Supported by the EU in the Erasmus+ programme and inspired by earlier Swedish initiatives, a cooperating team from the Austrian and Hungarian orienteering communities have started an educational project connected to a series of events for people with special needs.
The aim was to offer people with mental health issues the opportunity to participate in sport and benefit from the positive mental health effects of spending time outdoors. It also helps to develop a range of individual and social skills. Orienteering has shown to have a positive impact on cognitive domains, e.g. perception, information processing, memory, and spatial orientation.
Flex-O events take place in an integrated environment with orienteering, as they are part of the competition, although the participants attend a special course, while being protected and supported.
The primary target group of Flex-O are young people with special educational needs, in particular people with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The organisers of Flex-O events are orienteering volunteers who know the individual characteristics and needs of the participants. The project introduced a standardized format of offering orienteering to the target group. Digital material created for participants and organisers are available for public use.
Find more information about the project in this Hungarian website
Inclusive is one of the IOF’s three values.
Read more on IOF’s values and strategic directions in the Governance and organisation-site here.