The training course “Youth Workers on the Field: Tools for Sport-Based Learning” wants to provide a set of best practices and usable practical instruments to work with young people through methods based on sport, collected and developed during two years of research and work on international and local activities on sport values and education.

Sport represents a wonderful base to put together youngsters regardless of their social, cultural or economical background, and a way to develop discussions and work on young people’s knowledge, skills and attitudes bringing the achievements made on the pitch and in the gym back to everyday life, supporting them to grow as individuals and citizens.

As UN’s Declaration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development says: “Sport is also an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives”.

With this project, based on the experience we developed on the field of sport and education in the last years, meetings with different organizations and collection of best practices, we aimed to share ways to support the growing of youngsters through activities based on sport.

Objectives set:

– To provide practical tools, manuals and best practices connected with youth work through sporting methods and sport-based learning

– To empower youth workers to support youngsters in the development of valuable skills, knowledge and attitudes through sport activities

– To provide ideas and inputs for the development of new instruments connected with sport, education and personal and professional development

– To expand the spectrum of people to be involved in sport educational activities, exploring the importance of efficient training for parents, teachers, coaches and youth workers

– To give an overview of the existing policies and programmes on sport and education at local, national, European and international level

– To develop a network of youth leaders working with sport-based learning methods to create new concerted strategies, projects and platforms for discussion

The course involved 20 participants from 10 different European countries, youth workers, youth leaders and coaches able to share their experience and tools developed within their contexts, adapt concepts and ideas for the youth they work with and develop new workshops and projects to be used in their communities.

The approach used was the one of non-formal education, experiential learning, game-based learning through different debates, brainstorming, roleplays, group discussions, presentations, round tables and sport activities.