Zalgiris and One Team program change lives 0

With the finish of Zalgiris Kaunas season came the end of Euroleague’s social One Team project. In the last meeting ambassadors of the project James Anderson, Arturas Gudaitis, Will Cherry and a physical fitness coach Justinas Grainys gave special certificates for the youthful delegation from Kaunas children socialization center and Kaunas regional probation service. These certificates marked the successful end of the project this season.

Reaching goals by using basketball

The purpose of this Zalgiris initiative One Team program is to use authoritative basketball stars and basketball game as an education method to help young people find purposeful goals and reach them with strong discipline. Other goals of this project are to help children deal with their problems, find the right solutions in difficult situations, to make communication skills better, develop a stronger sense of values and create positive habits of behavior.

“We are pleased to join this One Team action with Zalgiris and to give kids a thoughtful occupation and a possibility to do something, to motivate them to reach their goals. We believe that these meetings were useful and because of them they are happier now. Next year we will continue this project and will be able to see these kids again”, – shared impressions Zalgiris center Arturas Gudaitis.

Only favorable reviews

The project is implemented Europe-wide and the clubs of Euroleague are participating in it. One Team always gets favorable responses from organizers and club members.

Will Cherry talks about the project very positively. He wishes that it wasn’t the last meeting this season: “It was very nice to spend time with kids. It’s sad that this time was the last time this season, because I communicated with these kids from the moment I came to Lithuania. I am sure that the children learned something and now they know that they can always come to Zalgiris Arena and talk with players or couches about all problems.”

“Thanks to Zalgiris Kaunas the children of the Socialization Center are involved in the One Team project two years in a row. The best evidence that the project is successful is smiles of children and their desire to participate in activities”, – summarized Vilma Pagiriene, representative of the Socialization Center.

In the end of the course – a lot of successful children‘s changes

The purpose of 2014-2015 year‘s Zalgiris One Team season was to make kids see how valuable is having a purpose in life. In the end of the program a survey was taken where children told about their new goals: dedicatedly go to school, try to learn better and to acquire a profession, start to participate in sports intensely, play basketball, get in Olympics Games, avoid fights, create a family and be a soldier.

According to children, the best activity in the program was team work. Because of team work they learned to talk to each other, concentrate attention to the goal, combine theoretical knowledge with practice and grow the intellectual capital with a connection of physical education.

The participators of the program said that now their opinion about Zalgiris is much better. As a reason why they chose to take part in the activities they mentioned a wish to change their environment, to learn something new and play basketball. Other frequent reasons were a good feeling in the sessions and team work.

The initiative was joined by Zalgiris Club members and fan club Green White Boys.

The third One Team season starts together with the next Zalgiris Kaunas season.