3 continents.

11 teams.

44 superheroes.

288 miles.

1 mission:

Help improve the early childhood development and education conditions in Serbia and raise awareness of the importance of the early years.  

Time zone discrepancy and changing weather conditions mean nothing when we are united around a noble cause. Novak Djokovic Foundation’s Silver Partnership participation at the Milano Marathon was a huge success. Once again, it showed us the strength of the community we are building.  

Of the 11 teams who ran, one was in Milano at the official event with other participants, while the other 10 did it in different locations around the world.  

From Pirot to Belgrade, six teams who ran in Serbia were the employees of companies who are our perennial partners: CBS Systems, Chips Way, Pertini, Sitel Srbija, Glovoapp Technology, and Telekom Srbija.    

Team World consisted of three Italian teams running in Lombardy, the Chicago Stars Team running in Illinois, plus the old faithful #NoleFam team: Abbi and Silvina ran in Argentina (ha! gotcha!), Padma ran in Florida, and Julie did it in France. And they all aced it!  

Thus, thanks to our advocates, we raised funds for our new program that we elegantly named Feel to Heal.   The program aims to help children aged 3 to 6 to master the recognition, naming, and emotion management skills necessary for their lifelong well-being. It also aims to help parents put their ego aside and awaken their own inner child so as to be able to help and understand their children better.

In light of the International day of sport for development and peace that we marked with an educational panel, we hope that this Milano Marathon story of hours inspires you to keep living a healthy lifestyle. Thank you for supporting our mission and for believing in their dreams.  

The post 11 Teams Ran and Supported Our Mission at Milano Marathon appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

3 continents.

11 teams.

44 superheroes.

288 miles.

1 mission:

Help improve the early childhood development and education conditions in Serbia and raise awareness of the importance of the early years.  

Time zone discrepancy and changing weather conditions mean nothing when we are united around a noble cause. Novak Djokovic Foundation’s Silver Partnership participation at the Milano Marathon was a huge success. Once again, it showed us the strength of the community we are building.  

Of the 11 teams who ran, one was in Milano at the official event with other participants, while the other 10 did it in different locations around the world.  

From Pirot to Belgrade, six teams who ran in Serbia were the employees of companies who are our perennial partners: CBS Systems, Chips Way, Pertini, Sitel Srbija, Glovoapp Technology, and Telekom Srbija.    

Team World consisted of three Italian teams running in Lombardy, the Chicago Stars Team running in Illinois, plus the old faithful #NoleFam team: Abbi and Silvina ran in Argentina (ha! gotcha!), Padma ran in Florida, and Julie did it in France. And they all aced it!  

Thus, thanks to our advocates, we raised funds for our new program that we elegantly named Feel to Heal.   The program aims to help children aged 3 to 6 to master the recognition, naming, and emotion management skills necessary for their lifelong well-being. It also aims to help parents put their ego aside and awaken their own inner child so as to be able to help and understand their children better.

In light of the International day of sport for development and peace that we marked with an educational panel, we hope that this Milano Marathon story of hours inspires you to keep living a healthy lifestyle. Thank you for supporting our mission and for believing in their dreams.  

The post 11 Teams Ran and Supported Our Mission at Milano Marathon appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

A great amount of research has shown that swimming and spending quality time in the water, can significantly benefit children with autism. It can help them improve their speech, coordination, social skills, self-esteem, and cognitive processing.

Nevertheless, no one could ever believe how much time in the water would help little Aleksandra.

Aleksandra Popov from Novi Sad, a kind, warm-hearted and brave girl, beat some of the autism symptoms she had been suffering from until the age of 7 with the help of water sports.   The dedication of her swim coach Mr. Igor Bežanović, helped Aleksandra turn from a child of 7 years old with special disabilities into a self-aware and eager-to-learn-teenager who now helps other children with special disabilities in Mr. Bežanović’s sports center Halivik.

Thanks to the support of The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and the Sports Association Halivik, Aleksandra Popovic beat some of her autism symptoms.

In time, with the help of her parents, Aleksandra has also become a skillful water skier and she sometimes competes in triathlon competitions for children and teenagers. Swimming has positively impacted her other skills as well. She has drastically improved her communication skills and switched from being non-verbal to speaking English and French besides her mother tongue.

In her mind, she pushed all the autism challenges away and suddenly had a whole new dream – to water ski the English Channel when she is older.

But, the most astonishing effect of her tremendous turn, is her ability to teach other children to swim and feel safe in the water. Under Igor’s supervision, Aleksandra helps at the Sports Association Halivik – the only swimming club in the region that helps children with special abilities. Halivik manages swimming activities and water safety training, as well as general sports activities. It focuses on training non-swimmers aged 3 to 7 and holds a vision of educating all individuals, including those with disabilities which can be overcome with determination and with the proper teaching style. And the inspiration behind it was Aleksandra herself.

A great amount of research has shown that swimming and spending quality time in the water, can significantly benefit children with autism symptoms.

Amazed by Aleksandra’s story, our long-time project partners, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, decided to help her further develop her water safety skills. Since 2012, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation has been on a mission to raise public awareness about water safety, teach children preventive measures and teach them to swim.

Thanks to their support, every year during our Friendship Games camp, many children from disadvantaged areas in Serbia get their first swimming and water safety lessons. The majority of them have never been to the pool before, so such an educative experience is very important for their further growth.

The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation partnered with the Sports Association Halivik, and together they started the “Stay Safe” project, to train Aleksandra Popov to become a water safety educator. At the age of 14, Aleksandra has developed sufficient communication skills to envisage spreading her knowledge of water safety. Additionally, she will participate in the organization of local sports events intended on raising awareness of drowning prevention.

Thanks to the support of the Princesse Charlene Foundation, every year during our Friendship Games camp, many children from disadvantaged areas in Serbia get their first swimming and water safety lessons.

We can’t wait to share with you Aleksandra’s impressions when she finishes her training. The “žStay Safe” project will help her go beyond her boundaries to become a water safety peer educator and the first young swimmer in the country to encourage the trend of water safety learning. Hopefully, her story will open even more such possibilities and inspire others to give their best effort to overcome any obstacles that stop them from making their dreams come true.

The post Meet a Girl Who Beat the Autism Symptoms with the Help of Water Sports appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.