The U14s enjoyed the last activity with CREIXEM in the ‘Un paso más’ (One More Step) project
This Thursday, Villarreal’s U14s (Infantil A) enjoyed the last activity of the One More Step project alongside CREIXEM, within the Endavant Igualtat programme. The Yellows Academy youngsters gave children from the charity material and support that they have created throughout the season to make their life a little easier. As a finale to a great year of Endavant Igualtat, everyone had a great time together at a children’s park. There, the academy players gave the CREIXEM children the presents they themselves had chosen, to give them an easier life, such as spoons, pens, forks… even a pelvic seat.
Within the Endavant Igualtat initiative, the U14 players have taken part in various activities within the One More Step project to help children on the autism spectrum and impaired mobility that CREIXEM work with.
Villarreal CF supports the expansion of the centre
Villarreal CF has carried out a number of activities throughout this season to raise funds with the aim of helping the expansion of the CREIXEM centre in Vinaròs. An economic help, also backed by LaLiga, so the new centre became reality. The work has now finished and it will soon be unveiled.
CREIXEM is a child development centre formed by a group of professionals who work with a number of disciplines to attend to the needs of children up to the age of 16 with neurodevelopment disorders, or those who are at risk of developing them.
The centre’s objectives are to provide the necessary support according to the interests and characteristics of each child and family to develop their integration and autonomy in different aspects of their live (school life, social life, family life, etc). Through this work, the family’s quality of life improves.
Do you want to know more about One More Step?
The project is divided into three parts. The season started with a talk from the charity leaders to the U14s players at the Villarreal CF Training Ground (Ciudad Deportiva). The co-ordinators from CREIXEM told the players about the needs of the children at the centre, so they were aware of the situation and how they should act when they made first contact. Moreover, the Yellows players then visited the centre in Vinaròs, where the first meeting took place. Everyone enjoyed a very special day where they got to know each other better. Later on, there was a new visit, but this time it was those from CREIXEM who visited the training ground.
Through November and December, CREIXEM, alongside the Yellows, decided to take a step forward in this initiative to meet the needs of the children, with the aim of getting to know the needs of people beyond the club, the break the stereotype about children on the autism spectrum and impaired mobility. In this second stage, the U14s were divided into three groups, and each one of them specialised in a certain area throughout the season.
The first group focused on physiotherapy. These youngsters took part in a workshop where the CREIXEM physiotherapists explained to them about their daily work with the children at the charity. They also showed them plaster moulds that can be used as seats for children who are unable to physically keep themselves upright themselves. With this type of moulds they train, among other things, an upright posture, something that physiotherapists related with training sessions that Yellows Academy youngsters do to improve their footballing technique.
A second group looked at helping CREIXEM children improve their independence. Because of that, they created utensils grips, such as cutlery and cups, to increase the quality of life of those with difficulty in motor skills, and may find it difficult to eat by themselves, among other impediments.
The third and final group were involved with looking at the possible situations that you may face when meeting children on the autism spectrum. To do that, they looked at diverse scenarios where children with autism do not understand jokes, or even do not know how to start a conversation. The Yellows youngsters designed comics where they expressed, through different sketches, situations like that, and how to facethem.
Next season Villarreal CF will continue to try and improve the life of those who do not have it easy, with new initiatives within the Endavant Igualtat programme.
