CROSSOVER: Promoting School Success through Sport Erasmus Project

Project Title

CROSSOVER: Promoting School Success through 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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

“CROSSOVER: Promoting School Success through Sport” it’s a two-year Strategic Partnership for Innovation in School Education, and involves public schools and non-profit private organizations, from Portugal, Italy, Romania, Cyprus and Turkey.

CONTEXT
Raising school success is a key goal of every education system. Educational success is presented as a prerequisite for social inclusion at individual level, and for the advancement of society as a whole. While there is no doubt that education alone is not always enough to ensure such a progress, it is also true that it is absolutely necessary in order to make this change possible.
According to Eurostat, 26.9% of children (aged 0–17) in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Children growing up in poverty and social exclusion are less likely to do well in school and realise their full potential later in life, being at higher risk of becoming unemployed, poor and socially excluded.
Early school leaving (ESL) is a complex issue and a concern for policy makers as evidence shows that dropping from school is connected with several forms of individual and social disadvantages, with significant negative consequences for life (EC, EACEA, Eurydice and Cedefop, 2014). ESL is a multi-faceted and complex problem caused by a cumulative process of disengagement. Indeed, there are different kinds of personal and social factors predisposing to the dropout, including behavioural, integration and learning problems, lack of motivation, low self-esteem, high rate of absenteeism, low expectations regarding learning and their future life, lack of resilience, among others.

To develop our project concept we conducted a preliminary documentary research. Scientific evidence has been gathered on the contributions and benefits of Sport and Physical Activity in schools for both children and educational systems in several domains.

MISSION: To develop an innovative empowerment program for students using Sport and Physical Activity as a tool to develop skills and key competences with a strong focus on personal, social and learning to learn competence, promoting school success, promoting social inclusion and preventing ESL.

Based on our preliminary research, we will create CROSSOVER program, targeting students aged 12-14 years old, tackling 3 dimensions:
1) Development of personal, social and learning to learn competences such as self-awareness, self-efficacy, confidence, motivation, resilience, behaviour management, self-determination, communication, cooperation, conflict management, among others;
2) Exploring cultural awareness and expression competences, fostering intercultural dialogue, diversity and social inclusion;
3) Connecting the dots: using competencies learned through sport in school and life.

Strategic Objectives:
1. To share knowledge and good practices between partners to develop an innovative approach, using Sport and Physical Activity as a tool to develop key competences;
2. To design and test an innovative empowerment program – CROSSOVER using Sport and Physical Activity to develop key skills and competences to promote school success, foster social inclusion and contribute to prevent ESL;
3. To conduct a correlational and case study to validate CROSSOVER program.

Considering and adapting principles from Sport Management, Sport Psychology, Self-determination and Coaching, among others, and following the principles and values of non-formal learning, the program will be structured and planned although flexible and adaptable. We will promote dynamic activities with focus on learning by doing, based on experimental and experiential learning, with practical, dynamic and interactive approaches.

The project is framed within a long-term perspective and planned with a view to achieve a multiplying effect and sustainable impact, and it has a good geographical balance, involving 5 countries, which will contribute to ensure a real European outreach of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 186778 Eur

Project Coordinator

ASSOCIACAO ANIMAM VIVENTEM & Country: PT

Project Partners

• ETiMESGUT SEHiT HALiL HAMURYEN ORTAOKULU
• PLANBE PLAN IT BE IT
• L ORMA SOCIETA SPORTIVA DILETTANTISTICA A RESPONSABILITA LIMITATA
• Scoala Gimnaziala Nr. 11