Fostering Educational Inclusion and Social Capital through Accessible Sport activities in minors with Educational Poverty background among Marginal Areas at depopulation risk: the case of ‘Athletes Together’ project in central Salento

This article presents a comprehensive researchintervention case study within the ‘Athletes Together’ project, a communitybased initiative in the marginal areas of Martano Social District, Salento, Italy. The project , led by Mollare Mai APS, a nonprofit organization, was designed to combat educational poverty and social marginalization among a diverse cohort of vulnerable minors. The study’s methodology is a singlecase researchintervention design, which evaluates the project’s capacity to leverage sport as a pedagogical tool for social inclusion, skill development and community regeneration. Through the implementation of a structured, multiphase program involving psychoattitudinal workshops, inclusive sports activities and digital storytelling, the intervention anticipates measurable improvements in participants’ social confidence, selfefficacy, and a demonstrable increase in social capital. This paper outlines the theoretical foundations, intervention design and outcomes, providing a blueprint for a replicable model that could inform future research and practice in experimental pedagogy and communitybased welfare. Overall, this work suggests how this can be feasible by applying the Territorial Cohesion Ecosystem strategy, according to which universities, schools, municipalities, third sector and innovative startups share a stable collaborative platform of coplanning and researchintervention initiatives concretely capable of achieving necessary change in marginal areas through mapping people needs and acting transformative learning.