ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Navigating Together: Italy without Barriers” is a project presented in Rome by the Italian Sailing Federation, implemented with support in the form of a donation from UniCredit and dedicated to individuals with disabilities who wish to approach the world of sailing.
The project aims to promote inclusive sailing and use sport as a tool for wellness and personal growth. Through a structured pathway, it will promote access to sailing for minors and adults with disabilities, offering them concrete opportunities for autonomy, development of life skills and acquisition of technical-sport skills. The initiative will be divided into several phases, including the provision of boats to affiliated clubs, the development of events in the area and the direct involvement of entities working in the field of inclusive sailing.
Through a targeted investment plan, grants will be awarded for the purchase of boats, equipment and infrastructure necessary for accessibility to FIV Affiliated Circles. At the same time, an itinerant project will be activated throughout the country through which specialized technicians will enable people to experience barrier-free sailing.
“The Italian Sailing Federation has always believed in sport as a tool for growth, training and social inclusion. The path we have taken in recent years has led to an increasingly significant presence of inclusive sailing within our activities, and today we can proudly say that our commitment is translated into concrete projects such as Navigare insieme: Italy without barriers. Thanks to the contribution of excellent partners like UniCredit and the collaboration with territorial realities, we are creating a system that allows everyone, regardless of their physical abilities, to approach sailing and fully experience it. Sailing is an extraordinary sport because it offers a unique sense of freedom and autonomy, and our mission is to make it accessible to more and more people. This project represents another step forward on our journey to be the protagonists of a cultural change, where sport becomes increasingly inclusive and barrier-free. Thanks to the resources made available to affiliated clubs for the purchase of accessible boats, floating docks and lifting cranes, fundamental tools to ensure that anyone can navigate safely and with autonomy thanks also to the stages that will be made throughout Italy. A concrete investment that reinforces our desire to make sailing a heritage truly open to all,” the words of Federvela President Francesco Ettorre.
“Our support for the “Navigating Together: Italy without Barriers” initiative was made possible thanks to the Carta Etica Fund. For every purchase made with credit cards from its ethical range, UniCredit donates 2 per thousand of the total expenses incurred by customers and employees in Italy to the Fund.
All of the Fund’s funds are allocated to solidarity initiatives. From 2005 – the year the Fund was created – to 2024, more than 42 million euros have been raised in support of about 1,400 projects. Sport, an engine of inclusion and a tool for personal growth, represents the synthesis of our commitment to supporting the communities in which we operate. Being alongside the IVF today, to give everyone the chance to experience sailing, means contributing to the spread of a culture based on the enhancement of differences and talents, helping to build a more equitable society.
We will, therefore, continue to offer tangible support to operators in the sector who respond to the most urgent needs of the territories, because we believe that change comes through the synergistic action of institutions, businesses and local communities,” said Annalisa Areni, Head of Client Strategies at UniCredit.
For Fabio Colella, FIV Councilor with responsibility for Para Sailing, “this project represents an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen our commitment to an increasingly accessible model of sailing. FIV, through Para Sailing and the support of its member clubs, is working to ensure real inclusion, which does not stop at theory but translates into adequate facilities, boats and support.”
– photo Federvela press office –
(ITALPRESS).
