Etgarim – Challenges: Empowerment and Social Integration of People with Disabilities Through Outdoor Sports

In Israel, there are around half a million people - children and adults – with physical disabilities, psychiatric disorders and other unique needs. Using outdoor sports activities to enhance educational and physical processes with children and adults started sometime in the mid-20^th century. Etgarim started working with people with disabilities in 1995.

Etgarim, which means “challenges” in Hebrew, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment and social integration of people with disabilities through outdoor sports. The main goal of Etgarim, is to plant in each one of its members positive hope and to opens for them new and challenging opportunities.

The main purpose of the lecture is to describe and show the vast array of sports activities Etgarim offers, specifically adapted for empowerment and social integration, such as riding bikes, sailing, running and walking, climbing trees, climbing cliffs, kayaking, water skiing, diving, and Hiking.

Etgarim`s significant message to society is the ability to use the same process for people with different disabilities (physical or mental). By providing accessibility to riding bikes, climbing trees, sailing in the sea and different outdoor sports, we take people out of their comfort zone and into to their growth zone. The process starts with the actual sport activity always added to the process that is transferred by our certified guides. Through that process, we empower people with disabilities to do more than they thought they could do. Hopefully, by understanding their potential in our activities, they will be able project these abilities to other areas of life.