th), with photos and videos
Public association “The Republican Association of Wheelchair Users” organized a camp with workshops on active rehabilitation for wheelchair users, based upon the method of the Swedish organization Rekryterings Gruppen for active rehabilitation. The camp was working from July 10th till 19th, 2013 at the premises of the educational institution Baranovichi State University.
29 wheelchair users undertook the training course. For 10 days the trainees were taught to ride active-type wheelchairs, swim, shoot a bow, play table tennis. They were also doing aerobics and building up their overall physical condition. The participants were also playing team games, such as basketball, rugby and bocce. A lot of time was devoted to teaching independent living skills to wheelchair users. During the work of the camp a course of lectures was delivered, aimed to provide knowledge of the compensation and prevention of specific problems for wheelchair users. The participants were also made aware of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus concerning people with disabilities.
Photos: camp of active rehabilitation
Both training activities and lectures were conducted by the coaches who are wheelchair users themselves. Training specialists from different countries were engaged in educational activities.
Technical assistance during the work of the camp was provided by volunteers. They ensured security during the training sessions and in everyday life of the participants. On the whole 14 volunteers were involved in these activities. They were students of: educational institution Belarusian State University of Physical Culture (Minsk), educational institution Brest State University named after A.S.Pushkin (Brest) and educational institution Mogilev State A.Kuleshov University (Mogilev).
Photo: camp of active rehabilitation (volunteers)
All the participants lived in the dormitories of Baranovichi State University. It is worth mentioning that in the dormitories there are 4 rooms fully equipped for a comfortable living of people with the locomotor system disorders. University administration provided all the necessary facilities for the most successful functioning of the camp.
On July 16th during an open day a round-table conference was held on the topic “Running and developing camps with workshops on active rehabilitation in the Republic of Belarus”. Representatives of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, educational institution Baranovichi State University, PA “Belarusian Society of the Handicapped”, Office for The Rights of People with Disabilities and representatives of mass media took part in the conference.
The Ministry of Sport and Tourism is interested in organizing camps of active rehabilitation aimed to promote physical training and sport among wheelchair users and to look for talented wheelchair users who might go in for professional sports. Nepriakhin Pavel Petrovich, Head of the Physical Culture Department of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, thanked PA “The Republican Association of Wheelchair Users” for the activity of the association and ensured its representatives that the Ministry is eager to assist (including financially) while organizing and holding such camps in the future.
At the close of the camp PA “RAWU” presented 6 Swedish-made active-type wheelchairs to the participants.
The camp was organized at a high level.
YOU CAN FIND A FULL PHOTO AND VIDEO REPORT IN THE MEDIA GALLERY
Inna Digilevich
Vice-chairperson of PA “RAWU”
