ESPARTANOS! is a Servizio Civile Universale project abroad promoted by OPES in Argentina, in the Buenos Aires area, with the aim of fostering the social inclusion of incarcerated individuals through sports practice. The project is developed in collaboration with organisations active in prison‑related work and is based on the belief that sport can become a concrete tool for connection, responsibility, personal growth, and reintegration.
Included in the programme “Insieme nel mondo con OPES”, the project operates in a particularly delicate and meaningful context, where the promotion of rights, the fight against exclusion, and the creation of new opportunities take on strong educational and social value.
Project Objectives
The project aims to increase the level of social inclusion of incarcerated individuals through sports practice in the Buenos Aires context.
In particular, the project seeks to:
- analyse the context and needs of incarcerated people through research and monitoring activities;
- promote opportunities for sports practice within the prison environment;
- develop training pathways for inmates in sports professions, such as refereeing and coaching;
- enhance sport as a tool for rehabilitation, inclusion, and responsibility;
- activate listening spaces and psychological support linked to sports experience and inmate well‑being;
- strengthen the training of operators and social communication on the educational and inclusive value of sport in prison settings.
Main Activities
The activities planned within ESPARTANOS! are structured across several areas.
A first area concerns field research, including data collection, questionnaires, needs analysis, identification of challenges, preparation of reports, and dissemination of results.
The project then includes the organisation of sports practice opportunities for inmates, in which volunteers support the organisation in contacting prison institutions, scheduling activities, preparing logistics, managing attendance, collecting satisfaction data, and reporting on activities.
Another central component concerns the implementation of training pathways for inmates in sports professions, particularly related to the roles of coach and referee. In these activities, volunteers work alongside operators in organisation, communication, preparation of materials, and practical delivery.
The project also includes meetings dedicated to the role of sport as a means of rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals, with informational activities, moments of discussion, dissemination of results, and the organisation of psychological support services connected to assistance, activities carried out, and their impact on inmates.
In addition, training activities for operators are planned, along with the development of communication and information systems to promote sports activities, share results, and raise public awareness through articles, social content, informational materials, and monitoring of online communication.
Impact on the Territory and Beneficiaries
ESPARTANOS! operates in a context where sports practice takes on a value that goes beyond the physical dimension, becoming an opportunity for inclusion, connection, discipline, responsibility, and potential social reintegration. The project helps create spaces for participation and growth within the prison system, offering inmates concrete tools to develop skills, strengthen self‑esteem, and imagine new personal pathways.
The impact of the project concerns both the direct beneficiaries of the activities and the broader context in which prison institutions, operators, social organisations, and local communities operate. Through sport, training, psychological support, and communication, the project promotes a more inclusive and transformative vision of work in prison settings.
The project also contributes to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, particularly Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities), fostering learning, inclusion, and opportunities for personal development in highly fragile contexts.
Training and Growth Opportunities for Volunteers
For volunteer operators, ESPARTANOS! represents an intense and highly formative experience, both on a human and professional level. The young participants engage in research activities, organisation, educational support, logistical assistance, social communication, and monitoring, coming into contact with a complex environment that requires responsibility, sensitivity, and relational skills.
Throughout the project, volunteers can develop skills in:
- social inclusion and work in fragile contexts;
- organisation of sports and training activities;
- support for educational and professionalising pathways;
- social communication and dissemination;
- monitoring, feedback collection, and reporting;
- teamwork and cooperation in intercultural and sensitive environments.
The experience requires maturity, adaptability, balance, and respect for people and the context, while offering an important opportunity for personal and civic growth, oriented toward international solidarity, rights, and the construction of real inclusion pathways.