SIT Foundation
The SIT Foundation – Sport Inclusion Talent Ets was established to give shape to SIT’s social commitment by creating and promoting educational projects through sports. It became operational in 2023 with events and projects carried out throughout the year.
The dialogue initiated with institutions and the world of associations allowed SIT Foundation to be accredited as an interlocutor in the Third Sector.
The Foundation aims to be a home away from home, a place where kids can engage in sports, study, and be together in a safe, healthy, and stimulating environment. In doing so, the following objectives and areas of intervention have been identified:
The SIT Foundation was officially presented on May 9 through a launch event featuring Sara Simeoni, Olympic champion and former world record holder in high jump, as the guest. The event, held at Le Village Triveneto by CA, was attended by institutional guests, as well as boys and girls from the main athletic societies in Padua. #RaiseTheBar is the hashtag chosen for the event, aiming to teach young people to aim high, inspired by Sara Simeoni, not only a sports icon but also a model of female empowerment through sports and an expression of the Italian ability to overcome obstacles with a smile and lightness.
During the summer, the SIT Foundation participated in the Summer Camps organized by the University Sports Center of Padua (CUS). Through the agreement signed with CUS, the 2023 edition was the most successful in 31 years of Summer Camps. In addition to widely positive feedback from families, the numbers certify the largest participation ever: 1,062 children took part in the activities, including 23 children with disabilities who participated for free thanks to the Inclusive Summer Camps project. The Summer Camps were active for 12 weeks and involved both locations of CUS Padua. The SIT Foundation contributed to the Summer Camps by providing uniforms to all instructors and participants and ensuring daily creative workshops and assistance in returning to school through the “Back to School” initiative with the educators of the “Bottega dei Ragazzi” cooperative.
Following the Summer Camps, starting from September 2023, SIT Move became active, an after-school service that combines homework assistance, sports, and play in the same equipped space within a green area, in collaboration with CUS Padua and Bottega dei Ragazzi. The recipients are primary school children and middle school students (ages 6-14) who are welcomed by educators and instructors every afternoon from Monday to Friday from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm, from September to June, inside the facilities of CUS Padua, where they have the opportunity to use study rooms and sports facilities.
Finally, on October 19, in collaboration with Randstad, the SIT Foundation organized a workshop at the facilities of the University Sports Center of Padua with Giacomo Sintini, former volleyball player and trainer. The event was divided into two moments, one aimed at children and teenagers, and the other at managers and company executives. Both shared the same goal: to provide insights and stimuli for growth.
Giacomo Sintini first engaged in a meeting with children, telling his story and revealing all the secrets of volleyball, and then, in front of managers and business executives, conducted a workshop on the concepts of role, team, responsibility, and performance. In particular, for the part dedicated to children and teenagers, the youth sectors of Pallavolo Padova and Pallavolo Arcobaleno were involved, with a total of 60 children under 13 participating in the meeting.