What is Social groups project?

Social groups project is a social project initiated by EVS volunteers and supported by Miegantys Drambliai climbing center. For the moment it is happening in Kaunas, where we keep in touch with a network of local daycare centers.

We want to promote sports and convince children that practicing an indoor or outdoor activity is a healthy and energy consuming way to spend their free time. Our main priority is to present climbing simultaneously with other active sports like trekking, fitness, running and walking. All of them are good for a climber’s condition, or just keeping fit. Also, climbing is not only a sport for the body, but for the brain too. You have to think how to climb a certain route, where to place your foot next and your brain starts working in complex ways. Last, but not least, kids will learn about teamwork, community building and volunteering. We want to offer the possibility for kids from social risk environment to invest into their potential. They have options even though their background problems tell them the opposite. If some kids prove potential, MD team will do all that is possible to keep them motivated, supporting them and offering them a space where they can train. We believe that behaviours can be changed through education: sport, culture and crafts, social skills.

Our programe has five parts:

 1.      First meeting is a pre-visit to the center where the kids are usually going. We want just to meet them, integrate in their routine and get to know them.

 2.      Second meeting will also be a pre-visit – trying to understand the children, find out more about their interests and problems.

 3.      The third time we will present climbing in the center: show gear, short climbing video, warming-up games.

 4.      Children will come to our gym and spend time climbing.

 5.      The last gathering can be filled with one creative workshop like recycling objects or painting, language lessons or outdoor activities.

What does Miegantys Drambliai offer? 

MD is a climbing center that wants and can offer a sport education to anyone interested in a healthier life, regardless of age or level. Our gym is the perfect space to try and get familiarized with sports routine. We are a young team, opened to any ideas that involve sport education and we try to raise awareness that doing sports is necessarly as much as possible. 

Don’t forget that climbing means training every part of the body, and the brain is the most important one.

Who are we again?

We are two EVS volunteers that are spending one year working with Miegantys Drambliai team. This is an international voluntary service financed by the EU. We’re coming from Italy (Stefano) and Romania (Anca) to explore an international working place and to promote climbing as a state of mind, because we love it as well.  

We are responsible for Social groups project, until end of August 2014, when our program will end. We’re the ones scheduling the meetings, keeping in contact with you and the ones that can clarify any thoughts you would have. So don’t hesitate to contact us! (stefano@miegantysdrambliai.lt or anca@miegantysdrambliai.lt)