BFA – BALTIC FOR ALL

What is the project changing?

The project Baltic For All is lifting the barriers for people with disabilities around the Baltic Sea in watersports. After training trainers with disabilities in sailing and kite- and windsurfing, the trainers will be able to provide trainings for other people with disabilities. The necessary barrier-free equipment is purchased by the project partners and will be publicly available.

What was the challenge?

Training in watersports for people with disabilities is rare around the Baltic Sea. At the same time, job opportunities are lacking for people with disabilities in watersports.

What is the project creating?

Baltic For All is creating trainings and e-learning modules for future job opportunities in the watersports sector for people with disabilities. 

At the same time Baltic For All is enhancing barrier-free opportunities for recreational activities for people with disabilities.

Project Website

Find the BFA Project Website here.

BFA on the 18th European Fastival "Integration you and me" 7-11 September 2021

Presentation of the project and the discussion live on Facebook here

Project description

The main objective of the BFA project is to increase the activity of skilled labor in the blue economy sectors of the South Baltic Area through acquiring professional qualifications of young and disabled people in the professions of sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. Young and disabled people are to be trained as instructors for the disabled in these water sports and will thus gain employment opportunities.
Thanks to the BFA project and the joint cross border-cooperation between the project partners from Poland, Germany and Lithuania as well as disabled associations being associated partners the above-mentioned goals will be achieved. Cross-border activities in the project (incl. engaging disabled people from the associated partners) will cause a synergy effect and will help solving the region's common problem - the low level of activity in the labor market among young and disabled people. The project institutes the realization of the following innovative solutions:
Product innovation - preparing the training programmes for water sports instructors for the disabled, based on currently available knowledge gained in the project.
Process innovation - using the eLearning training platform created in the project to train sailing and wind-/kitesurfing trainers. The eLearning training platform will ensure unlimited access for disabled users to the knowledge that will give them the possibility to prepare themselves for the training.
The target groups are disabled associations, water sports clubs and schools, water sports instructors, disabled people and young people.
The situation on the labor market of the disabled will be improved, using the potential of the region and cooperation between the partners who solve their common problem.