YouSports SNAC| A project that bridges Sports and Youth Work

Utolsó frissítés hétfő, 01/07/2024

Sports can be more than physical exercise, competition, and performance. Sports can become a tool for individual and social change. YouSports SNAC (Strategic National Agencies Cooperation) project is all about that and more.

This a project that brings into the spotlight a multilevel aspect of sports on the individual and society. It is a long-term activity initiated by the French Erasmus+ National Agency (NA) with the cooperation of 14 other NAs and Salto Youth EuroMed that aspires to bridge sports, non-Formal Education, and youth Work and increase the impact of social activities on the domain.

The kick-off event of YouSports SNAC was held on 12-16 June. 110 participants from 28 countries (EU Member States and third countries associated with the Erasmus+ programme)  gathered in the sunny, coastal city of Anglet, in France, full of energy to connect, share and create a base for future initiatives locally and internationally.

From the kick-off event, you could see the richness that comes from combining the worlds of sports and youth work. People of all ages and backgrounds, from both the sports and youth sectors, were eager and passionate about changing their communities through what had already changed their own lives. The participants offered workshops and activities ranging from juggling to ultimate frisbee, martial arts, and street gymnastics. Through and between the physical activities, the participants had the chance to connect, share, and exchange good practices that they were already implementing in their communities. At the same time, they use this opportunity to map the needs and activities of their region and reflect on the conference overall. 

© Pierre Chambion,2023. Sneakpeak from Rely Games, Trying to shoot holding hands can be difficult but super funny and rewarding as well

Among these activities, we asked participants to share their experiences of the meeting so far. Elena from Russia is one of the participants who shared her initiatives and aspirations for her local community. She runs a climbing club in Estonia and, as she says, she wishes to keep dismantling social and language barriers through social sports and youth work.

As the days passed, sports and youth work representatives started engaging more in the process to merge these two not-so-far-as-it-seems worlds. Two of the most interesting activities that proved this happened on the last day. The goal of the first one was to create a new sport integrating the learnings of the previous days and to measure how sports and youth work can be combined more effectively. The second one, and maybe the most crucial for the long-term impact of the project, was the one in which the participants were separated into teams according to their region and called to brainstorm on the needs and possible initiatives that could be developed among them.

Mary is a youth club support worker in Ireland. We asked her about her views on how youth work meets sports and what she aspires for the future from this project.

The Kick-off event of YouSports SNAC showed how dynamic and promising the connection between the worlds of sports and youth Work can be, and this is only the beginning. Representatives from different NAs, youth, and sports organisations truly connected there, showing the potential of international cooperation in social sports activities. The workshops delivered by each participant had a unique perspective because, although many of the participants were familiar with the particular sport or game that the workshop was about, the different experiences and backgrounds of the participants as well as the the cultural approach that each host brought were the true value of this project.

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Meet the authors

Maro Samara

I am Maro from Greece. I am an incubating physicist and parallelly work in the digital education domain for vulnerable groups and migration. I gained journalistic experience from writing in online student newspapers and pop-culture magazines. I love channelling ideas in several ways and cooperating in multicultural environments to make a sustainable global impact. Reading, debating, arts, languages, volunteering, and sports are places I find comfort and growth at the same time.

This article reflects the views of the authors only. The European Commission cannot be held responsible for it.