Italy / DE&I

01 January - 30 June 2024

Environmental protection, and community well-being through hospitality and inclusion are core elements of our company mission. To support these values, we have chosen to support the Anffas Pisa (Association of Families of People with Intellectual Disabilities and Neurodevelopmental Disorders) 'Swimtrekking AUT' project, an initiative designed for people with autism.

This innovative project adapts swimtrekking—a sport that involves swimming in open waters—to promote both environmental sustainability and personal development. Participants engage in activities such as retrieving trash from water, tidying beaches, and analyzing collected materials to support the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The Swimtrekking AUT project includes six comprehensive theoretical sessions that enhance participants' understanding of crucial environmental issues and sustainability. Alongside these educational sessions, participants undergo a structured program of weekly pool training. This program focuses on developing and refining swimming techniques, including freestyle swimming, and using equipment like masks, snorkels, wetsuits, and fins to enhance safety and efficiency. It also covers freediving, object retrieval, and underwater photography.

In the final phase of the project, held in May and June 2024, the participants took part in weekly sea outings. These sessions applied the skills learned in the pool to the open water environment, offering firsthand experience of marine ecosystems and reinforcing the sustainability principles covered in their theoretical training.