Varese basketball says no to bullying

New project of Varese Basketball in collaboration with ANEMOS Lombardia

Bullying, along with cyberbullying, are the main causes of distress, depression and acts of self-harm that, unfortunately, sometimes lead to suicide among preadolescents and adolescents who are victims. It is essential to counter these phenomena by leading children and adolescents through a path that makes them reflect on the importance of recognizing and respecting their own emotions and those of others. There is no better way than sports, because it succeeds in valuing diversity and giving value to confrontation. When competition is perceived as a positive confrontation with oneself and others, it becomes a powerful tool for educating.

Pallacanestro Varese, through VaRes, is proud to present a new project in collaboration with ANEMOS Lombardia, an association that operates throughout the local and national territory dealing with prevention and countering the phenomena of bullying, cyberbullying and gender-based violence, as well as social discomfort, organizing training and information courses aimed at students in the area using professional figures such as lawyers, psychologists and law enforcement.

The project will include 3 meetings, one per month, at the arena with members of the Under 13, Under 14, Under 15, Under 17 and Under19 teams.

It will be organized as follows:

The first meeting: lecture with association volunteers and developmental psychologists; the second meeting: lecture with legal counsel (to understand the responsibilities of those who bully and the tools to defend themselves); the third meeting: testimony of representatives of the Postal Police (authorized Italian special unit that deals with cyberbullying crimes). The goal is to bring our young athletes to the recognition of their own and others’ emotions in order to establish positive relationships. The project will end in June with a final event.