Sport for All – Breaking Barriers Together

Games are an excellent tool for promoting interaction among individuals who may otherwise not interact with one another. They provide a common ground for people of varying backgrounds to communicate with each other, cooperate with each other, and ultimately develop relationships with one another. We examined these concepts during a creative game design challenge. Participants were given the role of game designers, players, and facilitators.

The activity design

Click here to access the detailed Canva for the activity. 

The focus of the challenge was to promote inclusion, diversity, communication, trust, and confidence.

Participants were not asked to play an already established game but instead they were given the opportunity to design their own game. Players worked in international teams and discussed how a game could be designed so that all participants would be able to engage in the game no matter what their physical capabilities were, if they had participated in sports before, or what their cultural background was.

One of the main requirements was that the activities had to be suitable for mixed abilities and use no special equipment. This made us think differently about what makes a game enjoyable and inclusive.

The focus was not on who was the fastest or strongest, but on how everyone could contribute and feel like an important part of the group.

Working in international teams also made the challenge more interesting. Each person brought their own ideas, experiences, and ways of approaching problems. Did we feel influenced by others? Definitely. Ideas were developed, changed, and sometimes completely redesigned because of suggestions from other participants. 

This showed us the value of listening to different perspectives and being open to changing our original ideas.

Once all the activity plans were drafted, every group had a chance to test its game with the whole team.  Some games made immediate sense to everybody; others were somehow confusing, so further explanations had to be given.

Having designed and played these games allowed everybody to realize a great game is more than just a fun concept. It must have clear instructions and to be able to be played by everybody.

Our exchange team was international and even though we worked with people from all over the world, our work consists of sharing these individual representations in the general view instead of focusing on a particular country.

The challenge made us look at ourselves. 

After we joined many of us felt sure about giving ideas, talking with others and owning a task. We discovered that we do not have to be athletes, skilled leaders or very competitive to bring something useful.

Importantly, the activity taught us something about inclusion. Inclusion is not about letting everyone join; inclusion is about making a place where people feel safe, respected and valued. Designing activities for people with abilities made us think about the obstacles that sometimes stop people from joining and how small changes can make a big difference.

The activity design challenge itself was therefore transformed from a fun task to so much more. It became a learning experience, an opportunity to listen and challenge both ourselves and others, and to gain new self-belief. Through designing with creativity and play we gained an understanding of just how communication, belief in each other and diversity work together to create community and how everyone has an important part to play.

This project was funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme.