New project has been launched: Grassroots exchange and mobility (GEM) – empowering youth sport professionals
New project has been launched: Grassroots exchange and mobility (GEM) – empowering youth sport professionals
New Erasmus+ project was kicked off in February aiming to use mobilities and exchanges to develop individual competencies and organizational networks that will drive sport participation and mutual relations forward between 5 Western Balkan countries and 5 EU partner countries.
Grassroots sport means typically local, club-driven activities offered weekly by volunteers. The grassroots sport sector has taken pride in sharing good practices, and the Hungarian School Sport Federation (HSSF) has become aware of many practices that have proven to be successful over the past decade, so transferring them to other settings seems a very valuable investment. With “Grassroots exchange and mobility (GEM) – empowering youth sport professionals”, we aim to transfer and scale up good examples of sport initiatives, alongside with developing individual competences and organizational networks that will drive sport participation and mutual relations forward between the EU and non-EU countries: HSSF plans to deliver a project focusing on knowledge and experience sharing between experts from Western Balkan region and countries involved in the Moving Schools Alliance (MSA).
The partners of the project are:
Spain: Deporte para la Educación y la Salud (DES)
Denmark: International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA)
Luxembourg: European Physical Education Association (EUPEA)
United Kingdom: Youth Sport Trust International (YSTi)
Albanian School Sport Federation
ZDRAV ŽIVOT – KINEZIS, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Koha Ne Duart Tona (KNDT)
Federation of Sports Pedagogues of Macedonia and Together Advancing Common Trust (TAKT)
Serbian School Sport Federation
As the first step an online kick-off meeting was held with all 16 European and 15 Western Balkan partners, discussing the project timeline, sharing and defining tasks and deadlines. Preparatory work regarding all dimensions, with the aim of understanding the dimension and its context in each partners’ situation was completed. Activities in the following period will include the development of online surveys, presentations, analysis of the national situations.
Further activities are planned in a way that knowledge sharing between the partners is optimized. That means we use online meetings webinars, discussions and learning mobilities through seminars, study visits and conferences as well, and there are certain outcomes linked to each activity. The partners will be able to demonstrate all chosen good practices or initiatives from their side in the three dimensions during the planned events.
As main outcomes of the project 16 European and 15 Western Balkan professionals dedicated to HEPA and grassroots sport will have developed and shared new skills and knowledge through the project. A collection of good practices, and well-functioning strategies will be developed.
