Kinder and Costa Cruises sign an important partnership based on shared values to bring the “Kinder+Sport Joy of moving” project and the right to play into the life of children, on board and on land, all over the world.
An international social responsibility project launched by the Ferrero Group and supported by Costa Cruises currently involves 4 million children in 30 countries around the world, with the aim of developing specific forms of exercise for children and families that are engaging and joyful, in the belief that a positive attitude to movement and sport can make the children of today better adults tomorrow. The initiatives in this project are inspired by Joy of moving: an innovative and scientifically validated educational method that promotes not only motor skills but also the cognitive, emotional and relational development of children.
“Our goal is to bring happiness to the people who board our ships, particularly children,” says Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises. “This Kinder+Sport Joy of moving project therefore integrates perfectly with our values. The starting point is specifically our flagship Costa Diadema, where we have applied the method within a ship environment for the first time. This has allowed us to extend Joy of moving to all the other ships in the Costa fleet and to get over 34,000 girls and boys and their families involved in almost 5,000 hours dedicated to games.”
Joy of moving has become an integral part of the activities run by the Squok Club, the kids’ club that operates on all Costa ships. Implementing the program required specific training to be given to over 200 Costa entertainment staff by specialized Kinder+Sport Joy of moving trainers at the Village of Alba, as well as finding areas and spaces on board for the ad hoc games and exercises that are based on the Joy of moving method. At the Squok Club, all girls and boys (between 3 and 12 years old) can enjoy an extraordinary range of games that encourage movement, some of which involve the whole family. Monitored by qualified Costa staff, the youngest guests star in a daily program of activities that combine physical movement and fun with making friends, while improving their mental and life skills at the same time.
“Our Kinder+Sport /Joy of Moving social responsibility project,” explains Ambassador Francesco Paolo Fulci, Chairman of Ferrero S.p.A., “is inspired by the innovative ‘Joy of moving’ educational method which, during the current school year, has also become one of the educational projects to have been promoted nationally by the Italian ministry of education with the involvement of over 10,000 elementary school classes. With the Kinder+Sport Joy of moving project, we want to commit to encouraging the natural predisposition of children to move and play: with the aim of ensuring that movement can bring joy to children over and above the sports themselves, the playing field and performance. This partnership represents the commitment of two large companies to promote and support the right to play for all children, for whom play is another way to develop, learn the rules of the world, relate to others and use their ingenuity to deal with real life.”
Ambassador Cornado, the Representative of Italy at the International Organizations in Geneva, pointed out that “this year is the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Committee of which meets in Geneva three times a year. Among the measures contained in the Convention – continued Cornado – is the one in article 31, according to which Member States must recognize the right of children to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to their age.”
“Companies must be strongly committed to support sustainable development. It is about their future and the future of all of us,” commented Enrico Giovannini, Founder and Spokesperson for the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS).
The Joy of moving program continues “ashore,” involving local communities in the countries where the ships call, also targeting the weakest groups to create value and share projects aimed at supporting local economic and social development, with a particular focus on new generations: “The sustainable development strategies of Costa Cruises focus on the theme of sharing, in order to ensure that the projects we promote are not only run on board but also contribute to improving the lives of people in the communities visited by our ships. For this reason, we will be extending Joy of moving to our fleet’s main ports of call, enabling children who find themselves in difficult situations to experience a unique and stimulating experience,” adds Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises.
A concrete example of this is the activity carried out last winter in South America, particularly in Brazil, where high unemployment, widespread violence and extreme poverty risk compromising the future of the young generations. In the cities of Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and then Montevideo, working with local NGOs that support children and adolescents in situations of distress and deprivation, over 800 children have had the opportunity to board the Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa, visit the ships and participate in the “Joy of moving” activities with our entertainment staff, to stimulate their motor and mental abilities, their creativity and their life skills in a context of joy, which can help them imagine a better future.
