There are two more Sportfund projects I’d like to translate into English: Growing Up With Sport and Siblings in Sport. This latter, in particular, is intended as a sign of sincere gratitude to all sisters and brothers and an instrument with which to promote the inalienable social function of sport.
With Sportfund I feel I’ve acquired new “siblings”, inclusive to the extent that they have invited me to the Dolomites of Brenta on 24th and 25th July to climb during Brenta Open, an event promoted by the Dolomiti Open Association, which believes in mountains that are inclusive, open to all, where the boundaries defining disability are constantly shifting.
Sportfund, too, is promoting this event, which is by now one of the most eagerly awaited in Trentino and I’ll have the good fortune to be able to climb with my “siblings” on the extraordinary turrets, bell-towers and spires that are a UNESCO World Heritage.
In the company of friends and clinking quickdraws, I will also have the chance to hear musicians playing wind instruments on the peaks, disseminating music among the rocky mountain faces.
I conclude by quoting the saxophonist Michele Selva who states, in the Podcast Dolomiti PlaceToBe, that “music is a communication that needs no translation”.
See you on the peak!
Siblings in sport
Fraternal views on disability
Photographs by Agata Segafredo.
Presentation by Alberto Benchimol.
In the world of sports, the way society perceives disability is changing rapidly. So fast that the lexicon is unable to keep pace and to define unambiguously a person who is not considered ‘normal’. Every time we venture to create a term to be shared, words stumble.
The perception of an individual’s psychophysical potential is also evolving rapidly, and he/she is capable, especially in difficult situations, of adopting ever new and effective functional strategies, while the boundaries between what was thought impossible and what, through technology and specialized teaching, becomes a tangible everyday achievement are blurring. The implications are powerful: through sports and physical games, expressive and relational skills are enhanced and approaches to learning and developing individual talent are modified.
The disabled person who plays sport today is in the media spotlight because he or she carries a new message and is a positive example that quickly infects younger generations in particular. Parents are close to the spotlight. More in the background, often in the shadows, are the sisters and brothers, alongside a presence that can be all-consuming and committed to supporting their aspirations and dreams over time. Protecting their future, turning limitations into a resource for the community. An additional challenge to their lives that anchors itself in brotherly looks.
“Sibling” allows us to embrace, in a single word, both the female and male genders. Although the term literally means sister and brother, Sportfund has attributed to it the specific meaning of “sister or brother of a person with a disability”, allowing a broader view of the whole family. The gazes and actions of siblings grasp the opportunities offered by life. This is a universe that we propose to take a closer look at, through the photographs of participants in Sportfund’s sporting activities and other initiatives.
SIBLINGS IN SPORT wishes to be a sign of sincere gratitude to all sisters and brothers and a means of promoting the indispensable social function of sport.
GROWING UP WITH SPORT
CHIARA, CRISTINA and FRANCESCO SEGAFREDO
The idea of exploring the theme of sporting activities carried out by people with disabilities together with their brothers and sisters immediately attracted our attention and sincere participation.
The project seemed to us to be truly innovative, original and also very involving. Thanks to a mum and dad who are keen sportspeople, our education was mapped out since our childhood with the combination of study and sport and shared with the whole family.
As is often the case, certain family habits may seem like normal activities to children, and only when they grow up do they become aware of what an important gift they have received: in our case, in particular, the commitment to sport has helped us to deepen and refine both our relationships with each other and our social relations outside the family.
Being aware of this privilege has naturally led us to try to reciprocate the gift, to commit ourselves to sharing the benefits of sport, to share our experiences, to support those in difficult situations.
It is from this context that Essse Caffè’s support arose for Sportfund’s passionate activities for the promotion of sports for the disabled. This beneficial collaboration led to our direct involvement in the SIBLINGS IN SPORT exhibition, which is held in the original coffee shop, founded by our grandfather Gaspare, accompanied by Agata’s involving photos.
Essse Caffè is forty years old: the third and fourth generations of the family intend to share this milestone with the young people and educators of Sportfund and to bear testimony, with this initiative, to the fundamental educational values of solidarity and sport.
AGATA SEGAFREDO
When the first sentence enunciated is “look at that”, then the elusive and perpetually changing “that” and the need to share it with the world will be the subject of one’s life. Studying medicine teaches anatomy, fashion teaches awareness of beauty, art teaches aesthetics, but the joy of sharing the transcendence one understands is not taught. Photography is merely the vehicle with which to show it. And so it is that, time after time, subject after subject, the need to show that essence is always there, in every aspect of life, every breath, every photograph.
Agata Segafredo is an Italo-Argentine artist who has exhibited works in several countries around the world. Her work can currently be seen in exhibitions in Italy and the United States.
