Cem gains confidence with One Team and Fenerbahce

*Ahead of the annual One Team Awards, which will be presented during the program's annual workshop in mid-September, we are telling a short success story about each of the six shortlisted clubs. Today we feature Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.*

Cem Baser, born in 2005, is an inclusion student with Down Syndrome. Passion lies at the heart of everything Cem does: he is energetic, sociable and cheerful.

Cem is also a big fan of basketball and has always attended local games with his dad. So, when he joined the One Team program, he was hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Fenerbahce Beko’s Istanbul players he enjoyed watching on the court at Ulker Sports and Event Hall.

Down Syndrome is a condition that creates a lack of understanding, communication and motor skills in individuals. And at the beginning of the program, Cem was a shy boy who was not very comfortable with teamwork and communication.

However, he worked with great devotion for eight weeks on the core life skills of the program, including communication, motivation and team-building. Hakan Soylu, Fenerbahce's One Team Coach, was very impressed with his progress, saying: "Cem is a super-talented kid. He was so open to learning every small detail. His communication, motivation, friendship, relationships and teamwork skills are on a much higher level right now."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">2021-22 Fenerbahçe Beko EuroLeague One Team programımızın değerli katılımcılarından Cem Başer&#39;in hikayesi şimdi sizlerle 🤗💛💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreAllOneTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreAllOneTeam</a><a href="https://twitter.com/OTEuroleague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OTEuroleague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Beko?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Beko</a> <a href="https://t.co/30Xqt4wl0x">pic.twitter.com/30Xqt4wl0x</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1567833120132534272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

The program has raised awareness of Down Syndrome and, on an individual level, broken down many of the barriers that exist for people with this disability. It has also shown there are no obstacles to dreams, as Cem's joy at participating in One Team and being close to Fenerbahce shows.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of "community integration" that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

*Ahead of the annual One Team Awards, which will be presented during the program's annual workshop in mid-September, we are telling a short success story about each of the six shortlisted clubs. Here is a tale from Zalgiris Kaunas.*

Ruta has always been passionate about sports – especially going for walks and playing table tennis and basketball. However, her lack of confidence and anxiety in social situations meant that she was generally forced to enjoy these activities alone.

At the start of the Zalgiris One Team sessions, those difficulties kept Ruta from engaging with any of her teammates. She avoided social interaction and was anxious when people communicated with her.

The club's One Team coaches recognized how her anxiety and lack of communication were preventing her from progressing in the sport and as an individual. Therefore, the coaches encouraged her to get involved in the games, socialize with her teammates, and become courageous. She gradually began to develop her resilience, not shying away from a challenge or failure in a drill, and started to engage with her teammates.

Ruta now dreams of becoming a professional basketball player and representing Lithuania. Thanks to One Team, these dreams may become a reality. Even more important, she is now a self-confident young girl with the ability to start conversations and make new friends, meeting new people with an open heart and a wide smile.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration' that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

Ruta develops confidence with Zalgiris and One Team

One Team and Olympiacos let Kay flourish

*The annual One Team Awards will be presented during September’s Annual Workshop, and between now and then we will be telling a short success story from each of the six shortlisted clubs. Here it’s the turn of Olympiacos Piraeus.*

Kay is a 13-year-old boy who has been hosted in an institution for the last eight years. This rejection and abandonment has left him lacking in confidence and often meant he resorted to using violence and aggression to express his frustrations.

Before joining the Olympiacos One Team program, he lacked focus and was generally bored and disruptive in group activities. One Team has changed this. The organized program has provided Kay with a much-needed structure, and basketball has boosted his enthusiasm as well as allowing him to form lifelong friendships.

Kay is now a motivated, positive and calm young boy who aspires to play basketball and become a new Antetokounmpo. He can share his compassion and love with others, including his roommates, and is now able to understand the importance of accepting people’s differences. He has become a key part of the One Team program, sharing his enthusiasm for the sport with those around him and helping those who struggle with new skills.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration’ that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

Juliette hits new heights with Bourg and One Team

*The annual One Team Awards will be presented during September’s Annual Workshop, and between now and then we will be telling a short success story from each of the six shortlisted clubs. Today we feature Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse.*

Juliette is a 14-year-old who was born deaf. Alongside this disability, she also suffers vestibular disorders which impact her energy and limit her coordination, along with a persecution complex that makes her feel as though the world is against her.

Joining Bourg’s One Team program was therefore a huge challenge for Juliette – she felt judged, isolated and often misunderstood. Her physical inabilities meant that even the most basic of drills required immense concentration and exertion. Before starting the program, Juliette could not even catch a ball, but she spent her evenings learning to do so by catching balloons.

With the help of her coaches, Juliette was able to learn that overcoming her fears and her difficulties could bring very beautiful things. Although her natural tendency was to be scared of teamwork, feeling out of place and left out, the One Team group showed her that they accepted her and that they would support her.

Juliette is a role model to all, proving that no obstacle is too great to overcome. She never gave up and persevered with a smile on her face. She wowed her teammates and coaches with her tenacity, encouraging them to keep on pushing her to set new goals and celebrating her achievements along the way.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration’ that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

Baba flourishes with Baskonia and One Team

*The annual One Team Awards will be presented during the September’s Annual Workshop, and between now and then we will be telling a short success story from each of the six shortlisted clubs. Today we feature Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.*

Baba is an 8-year-old boy who joined Baskonia’s One Team program last season. His home life was very unstable, resulting in several home and school changes that negatively impacted his personal life, affecting his confidence and delaying his development. But the One Team sessions with Baskonia provided Baba with a safe environment and an opportunity to make new friends, as well as giving him the chance to take part in something constant and reliable – unlike his unstable home life.

At first, Baba struggled in the sessions. His size and height affected his coordination, making him angry and frustrated at his inability to perform like the rest of the children. He was often reserved and upset, lowering his head and avoiding interaction with his teammates.

However, with the guidance and support of the Baskonia One Team coaches he began to improve his coordination and embrace his height. This boosted his confidence and happiness, allowing him to start to engage and make friends within his team. And by the end of the program, Baba was leaving every session with a big smile on his face.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration’ that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

*The annual One Team Awards will be presented during the September’s Annual Workshop, and between now and then we will be telling a short success story from each of the six shortlisted clubs. We begin today with AX Armani Exchange Milan.*

One Team teaches its participants that every day we can learn something new that will provide us with the tools to confront future challenges both on the basketball court and in real life. There is always something to learn, no matter how old or how talented you are, and the art of training is one we must all learn.

When Marco first joined Milan’s One Team program, he was not used to following the demands of practice. He did not like being instructed what to do, being told no, or being given strict guidelines to follow. Every mistake made him very angry, every difficulty was followed by a cry and an escape to the garden.

Marco was enthralled with basketball, the sound of the swish of a basket; yet he was so frustrated by the effort it required to be successful. However, with the support and dedication of his coach, Marco began to push past his fears, test his limits and find that equilibrium between frustration and satisfaction.

The One Team program gave Marco direction and structure. It boosted his resilience and developed his determination. Finding a coach who was constantly supportive, challenging and driving him to greater achievements was the very making of Marco, who has now also transferred the skills he learned from basketball into his everyday life, knowing that he can push past failure and keep on trying.

Milan’s One Team coach Marilisa Zanini said: “If you are able to make a basket after a thousand attempts, then there are no goals that you will not be able to achieve with commitment and dedication, which will make you arrive before the others.”

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration’ that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

Milan teaches persistence through One Team

Six clubs from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup have been shortlisted for the annual One Team Program Awards, highlighting the outstanding work carried out by clubs to support vulnerable members of their local communities.

Shortlist unveiled for 2021-22 One Team Program Awards

The awards will be presented during the One Team Annual Workshop in September, with Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes up for grabs. The six shortlisted clubs are:

**AX Armani Exchange Milan**: The Italian club has worked alongside Laureus Sport For Good Italia Onlus to create an ambitious program focusing on community cohesion, supporting a greater number of youngsters at risk of social exclusion by using high-quality basketball drills with strong planning and excellent organization.

**Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz**: Baskonia teamed up with the Gizarterako Association to run a varied series of events throughout the year, including workshops and camps, promoting community cohesion in many different ways throughout the club's infrastructure.

**Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul**: Alongside TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, Fenerbahce showed a great improvement in its program creation based around social inclusion and achieved significant social media coverage.

**Mincidelici JL Bourg En Bresse**: The only EuroCup club on the shortlist, Bourg worked with AFIS 01 IJS to create a program supporting children with physical disabilities. The activities were had clear objectives and were closely aligned with the needs of the group, also featuring fantastic Ambassador involvement.

**Olympiacos Piraeus**: The Reds ran a program for youth with intellectual disabilities alongside 1st Elementary School of Agios Dimitrios, and succeeded in empowering the participants through innovative and well-constructed drills and sessions.

**Zalgiris Kaunas**: Partnering with Special Olympics Lithuania, Zalgiris supported youth with intellectual disabilities through a great long-term program which closely involved club sponsors and gained strong social media coverage.

Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball's Chief Business Development Officer, said: "The last 12 months have seen a fantastic contribution from our clubs all over Europe to their local communities, delivering most sessions on-court despite the limitations imposed by COVID restrictions. It has been particularly great to see our One Team participants once again enjoying face-to-face contact with coaches and ambassadors, learning how the values of basketball can be applied to daily life. Many more teams could easily have been shortlisted for the awards but these six stood out just a little bit more, and we are looking forward to honoring the winners at the One Team Annual Workshop in September, the tip-off of One Team's second decade of community delivery."

As they were in last season's awards, sustainability consultancy thinkBeyond is again involved in the 2021-22 judging process, with the programs assessed according to program planning and delivery, ambassadors' involvement, marketing and communications activities, and the involvement of commercial partners.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of "community integration" that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 (on reduced inequalities).

One Team celebrates 10th anniversary 

A wide of different activities were organized to celebrate the anniversary, including the annual One Team Games celebration, a legacy project with social partner BKT, special events at the competition finals, and the creation of digital content to celebrate the role of club ambassadors and highlight the program's milestones since 2012.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under a theme of "community integration" that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

One Team celebrates 10th anniversary

Each participating club develops a specific One Team project tailored to its own community needs to benefit groups in danger of exclusion due to problems such as substance abuse and gender, physical or intellectual disability. Since its founding in 2012, the One Team program has already reached, directly and indirectly, more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects.

The 2021-22 season in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup marked the 10th anniversary of One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program which uses the power of basketball to make positive change in communities all over the continent.

The highlight of the collaboration came in April, when two newly-refurbished basketball courts were opened at the public TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, the social partner of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's One Team program.

The court opening was attended by institutional representatives of Euroleague Basketball, BKT and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, including players and One Team Ambassadors Pierria Henry and Ismet Akpinar, who joined the event to run a special activity with a group of 15 teenage students from the school as they enjoyed their new facility.

The refurbishment process had been supported by One Team participants from Fenerbahce, who volunteered to help with the court paintings.

One Team and BKT celebrate successful first year together

Fenerbahce was able to use these new courts to hold two special sessions dedicated to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 13 (Climate Change), giving One Team participants the opportunity to learn important tips about these vital themes.

Same as in Cologne, BKT's presence was also felt at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, with the donation of 40 bikes to social entities from the City of Belgrade. The initiative served not only to support local One Team programs, but also to promote healthy habits and sustainable mobility in the city.

Similar donations were made across the continent, with BKT providing five bikes to all of the One Team programs from both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball's Chief Business Development Officer, said: "The last few months have been a great way to strengthen even more our relationship with BKT, which shares the values of social inclusion and sustainability that lie behind our One Team program. We look forward to continuing our collaboration next season with many more activities in support of our local communities all over Europe."

Lucia Salmaso, BKT's Managing Director, added: "Euroleague Basketball does so much fantastic work to use the power of basketball as a positive force for social change, and we have been proud to offer our support. BKT wants to go beyond the role of sponsor – our real goal is to leave a mark – and this collaboration is a wonderful example of business and sport working together to support communities. The greatest reward has been seeing the happiness of the children as they play basketball in the refurbished courts and use their bikes in their day-to-day routines."

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program One Team and BKT have concluded a successful first season of working together, following a number of great initiatives to support local communities.