The demographic composition of Europe has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and migration within and from outside the EU has significantly increased. This sharp increase in migration and cultural diversity presents new challenges and opportunities in host countries for both the so-called majority and minority populations.
Physical education teachers and coaches are often at the forefront of these diversifying societies, and work with culturally, ethnically, and linguistically heterogeneous groups. Despite this, teachers and coaches have not been well prepared for the task of intercultural education through sport.
Against this background, the EDU:PACT project has aimed to improve the quality of pre-service and in-service education to prepare physical education teachers and coaches for inclusive intercultural education. Now, after nearly three years of work, we are proud to announce that we have taken a significant step towards achieving that goal through the release of the EDU:PACT Handbook.
The EDU:PACT Handbook presents the fundamental thematic and theoretical building blocks for successful intercultural education in sport. As such, its contents can be used flexibly and adapted according to different groups and local needs. The content from this handbook is divided into four distinct units and can be used as the basis for modules or individual courses meant to train physical education teachers or coaches on the different components of intercultural education. A selection of practical activities complements each unit in an interactive and hands-on fashion.
The handbook can be downloaded in English, and translations will be ready soon. An online companion toolkit will be released in the coming weeks. We also welcome continued feedback on the handbook, and we would appreciate if you could take five minutes to provide your input in this short survey.
To find out more about the project, click here.
The Sport Empowers Disabled Youth 2 (SEDY 2) project will reschedule their program due to COVID-19. After the kick-off in Amsterdam last January the project members had to work online due to lockdowns and other measures.
The new schedule includes the creation of a consensus statement on inclusion in sport, collecting best practices in terms of promoting participation in sports, initiating a pilot phase and utilizing the outputs of the project to create a Sport Participation and INclusion (SPIN) tool.
SEDY2 is funded by the European Commission through an Erasmus+ Grant. The project is coordinated by inHolland University and also includes four universities - inclunding fellow ENSE Members Lithuanian Sport University and IP Stanrarem - and four sport federations.
More info about the project update can be found here.
Female Leaders of Tomorrow (FLOT) recently announced the new mentors and mentees that were chosen to take part in the project. After a stringent recruitment process, 20 women from 13 countries in Africa and Europe have been selected to be a mentee in the project. These mentees will be supported by a cadre of 11 mentors.
ENSE is well represented within the overall group. Karen Petry, Teresa Odipo (German Sport University) and Paula Noguera (Tempo Livre) will support as mentors in the project, while Briony Walsh (Canterbury Christchurch), Kaija Ruck, and Caroline Tisson (German Sport University) will join as mentees.
FLOT aims to equip and empower a new generation of young European and African women who are currently working (or volunteering) in Sport for All with the necessary skills, knowledge, experiences and guidance to lead the global Sport for All Movement. Through a comprehensive global mobility and mentoring scheme, the participants will strengthen their future employability and enhance their personal and professional development.
The mentees will be guided by their mentors who have been recruited based on their vast knowledge, experiences, and successes across the Global Sport for All Movement. The 11 mentors, from seven countries in Africa and Europe, are responsible for providing tailored mentorship to ten pairs featuring each one African and one European mentee.
FLOT is co-funded by Erasmus+ and is possible thanks to a cooperation between TAFISA, African Union Sport Council Region 5 (AUSC Region 5), the European Network of Sport Education (ENSE) and Olympic Committee of Slovenia Association of Sports Federations (OCS-ASF).
For more information you can click here.
During the most recent meeting of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) Consultative Committee (CC) meeting on September 8th, ENSE secretary general Louis Moustakas was elected as a Bureau Member for the CC.
Created by the Council of Europe, EPAS provides a platform for intergovernmental sports co-operation between its member states. The Consultative Committee of EPAS comprises members of sports organisations, NGOs and international organisations. As a partnership body, it gives its opinion on the programme of activities and provides advice for the decisions of the Governing Board.
An influential actor in the sector, EPAS recommendations have been later adopted by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on issues of sports ethics, the autonomy of the sports movement, and the protection of young athletes. Older recommendations such as the European Sports Charter are regularly monitored via consultative visits in member states.
The new Bureau of the CC will be chaired by Kolë Gjeloshaj from International School Sport Federation, with Tone Jagodic from European Olympic Committees acting as vice-chair. Alongside Louis Moustakas, Janez Sodrznik from TAFISA, Laura Capranica from European Athlete as Student Network, James Ogilvie from UEFA were also elected as members.
The European Network of Sport Education (ENSE) has been an official member of the Consultative Committee of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) since 2018. More information about EPAS can be found here.