(NOT) ONLY SPORT Erasmus Project

Project Title

(NOT) ONLY SPORT

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The main aim of the project was to strengthen and complement the process of youth sports training which significantly affected the development of their sporting potential and their personal competencies. As a result, upgraded methods of working with young people were developed and tested in practice and then shared with the largest possible group of sporting coaches and other stakeholders.
First group of direct participants was 16 coaches who worked with youth in partners institutions on a daily basis. They were extremely ambitious and committed specialists with basketball coaching licenses. Another group of participants was management staff – 9 people with varied knowledge in the field of management of the training process, as well as in international projects and comprehensive care of youth. The final group were kids, athletes and basketball players aged 13 to 16. It was planned to include a group of 21 young people into the project. The above-mentioned participants was directly take part in the project activities but due to the universality of the results and products of the project it could be assumed that it was benefit approximately two thousand people. Main activities of the project focused on promoting quality of youth work were:
• Transnational project meetings, aimed at exchanging knowledge and experience, which was result in producing a good practice guide, managing the joint venture, increasing management competence and evaluation of the project.
• Setting up the so called Local Action Groups that worked on the subjects covered in the guide, e.g. improving youth sports training with psychoeducational elements, engaging young people in volunteering, strengthening the cooperation with the environment surrounding youth.
• Preparing the good practice guide that consist of parts such as: the process of youth sports training, which was disseminated free of charge through different distribution tools.
• One-off joint training event for staff that focused on improving competence of coaches in youth training, including development of their sporting and personal skills.
• Mobility of youth that leaded to strengthening all the project’s activities. Young people need to learn by experience and when they experience and understand, they spread the message of the project among their peers.
• Information, promotion and dissemination of activities and results of the project.
Partners planed to achieve, among others: the good practice guide (material result), improvement of the quality of the youth training process, development of the management staff competence, increase of the coaches competence, increase of the motivation of managers, coaches and youth, improvement of participants’ language skills, increase of young people’s awareness of the importance of personal development, exchange of multicultural experience and knowledge, establishment and enhancement of cooperation in the youth training environment.
The project was a significant impact on participants and target groups, as well as on institutions that were both directly involved and those that actively worked with youth on local, regional, national and international level. The impact now is visible primarily in access to knowledge and availability of qualified coaches who implement the developed methods of youth training. Coaches of sports other than basketball are not only able to use the good practice guide, but also exchange experiences to enrich their coaching skills and then share the project’s results. After the project the coaches and the managing staff have new skills and improve the quality of youth work. Through the implementation of the project partners did intensify their cooperation with the community: local authorities, schools, parents and any institutions involved in youth sports training. Youth now is more socially active, motivated to stay in sport and receive adequate support for personal development and is more willing to engage in a variety of projects, including transnational projects. The international theme of the project involved partnership meetings and training sessions provided opportunities for the local community to get to know the culture and traditions of other nations. Multiculturalism increased knowledge, broaden horizons, enrich thinking and teach good examples.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 56125 Eur

Project Coordinator

Stowarzyszenie Gdynska Akademia Koszykowki & Country: PL

Project Partners

• SLOVANKA MB z.s.
• MUNICIPIO DE LOUSADA