The children with special needs, as well as those from families with hard life circumstances, attending the Feldman Ecopark Centre for Psychosocial Rehabilitation became honored guests of a match of the Ukrainian Football Championship Shakhtar — Vorskla, which took place at the Metallist stadium, on August 11. The special kids have brought the Shachtar team to the field to the applause of numerous fans. For children who undergo rehabilitation on the basis of the Social and Humanitarian Multi-Complex it was a unique opportunity not only to look at a fascinating sports duel, but also to get acquainted personally with the stars of the game, most popular in Ukraine.
“Positive experience of attention and success is very important for children with special needs or for those brought up in the families with hard life circumstances. It is no secret that they test a certain lack of the bright motivating impressions. For some time our children became the main characters on the football field, appeared in a focus of photo and TV cameras, heard an approving rumble of enthusiastic public in the terraces — the head of psychological service of Feldman Ecopark Centre of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Tetiana Aliieva told. — Whether it is worth saying that the level of positive emotions of children and their parents just read off scale. This football match is the Event that will always be remembered and cherished. Certainly, the psychotherapeutic effect of similar campaigns is huge. It is an incentive to take their fate in their own hands, to play sports, to overcome obstacles, to strive for a dream.”
It should be noted that the children with special needs gained an opportunity to become honored guests on a holiday of big football due to FC Shakhtar, which has recently begun active cooperation with the Feldman Ecopark within the project 1,000 Teams Tournament, implemented by the International Charitable Foundation “Oleksandr Feldman Foundation.” At weekend, the special location of the well-known Ukrainian football club propagandizing sport and healthy lifestyle works for young and adult visitors to the Social and Humanitarian Multi-Complex.
Besides, it should be noted that the tradition when children, including those with special needs and orphans, bring football players to the field exists for twenty years around the world. For the first time such programme was implemented on the FIFA World Cup 1998 in France.
