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 

On the week of September 10th, ENSE was proud to host the third meeting of EuropeActive's Blueprint for Active Leisure project at the German Sports University in Cologne.

The project focuses on developing new skills for current and future workers, improving employability of young people, and supporting entrepreneurship and growth across the sector.

Concretely, that means mapping out the current qualifications in the Active Leisure sector, identifying the skill gaps in the existing market, developing certification pathways, and working with various industry stakeholders. A total of eight partner organisations - including fellow ENSE member the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) - are therefore working on a range of studies and consultations to generate knowledge and buy-in for the project. As such, the third meeting the third meeting this year was focused on the individual activities of the partners, including a review of qualifications, skills foresight, the establishment of a certifying body, and the use of Active Leisure to promote youth employability. Ultimately, these activities combine to deliver improved, increasingly relevant qualifications that are recognized on a European-wide basis.

The Blueprint project started in January 2018 and is co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme. It continues the work started with the SIQAF project (2016-2018). Both projects have the goal to support the sector and increase employment through skills development and recognition.

First results of studies and project activities are expected early summer 2019, while the next project meeting is schedule for March 2019 and will be hosted by ICCE in Leeds.

Following the latest ENSE Board Meeting on September 13th, ENSE is proud to welcome Karen Petry as its new president. Officially elected in 2015, she now begins her two-year term as ENSE president.

Karen Petry is Deputy Head of the Institute of European Sports Development and Leisure Studies at the renowned German Sports University and has been involved in the field of European Sport for nearly 30 years. Over that time, her work has largely focused on the issues of sport education, sport employment and sport-for-development.

"I am very glad about the trust that has been given to me and during my term I would like to implement some innovative European projects in the area of curriculum development. The beginning is the three years EDU PACT project (2018-2020) supported by the ERASMUS+ programme. The aim is the development of modules for intercultural learning in the PE and Coach education in five different countries" said Karen Petry following the board meeting.

At the meeting, Thomas Skovgaard of Denmark was also elected as president for the period starting 2019. In addition, three new board members also join ENSE: Michael Bronikowski, Daniela Caporossi and Susana Carla Alves Franco.