Alive & Kicking for intellectual disability is a program based on the humanitarian values of E.PSY.ME aided by the knowledge provided by Sport Psychology and its beneficial impact on people’s lives. Professionals that take part in this project come from various academic disciplines, and have all come together under one shared goal: to make an impact in the lives of young people with intellectual disability. The group sets up sport clinics for young people with High-Functioning Autism and intellectual disability in a sporting environment. Work will be implemented on the areas of affirmation and self-talk, arousal, anxiety and stress, confidence, consistency, focus and concentration, goal setting, motivation, team building, and cohesion. The above areas will be thoroughly and professionally tailored to the needs of each specific individual.

Disability is any physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses or activities. The term disability is conventionally used to refer to attributes that are severe enough to interfere with, or prevent, normal day-to-day activities. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, “persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”1 Disabilities can be permanent, temporary, or episodic. They can affect people from birth, or be acquired later in life through injury or illness.

The correlation between poverty and disability has direct implications for the capacity of developing nations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Poverty itself cannot be addressed without confronting both the causes of disability and the social and economic exclusion of persons with disabilities. As long as 10% of any country’s population is uneducated and unemployed, the country will have difficulty meeting its MDG targets. Conversely, countries that purposefully confront the inter-relationship of disability and poverty will make progress toward the targets.

In many countries, beliefs and attitudes have evolved to recognize the importance of fully including persons with disabilities. These changing attitudes are largely the result of the leadership of persons with disabilities and their families. As a result, legislation has been enacted to ensure equal rights and efforts are underway to enhance accessibility and inclusiveness in the workplace and community life.

Despite this important milestone, persons with disabilities still face societal barriers and disability still evokes negative attitudes and discrimination in many societies. The individuals concerned — and their families — continue to experience stigma, disempowerment, and social and economic marginalization. The cost of this exclusion and discrimination is enormous in terms of lost opportunities and poor quality of life for individuals and their families. This cost includes lost potential for society given the social, economic, and cultural contributions these individuals might be making under more equitable and inclusive circumstances.

When efforts are not made to ensure that sport participation is inclusive, sport remains simply another area where discriminatory attitudes and practices toward persons with disabilities are perpetuated. Even when the decision is made to make sport more accessible and inclusive, without basic steps to foster understanding, knowledge and communication about how to adapt sports appropriately, intolerance can be exacerbated and divisiveness can ensue. With appropriate communication, knowledge and skill, sport can be a powerful tool for transforming community attitudes and empowering individuals through the acquisition of new physical and social skills, self-confidence and positive relationships. But this can be initiated through the understanding of participating in sports and exercise.

Understanding why individuals participate in and adhere to exercise has attracted considerable attention in exercise science research (Biddle, 1995; Dishman, 1994; Doganis &Theodorakis, 1995; McAuley, Pena, &Jerome, 2001;Vallerand, 2001). Ryan, Frederick, Lepes, Rubio, and Sheldon (1997) have successfully employed Self- determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000) in this respect. In the context of SDT, social-contextual supports of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are considered essential to motivation and psychological growth in any domain (Ryan, 1995).

Self Determination Theory (SDT) is an approach to human motivation and personality that uses traditional empirical methods while employing an organismic meta-theory that highlights the importance of humans’ evolved inner resources for personality development and behavioural self-regulation (Ryan, Kuhl, & Deci, 1997). Therefore raises and promotes the awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity through increased participation in sports.

Much of the research guided by SDT has also examined environmental factors that hinder or undermine self-motivation, social functioning, and personal well-being. Thus, SDT is concerned not only with the specific nature of positive developmental tendencies, but it also examines social environments that are antagonistic toward these tendencies. The empirical methods used in much of the SDT research have been in the Baconian tradition, in that social contextual variables have been directly manipulated to examine their effects on both internal processes and behavioural manifestations. The use of experimental paradigms has allowed us to specify the conditions under which people’s natural activity and constructiveness will flourish, as well as those that promote a lack of self-motivation and social integration.

Conclusively, using self-determination theory (SDT) as a framework (Deci & Ryan, 1985: Ryan & Deci, 2000, 2002) this project attempts to manifest that perceived competence, autonomy and relatedness influence mentally disabled individuals’ level of intrinsic motivation (IM) in sports and in everyday life in general. This project will attempt to prove that the relationship between competence, autonomy, and relatedness can change people’s attitude towards life itself and ultimately their way of living .

A program of regular physical activity helps people of all ages and abilities. An individual can develop a well-rounded exercise routine regardless of sex, age and mental health condition with the benefits including

• Enhanced mental health and well-being
• Improved physical health
• Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Improved self-esteem and confidence
• Reduced risk of developing serious physical health conditions (including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer)
• Healthy weight loss
• Provides a positive focus and sense of purpose – a key element in combating depression
• Encourages social inclusion
• Reduced feelings of anger and frustration
• Enhanced concentration and sleeping patterns

People with mental retardation often have a combination of health problems, which are often tied to physical inactivity.

Recent studies have looked at the heart and lung function of people with mental retardation. When they are in their 20s, they often have the heart and lung function of people 20 to 30 years older. Inactivity can make a person more likely to develop decrease a person’s ability to take care of him or herself.

Physical activity in people with mental retardation can help improve their health, physical function, self-esteem, and behaviour. It can provide an enjoyable social outlet and it can help support families and caregivers.

Eurobarometer survey on sport and physical activity was carried out by TNS Opinion & Social network in late 2013 in the 28 EU Member States. The results show that while 41% of European citizens exercise or play sport at least once a week, a worrying 59% of respondents say that they never or seldom do so.

Based on research produced by England Athletics and mental health charity Sport in Mind ® (charity reg. no. 1145326) Mental illness is a rapidly growing problem in society and new interventions need to be sought to address this issue. Regular engagement in sport and physical activity interventions can have a massive effect in the treatment and prevention of mental illness. Only 16% of people with mental health conditions take part in sport or physical activity on a regular basis (once a week) compared to 35.7% of non-disabled people. (Active People Survey 7).

There is extensive support for a positive and lasting relationship between participation in regular exercise and various indices of mental health, and several reviews (e.g. Biddle et al, 2000; Craft & Landers, 1998) have been published in this field.

The above perception is shared by similar organizations in our region like Panellinios Syllogos Prosarmosmenon Drastiriotiton “Alma”, Ergastiri Eidikis Agogis “Margarita”. The same perception was shared at European level established by the communication with Umbrella organisations like “Centrum för integration och omsorg i Sverige AB” in Sweeden and “Amfidromo Chorotheatro” in Cyprus.

We contacted the University of Athens concerning the above problems. University then turned to other European institutions like FUNDACION GENERAL DE LA UNIVERSIDAD EUROPEA DE MADRID of the University of Madrid, faculty of sports sciences and UNIVERSITE DE LORRAINE, faculty of sports sciences.

No solution was provided but there was a shared interest to form an alliance to find one. Hence all the above organizations will take part in the project attracting participants of the target group.