The International Blind Football Foundation (‘IBF Foundation’) held the 2nd edition of the ‘Global Leadership Camp for visually impaired people, supported by Skylight” (‘Global Leadership Camp’) in Madrid, Spain, from 17 to 22 November 2024.

Purpose of the event

To discover and develop future leaders from the visually impaired community in order to improve and change the social environment for people who are blind or partially sighted in each country.

Social issues related to visually impaired people exist widely in each country and region, and while some issues are common to each country, there are many different issues. IBF Foundation believe that in order to solve these issues, it is essential to have human resources who can work on the ground to solve them.

Outline

Host city: Madrid, Spain
Dates: 17-22 November 2024
Number of camp participants: 8 visually impaired people/participants from different countries
Sponsors: Skylight Consulting, knots associates
Local partner: Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles – ONCE)

Selection of participants

Participants were asked to submit their ideas on how they would like to acquire leadership skills, what they would like to achieve in the future and what kind of projects they would like to implement. After a document review and online interviews, eight participants were finally selected.

Participants

The number of participants was the same as in the first edition: eight. They came from India, Iraq, Jordan, Bulgaria, Argentina, Nicaragua, Colombia and Ghana, with three men and five women. Their ages ranged from 21 to 41 years. Employees of visually impaired organisations, business owners, postgraduate students working with start-ups, government officials, etc. Each arrived alone at Madrid airport on 17 November.

ONCE and venue

As in the first version, Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles – ONCE) was able to provide us with a venue and accommodation run by its group of companies. The accommodation was in a different location to the first version, but the facilities and staff still well understood and were friendly to the visually impaired participants.

Programme structure

Participants submitted a project (defined as ‘My project’) that they themselves wanted to realise in the future as a preliminary assignment. Through lectures, visits and experiences during the camp, as well as peer coaching among participants, My project was refined and presented on the final day.

The programme was structured in a way that there were slots for experiences, lectures and guest speakers to encourage participants to think about leadership, and slots for lectures, visits and discussions to get guidance on how to brush up their projects.

【Day 1】

・Orientation
・Self-introduction
・Ice-breaker
On the evening of the arrival day, participants from all over the world had time to get to know each other.

【Day2】

・Ideathon
Multiple discussions in two groups on pre-selected themes, including mobility, employment, social participation and accessibility. The main objective was to build relationships to understand each person’s background and ideas.

・Session by Mr Ogawa, Skylight Consulting Ltd.
Lectures on leadership, stakeholder relations and other essential business knowledge.

・Guest speaker lecture
José Soares from Integrated Dreams
Integrated Dreams is a non-profit organisation based in Lisbon, Portugal, that works towards the inclusion of people with disabilities in sport. José presented the content and results of various activities, such as the FOOTBALL FOR ALL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME, and inspired participants.

Comments from Jose
“Having the possibility of interacting and sharing some of my work with the participants at the Global Leadership Camp was a unique experience that I would recommend to anyone who has this opportunity, to not miss it! The motivation of the participants was simply unmatchable and having the opportunity to spend an afternoon learning with them was simply an unparalleled valuable experience! I hope to be able to come back!”

Mônica Esperidiao Hasenclever from World Football Summit
Launched in 2016, the World Football Summit is a conference of leaders who are transforming the world of football. Mônica showcased World Football Summit’s initiatives and scale, including the inclusion of football for people with disabilities and the advancement of women.

【Day3】

・Workshop
Workshops using blind football balls and other equipment. Learn about fostering teamwork and communication.

・Visit to ONCE Hub
Visit places where people with disabilities receive training for employment and participants experienced various pieces of equipment for people with disabilities. Learn about ONCE’s support, including what they are doing and why.

・Fieldwork at Dragones de Lavapiés
Visit to a community football club in the Lavapiés area of Madrid. A local club founded and managed by a visually impaired person which provides sporting opportunities not only for people with disabilities but also for the wider local community. Participants were given a presentation by representatives from the club.

【Day 4】

・Peer coaching on the meaning of leadership.

・Visit to Ilunion HQ
This is the branch in charge of the business sector within ONCE Social Group. The hotel where the participants were staying is also run by this department. The responsible person explained that Ilunion is involved in a variety of business sectors, including cleaning and media. The studio where the news is produced and broadcast was the venue for the meeting.

・Interim presentation on My project.
Presentations in groups. Receive questions, opinions and advice.

・ONCE Museum experience
Museum where you can touch the exhibits. Works by visually impaired artists are also on display.

【Day 5】

・Cross-border Pitch Event
1. Ashirase～ Japanese venture company. Introducing a shoe-worn vibration navigation device.
2. ONCE～ start-up and entrepreneurship support for visually impaired people.
3. Institute de La Vision～ introduction to the research conducted by the French Institute of Vision.

・Group work on My project

【Day 6】

・Final presentation
‘Who I am’ (Who I am) What is my own leadership?’
‘What I want to achieve through my leadership’
The presentation was based on My project.

Details of each presentation

Zainab Jalal Ahmed Al-Rikabi (Iraq): Zainab believes that anyone can exercise leadership, regardless of their position as a leader. The goal is to raise funds for the local women’s blind football team, and to solicit support from non-profit organisations and businesses to cover coaches’ salaries, equipment costs and transport to matches.

Hasan Tayem (Jordan): Hasan aims for adaptive leadership with a focus on inclusiveness and empowerment. Created a network to connect runners and guides to address the issue of visually impaired runners having difficulty finding a guide. Aims to promote access to and awareness of sport.

Elena Karamanska (Bulgaria): Elena practices transformational and servant leadership, utilises strategic thinking and networking. Drives meaningful change with innovative ideas and creates a supportive environment for her team. She founded a consultancy specialising in web site accessibility and acts as a link between companies and professionals.

Lena Fernández Calienes Saavedra (Argentina): Lena focuses on participatory leadership and listens to people’s needs. Tackles the issue of lack of information on health and nutrition for visually impaired people, with the aim of improving their sports performance and quality of life. Promotes strategies that respect autonomy and support improved food choices.

Juan Luis Sevilla Iglesias (Nicaragua): Juan Luis promotes projects that foster inclusion in the labour market for visually impaired people in Nicaragua. Works in three areas: training, employment support and entrepreneurship support, paving the way for visually impaired people to utilise their abilities. Assists in obtaining employment contracts and fosters entrepreneurship.

Joseph Seyena-Susu (Ghana): Joseph pursues results through transformational and service-oriented leadership and adaptability; aims to economically empower 300 persons with disabilities in three years through ICT and vocational training. As an expert in the subject, Joseph offers an introductory course on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a means of conflict resolution. Also considering establishing a museum with tactile experiences for the visually impaired.

Diana Marcela Jiménez Barbosa (Colombia): Diana has been a leader of visually impaired people in Colombia for over eight years. She focuses on horizontal leadership and works to improve access to higher education for the visually impaired with the project ‘Education without Problems’. The project aims to design an admissions model, promote financial aid and reduce requirements for scholarships.

Participant comments

“I learned to strengthen teamwork, in addition, I learned new inclusion strategies for people with disabilities, I greatly valued the contributions that each of the classmates in the camp made for the rest of the participants, I learned the ideas that the organizing team implemented during the week of the camp, and I incorporated many of them in my way of working with blind people. I also learned that collaborative work is very important to advocate for the social inclusion of people with disabilities in sports, education, employment, and other areas. In the same way, I learned that the technological advances that are being incorporated in the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind represent a true alternative for development with equity.”

“Difference between a leader and leadership, attributes of a good leader, communication listening and feedback, teamwork and analysis. Sharing ideas one on one and as a group can help us achieve our projects and more through brainstorming. I can collaborate with IBF Foundation here by representing and helping to facilitate or execute any future activities you may have. I think the camp was great.”

“The contact with all the participants in the camp, from my classmates to coordinators and guests, was very enriching. I met people with very interesting experiences and routes. In addition, it was very motivating for me to listen to people who are already working or doing things I aspire to. Personally, I would like to recommend that in the final instance of presentation of the individual project it would be very enriching to receive more feedback from the coordinators and guests at the camp.”