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.
Consistent migrant flows and increasing diversification are posing new cultural challenges across all European societies, and a great number of people, including children, now need to be integrated and welcomed into our societies. Schools as well as sport clubs are an important vehicle to facilitate this integration.
However, teachers, coaches, schools, and clubs are often under-resourced and under-funded to deal with the new challenges posed by this situation. The objective of the project is to help address these challenges and to develop innovative, evidence-based intercultural pedagogy in physical education and coaching.
It is in light of these goals that two-reputed international NGOs, Right to Play and the Vienna Institute of International Dialogue and Cooperation, came to Cologne, Germany to work with the German Sports University, University of Rome, Foro Italico, and the University of Vienna.
There, the small group of partners began to intensely work on the development of sustainable, innovative modules to equip physical education teachers as well as coaches with the tools to deliver positive, inclusive, intercultural learning experiences.
The proposed modules will aim to equip teachers and coaches with fundamental intercultural skills such as self-reflection and cultural awareness, while proposing innovative approaches that can be integrated into sport sessions.
Following the meeting, draft learning modules will be developed and then first evaluated by the entire project consortium, with a pilot test planned for June 2019 in Munich.
Funded under Erasmus+, EDU-PACT features a consortium of 9 partners including ENSE members the University of Vienna, the German Sport University Cologne, University of Rome, Foro Italico, the University of Southern Denmark, and the International Council for Coaching Excellence as well as the University of Thesaly, the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Culture and Sport, Right To Play, and the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC)
More information on the project can be found under https://edupact.eu
The second Meeting of the EDU-PACT project was hosted by the University of Southern Denmark and took place from the 26th until the 28th of September 2018. In total, 11 representatives from 7 partner institutions - including 5 ENSE Members - took part in the meeting
Working with schools and teachers, the objective of the project is to help address challenges related to social integration and to develop innovative, evidence-based intercultural training modules in physical education and coaching. Specifically, the second meeting focused on the results of the needs-analysis conducted as part of the project.
The needs-analysis specifically collected information about the situation that teachers, coaches, and trainers are facing today with respect to intercultural education and social integration. Furthermore, it focused on what is missing and needed by the practitioners in schools and clubs.
Based on these results, the project partners compiled ideas and recommendations for the design and alignment of the training modules. The next meeting, which will be held in December in Cologne, will focus on the development of these modules. There, representatives from academic institutions in Cologne, Vienna and Rome will work closely together with NGO Partners whol will contribute their extensive practical experience to the modules.
“The meeting in Odense has built a solid scientific foundation for the development of the training modules which make up the core of this project. We are very much looking forward to welcoming all respective Partners in Cologne and continue to work on this matter”, says Karen Petry, deputy head of the Department of European Sport Development and Leisure Studies at the German Sport University in Cologne.
The project “Intercultural Education through Physical Activity, Coaching and Training” (EDU-PACT) tackles the intercultural challenges resulting from consistent migration flows towards Europe. The project aims to improve quality of pre-service and in-service education for sport-related teaching professions, hence preparing teachers and coaches for inclusive education in and through physical education and sport.
In order to reach these goals, a Kick-Off Meeting was hosted by the University of Vienna. The meeting took place from the 19th until 21st of February at the Centre of Sport Science and University Sports in Vienna.
21 representatives - including from ENSE members the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, the University of Southern Denmark, German Sports University and the International Council for Coaching Excellence - attended the Meeting and shared their expertise.
Besides financial and administrative issues, further tasks were discussed and a work plan was outlined. Alongside organizational topics, the Kick-Off Meeting emphasized building a solid foundation for further collaboration.
“I’m looking forward to future meetings and a strong international cooperation”, says Harald Tschan, project coordinator and Head of the Department Training Science at the University of Vienna.
For further information on the project, please contact: edupact (a) univie.ac.at