Young Ordinary and Disable Sports Athletes Mentors

PROGRAMME, KEY ACCTION

Young Ordinary and Disable sports Athletes MENTORS (YODA) will be a pilot programme to contribute towards the establishment of a dual-career framework in participants’ organisations and countries, which could ultimately be scaled-up across the EU. The project opens the way for a new dialogue among mentors and student-athletesfrom different countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Latvia, and Lithuania) allowing for cross-border matching and thus expanding the range of experts available as mentors for athletes to find the perfect match, regardless of their country of residence. The strong relationship between mentors and athletes forged through the programme fosters networking in a way that would not be possible without such initiative. The concept of dual-career means balancing sport and studies, so that athletes can succeed in both areas. Many dual-career programmes mainly focus on (re)entering the labour market once the sport career is over, instead of helping athletes throughout. YODA is about developing a training programme for dual-career’s mentors, in order to qualify them to provide

informed advice and support to athletes throughout their sport career, right from the start (from secondary education trough to higher education). Our programme will offer comprehensive training, valid both for mentors-to-be (and student-athletes) with and without disabilities. Training will be done mainly online, in a

user-friendly and accessible virtual environment, thus bringing down time and space barriers to make mentor training opportunities available anytime, anywhere, in all participants’ countries. Our mentor’s figure is not linked to a particular educational institution or level of education. We aim at defining the skill-set, knowledge and attitudes necessary for a new professional figure of mentor, who could provide guiding services at different educational or sport centres, public institutions, or as freelance, and who will be linked primarily to the student-athlete.