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| One Team Annual Workshop celebrates 12th edition |
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The 12th One Team Annual Workshop took place near Barcelona last week, allowing Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup clubs to meet in person again to learn even more about the program and how best to implement its methodology during the 2022-23 season.
The workshop began on Tuesday with an introduction for new One Team managers and coaches from Euroleague Basketball representatives Vita Petrauskaite and Marcel Maneja, who explained the importance of One Team's impact on more than 24,000 underprivileged and at-risk participants to date.
Next, guest experts from the international social responsibility organization Fútbol Más stressed the importance of focusing on development through sport, rather than using sport as a competitive tool, to keep social inclusion as the focus. Using a series of games, Alfonso Cevallos, Claire Seang and Seppe Verbist outlined Fútbol Más's pedagogy and how the teams can mirror something similar.
Later on Tuesday, the workshop participants moved to a local gym for a team-building session run by thinkBeyond's Radha Balani before Eleanor Lee from Goal Click provided tips on creating compelling digital media content, asking the club representatives to contribute short clips for an Instagram reel. On Wednesday, she returned to use those clips to train the clubs in how to use the best tools available to show on social media exactly how the One Team program is implemented and its far-reaching impact.
The workshop was also attended by representatives from Turkish Airlines, One Team's Founding Patron; Special Olympics, the program's long-time Proud Partner; and One Team supporting brands BKT and Adidas.
Among the speakers at the gym was former champion David Rivers, a Euroleague Basketball Ambassador, who said: "You are going to be the focus, you are going to be the spark of bringing these tools, this platform, to your organization, which should impact your community. If you think about the significance of that... I enjoy doing this more than any championship I've ever won."
The first day closed with the six One Team Awards nominees – Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Olympiacos Piraeus, Zalgiris Kaunas, and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan – sharing advice and the secrets of their success with the larger group.
Wednesday's workshop sessions opened with Euroleague Basketball's Abigail Martin and Turkish Airlines representative Emel Sonbahar looking at the current status of the One Team program and detailing its opportunities for growth moving forward. Next, the work that One Team does to support brands, communities and individuals was discussed by Salvador Periago, Judith Plaza Gascon and Sheyla Mohammad Molina from La Rotllana, while Duna Pigrau introduced the sustainability purpose that Basquet Girona has embedded at the core of its business.
The ensuing talks addressed the problems that displaced people face, with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative Edelmira Campos Nuñez explaining how the agency created a sports network to help protect refugees and a support system for young women, in particular. Ramon Garriga, of the Barça Foundation, and Lucy Mills, formerly of the Barça Foundation, stressed the importance of a needs assessment when first meeting migrants and refugees and others experiencing turmoil in their lives.
Next, the clubs heard the emotional story of Fereshtah Rafat, a women's rights activist and journalist who visibly moved the audience with the tale of her journey from Afghanistan to Spain after the Taliban's return to power in her homeland.
"I came here with my handbag and my documents, and some basic things," Mrs. Rafat said.
"After two months, one social worker told me that there is a chance to play football specific for women in Barcelona... Sport really does change lives. Football, like every other sport, can change the situation for a refugee, as it includes them in the community and can help them forget about lots of problems that they have."
Following her emotional speech and the day's earlier powerful messages, it was back to the gym, where the Fútbol Más trio held a series of sessions, exercises and games over three hours to demonstrate how to get program participants warmed up and engaged in One Team sessions.
Last but not least, the One Team Awards for the 2021-22 season were announced. First, the One Team Ambassador Award was given to Olympiacos forward Kostas Papanikolaou for his stellar work in the community. Next, Milan took the Judges Award for Community Development after the team's impressive work in supporting disadvantaged groups in and around the city. To close the event, the One Team Gold, Silver and Bronze Program awards were revealed. Baskonia secured the bronze prize, Fenerbahce took silver, and Olympiacos Piraeus won its second One Team Gold Program award in a row.
With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed in One Team a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under a theme of "community integration" that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.
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