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HOSPITALITY, an English acronym for Holistic Sports Disciplines for People with Intellectual Disabilities, began in January 2021: a project that is in some ways innovative not only because it combines physical and mental well-being through moments of Mindfulness meditation, but above all because it is aimed at people suffering from intellectual disabilities and with personality disorders. Born following the interesting and profitable experience fielded by the ASD Meet Lab, a young Italian association established in autumn 2018 which since the moment of its establishment has focused on the body-mind combination especially in fragile subjects, which has been the leader of the project, saw the involvement of the Bulgarian association Courage Foundation, the Croatian association Rijeka Sport and the Romanian Scout Society, as well as the UISP Committee Ciriè Settimo Chivasso for Italy.

In line with the conclusions of the European Council of 18 November 2010 on the role of sport as a source and engine of active social inclusion, HOSPITALITY's main objective was to encourage and promote the participation in sports of the previously mentioned subjects, allowing them to acquire new skills and, through Mindfulness, further awareness of oneself. In fact, while physical activity was declined differently by each partner - through gentle gymnastics, yoga, pilates and stretching - the guided meditation part was carried out jointly. Another strong point of the project was the integration of these subjects through a series of targeted interventions: from the promotion of participation in physical activities; to the design and implementation of a study that allows to collect data and strengthen a cooperation network between the partners participating in the project, so that the members and associations of each region can exploit the synergies and exchanges produced. An interesting collaboration in this sense has already taken place, at the beginning of May 2022, between the instructors of MeetLab, the UISP Committee Ciriè Settimo Chivasso and Courage Foundation, who met in Castelletto Ticino to work with a group of people affected by particularly severe disability.

HOSPITALITY, during the months of activity, experienced difficulties due to the CoVid-19 pandemic which led it to obtain a 6-month extension. The restrictions made it difficult, at first, to take courses in person. From this point of view, in fact, it was difficult to guarantee complete continuity due to the restrictive ministerial decrees which, although trying to protect these subjects as much as possible, greatly limited their possibility of carrying out group activities. A situation that led to the reformulation of what was initially established, but that didn't stop the desire to demonstrate the positive aspects and benefits of the project. At the beginning and at the end of the courses, users were given a questionnaire in order to evaluate any improvements in overall well-being, awareness of their own emotions and of themselves, and the ability to concentrate.

The comparison of the answers brought appreciable visible results in all the realities involved. From a physical point of view, users have indicated greater concentration in small daily activities, combined with an increase in the ability to perform multiple actions simultaneously; from the point of view of psychological well-being, an improvement was reported in the self-esteem of the subjects involved, as well as the perception of their own person. Greater development of empathy and socialization skills have also been highlighted. In fact, some partners, although not envisaged by the HOSPITALITY guidelines, have attempted the path of greater integration, opening up the relaxing gymnastics and Mindfulness courses also to the able-bodied population not necessarily with kinship ties and/or assistance with people with disabilities users of the project. HOSPITALITY is therefore the demonstration of how much sport can bring benefits in both physical and mental terms even in people with disabilities, for a future that increasingly focuses on integration.