Airidas’ success story: how One Team helped him find himself 0

Zalgiris’ One Team project, that has been carried out in cooperation with the Euroleague for several years now, has delighted seeing the changes within the participating youngsters. One of them is Airidas, who claims to not only having improved as a person but also discovered an activity that he loves.

Airidas’ story is definitely the one that the project aims to reach. From a shy and unconfident young man, he has become a role model for his peers in a matter of months and has already seen that effort and hard work always pay off.

Airidas found out about the One Team programme when he met Egidijus, a representative of the Lithuanian Association of Day Care Centers. At that time, talks had just started between Zalgiris and the association about possible cooperation and ways to help young people find employment, achieve their goals and develop.

When it was decided that the Lithuanian Association of Children’s Day Care Centers would become Zalgiris’ social partners for the season, Egidijus started spreading the word about the project and inviting young people to join.

At the time, Airidas was an assistant to his basketball coach and was looking for friends to play basketball with him throughout different schools. When Airidas visited the youth center, he met Egidijus there and they both immediately realized that it was worth joining forces as they both had the same goal.

“I thought it would be very interesting to attend practices in Zalgirio Arena – not everyone has this opportunity,” Airidas recalls his first thoughts about participating in the project.

The changes were particularly evident soon after the project’s start:

“I was shy, afraid to say and do anything. When we played basketball, I joined in on the activities, I was part of the team, but I didn’t feel good, I was missing something more. I broke out after 3-4 practices when I picked up a camera. Then I started to feel more confident, I wasn’t afraid to speak my mind, I made friends and it wasn’t so scary.”

The camera came into Airidas hands quite by accident, during an event. From that moment on, Airidas brought it to One Team sessions, where he captured his peers and project ambassadors and the emotions of others.

Seeing Airidas’ talent and enthusiasm, both Zalgiris Kaunas and the Lithuanian Association of Children’s Day Care Centers encouraged him to film as much as possible, to improve his skills, and to learn the subtleties of filming and editing. This is how Airidas not only became a filmmaker for One Team sessions, but also tried his hand at other events, indoor football competitions and so on.

“He is a great example of how young people change when they become part of a project, discover themselves and get out of their comfort zone. Airidas helps us a lot with his filming skills, his attitude and his willingness to try things out,” says Gediminas Navickas, one of the coaches in the One Team programme and Zalgiris youth team manager.

Andra Kniukstaite, the project coordinator, echoes him:

“This season we have seen a lot of success stories – some children have improved their communication skills and have become team leaders, and some, like Airidas, have discovered activities that they do not only do during the project, but also when they return to their everyday life. Examples like these only serve to further inspire us to continue the project and give young people the opportunity to discover themselves.”

Zalgiris Kaunas has been implementing the One Team project since 2013 and has cooperated with a number of organizations. This season’s partner, the Lithuanian Association of Children’s Daycare Centers, aims to integrate children at social risk into society, provide them with employment and ensure their well-being. The club is happy to contribute to this goal and to provide a space for children to grow and develop.