YOUth SupPORT Vol. 2

In Attachment you can find the Info Pack with all the details about the project.

Sport is a major contributor to economic and social development. Its role is well recognized by Governments, including in the Political Declaration of the 2030 Agenda, which reflects on “the contribution sports make to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities, as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives.”

Since its onset, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread to almost all countries of the world. Social and physical distancing measures, lockdowns of businesses, schools and overall social life, which have become commonplace to curtail the spread of the disease, have also disrupted many regular aspects of life, including sport and physical activity. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in closure of gyms, stadiums, pools, dance and fitness studios, physiotherapy centres, parks and playgrounds. Many young people therefore were not able to actively participate in their regular individual or group sporting or physical activities outside of their homes. Under such conditions, many tend to be less physically active, have longer screen time, irregular sleep patterns as well as worse diets, resulting in weight gain and loss of physical fitness. Low-income families are especially vulnerable to negative effects of stay at home rules as they tend to have sub-standard accommodations and more confined spaces, making it difficult to engage in physical exercise. The whole situation decreased the possibilities for many young people and youth workers to participate because of safety and travel reasons nationally and internationally. For many youth workers and young people implementing online mobility projects was absurd and by far was not the same as physical trainings where instead of 6 to 8 house in a day in front of device you are 24 hours together, learning and exchanging experiences not just about the project topic but about many important aspects of life. So Covid-19 is not only a global health pandemic but is putting youth mobility progression and young generation in jeopardy of losing opportunity for growth and development. The uncertain coming status is testing the international youth co-operation and limiting the implementation of Erasmus+ programs in Europe and abroad when it is most needed.

Engagement in play and sports gives young people opportunities for natural self-expression, self-confidence, relief of tension, achievement, social interaction and integration as well as for learning the spirit of solidarity and fair play. These positive effects also help counteract the risks and harm caused by the demanding, competitive, stressful and sedentary way of life that is so common in young people’s lives today.

Sport is undeniable and important tool in the healing process to overcome a psycho-socio trauma, as it brings joy and fun to people’s lives. Alongside its importance, it can alleviate the negative effects of the trauma as well as empowering communities to bridge among themselves and stand in solidarity.

The project main objectives are:

• To share our realities with the situations about inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities in our communities and different youth work programmes related to psycho - physical resilience of young people
• To promote and explore the concepts “sports for all” and “healthy lifestyle” in relation with youth work
• To explore the youth work and youth trainings in connection to improve psycho - physical resilience of young people
• To raise competences in organising quality youth work with sport methodology with adequate mental and physical development of beneficiaries
• To share different sport methods useful for our youth work in every day work with youngsters mainstream and with fewer opportunities
• To share and understand challenges in implementation of quality sport methods in youth work for inclusion and intercultural acceptance of young people with fewer opportunities
• To define and develop basic plans for local/national workshops of youth workers and youngsters with using sports as methods for psycho - physical resilience of young people
• To establish Community of youth trainers and youth workers for youth sport work The benefits of sport have reached beyond the physical and well-being impact.

Today, sport has an inherent ability to promote psycho-social developments and to bridge people from different cultures and backgrounds. The value of sport as a tool for improvement of psycho - physical resilience of young people will be highly demanded in after pandemic times. With our project we would like to prepare youth work sector and youth workers to be able to address those needs.