As part of the "Social Inclusion in Montenegro" project, the Municipality of Kotor is organizing a swimming event today at 4 p.m. at the "Zoran Džimi Gopčević" Indoor Pool, in which students with hearing and/or speech impairments from the JU Resource Center for Hearing and Speech "Dr. Peruta Ivanović", children attending the language course of the Italian Community of Montenegro, which is a partner in the project, as well as children who practice water polo in Primorac. This is the fourth swimming event within this project, which aims to improve the conditions for physical activity as a tool for improving the quality of life and health protection and as a means for social inclusion.

The indoor swimming pool "Zoran Džimi Gopčević" as an important resource of our city, should be available, accessible and offer facilities for physical activity of all our citizens, and vulnerable groups should also use it. This is one of the reasons why the Municipality of Kotor started the implementation of the "Social Inclusion in Montenegro" project in the previous year, financially supported by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, in accordance with the FVG Region Law of October 30, 2000, No. 19.

As part of the project, every Sunday starting from January 28 until mid-May, swimming events are organized for various vulnerable groups in our city, who, under the supervision of an expert - a physiotherapist, do exercises in the pool with adjustments to help with their range of motion or strength. depending on the general condition, needs. The participants and the physiotherapist are also supported by the students of Kotor High School Medical School, and we would like to thank the management of this educational institution for understanding the importance of this project.

The three swimming events held so far were dedicated to the elderly, people with physical disabilities and children with developmental disabilities, and were organized with the support of the Ju Dom Starih "Grabovac" Risan, the Day Care Center for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities in Rakite and the Day Care Center for children with developmental disabilities of the JU Resource Center for Hearing and Speech "Dr. Peruta Ivanović". The project team encourages the mutual interaction of different vulnerable groups at swimming events, and already at the second swimming event people with physical disabilities were joined by elderly people, which will also be the case on Sunday, February 18 at 10:30 a.m., while at 11:30 a.m. children with developmental disabilities to be able to enjoy the Pool.

The fourth swimming event is particularly significant because it allows children with hearing and/or speech impairments to interact with children without disabilities, at a time when they normally use the indoor pool for water polo training. This swimming event enables the full inclusion of children with hearing and/or speech impairments in the regular lives of their peer group, but also shows how important it is to learn other languages ​​in order to overcome language barriers to those children who have a tendency to do so, such as the participants of the Italian Community Language Course Montenegro. We hope that with this project we will encourage other citizens of Kotor, both from vulnerable groups and those who are not marginalized, to come to the "Zoran Džimi Gopčević" Indoor Pool, to encourage social inclusion through physical activity by participating in swimming events. Interested parties can get more information about the project itself, as well as the calendar of events, by calling +382 63 276 782 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on the Instagram profile (@ism_communityhub)

Miroslava-Mima Ivanovic

Coordinator of the Center for help (motivation) and support for vulnerable groups of all ages