EU Projects
On April 22, 2024, around 90 participants attended the 13th EAS online Cafè organized in cooperation with the EUSA Institute (https://www.eusa.eu) to address the role of university sports for enhancing sport participation and active lifestyles of university students, which is the focus of the ERASMUS+ Cooperative Partnership DiscoverU (https://discoveru.eusa.eu/).
The Cafè was moderated by Mr Andrej Pisl, EUSA Project and Policy Manager, who illustrated how DiscoverU aims to gather information on sport and physical activity opportunities for students in higher education in the partner countries and will share good practice examples for university sport and dual career support.
Ms Filipa Godinho, Pro-Rector of University of Coimbra, Portugal, explained how the European Universities Games held in Coimbra in 2018 had a positive impact on the development of dual career at the local university level, and also inspired the national Decree-Law n.55/2019, which urges all national academic institutions to reinforce their dual career supportive mechanisms and to extend them to athletes who participate in university sport competitions or are enrolled as athletes in the sports service of their university. In particular, she explained that students-athletes can benefit of different dual career support in relation to their sport involvement, spanning from elite to sub-elite and amateur levels.
Ms Marianna Pikul, representative of the International Affairs department of University Sports Association of Poland – AZS, reported the increased participation in the 2022 European Games held in Lodz and the high number of students contributing every year in the organization of a variety of sports events for different age groups (e.g., children, students, families). Furthermore, AZS supports the dual career of elite athletes in higher education, substantiated by the extraordinary representation of student-athletes in the Polish Team participating in the European Games, Universiade, and Olympics. Elite athletes having a success in both their sports and academic paths are good examples and inspirations for youth students in engaging in active lifestyles.
Mr Maté Nagyistok and Mr Lszlo Végh, Project Managers of the European Games 2024 to be held next Juy in Debrece and Miskolc, Hungary, presented the dual career approach of the Hungarian University Sports Federation (MEFS). In particular, Mr Nagyistok illustrated the programme for university students based on a cooperation between the education, sport and work sectors, through a coordinated action between families, educational institutions, and companies. Thus, youth athletes at the beginning of their sport career and elite athletes can benefit from mentoring, tutoring, career guidance, sports scholarships and free housing. In addition, Mr Végh presented how the 2024 European Universities Games to be held in Miskolc and Debrecen intend to go beyond the sport event itself. In fact, the slogan “More than Games” communicates that dual career can be a tremendous tool to engage of university students-athletes as ambassadors to inspire youth in combining active lifestyles, sports, and education for achieving a holistic development and full engagement in society.
In moderating the discussion on the involvement in dual career of different stakeholders and actors, Mr. Pisl highlighted the outcomes of two ERASMUS+ Collaborative Partnerships involving EAS and EUSA: EMPATIA, which developed a multi-lingual educational programme for parents of dual career athletes (https://edu.empatiasport.eu/eng/), and BRAVA-DC, which addressed the relevance of involving the companies in support of the dual career of sportspersons through their corporate social responsibility (https://edu.bravadualcareer.eu/report/).
Finally, Prof. Rajmund Tomik reminded that the call for papers of the 2024 Bengt Nybelius Scholarship is open (https://www.dualcareer.eu/call-for-papers-bengt-nybelius-scholarship-2024/) and invited the participants to send an abstract on their dual career activities and to attend the 2024 EAS Annual Conference “Dual career at school and university – innovative bridges between sport and education” to be held in Katowice, Poland, next 1-3 of October, 2024 (https://eas24.awf.katowice.pl). In organizing the EAS conference in the 2024European City of Science, it will be a special opportunity to highlight the contribution of dual career of sportspersons for the advancement of a European culture in and through sports on all aspects of life.
The DiscoverU project is funded by the European Union coordinated by EUSA. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
To create sustainable, long-lasting partnerships between European Member states and countries of the Balkan region for the promotion of positive impacts of sports values and grassroots sports for peaceful and interconnected societies, EAS participates to the SPORTS AS VALUE consortium, which published two documents, which aim to:
- help organizations implementing their local, national or international activities and events despite limited human and financial resources, by offering “Sustainable guidelines for the organisation, implementation and evaluation of a joint program to promote value in sport” (available at https://www.engso-education.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sustainable-guidelines-for-the-organisation-implementation-and-evaluation-of-a-joint-program-to-promote-value-in-sport.pdf), and
- highlight the crucial social role of sports in shaping values, fostering unity, and contributing to the collective spirit beyond mere competitions, by presenting a “Collection of good practices on value promotion across regions” encompassing diverse examples of the Western Balkan countries and some EU member States (available at https://www.engso-education.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final-good-pratices-Sport-as-value-22.03.24-AZ-Sort.pdf).
The Sport as Value Capacity Building project is funded by the European Union coordinated by ENGSO. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
We had COMPATH project meeting hosted by NYSA Sweden in GIH, Stockholm on February 26. Mojca Doupona presented EAS at the meeting. We talked about the modules of the COMPATH project will create new opportunities for young professionals in the sports industry at the meeting.
The COMPATH project supports the professional and personal development of young people through a Competence Hub on Sport Innovation.
Special thanks to NYSA for their hospitality.
On Wednesday, March 1, EAS (presented by Mojca Doupona) attended the kickoff meeting of the DCMentor project, which we are a partner of. The meeting was held in Oslo.
The project is designed to mitigate the difficulties encountered by athletes pursuing dual careers and to offer them assistance. Within this framework, we will devise extensive plans for numerous tools and solutions that will aid athletes in balancing dual careers such as life skills, future skills and 21th century skills.
We are eager to discover what accomplishments we can attain collectively in this project. We anticipate eagerly sharing the progress and results of our project with you in the future.
Talent project
We are delighted to bring you the latest developments from the TALENT project, specifically highlighting the strategic endeavors of Work Package 3 spanning from February 2023 to March 2024.
E-STOP platform:
The E-STOP online platform is now operational at talent-edu.eu, marking a pivotal milestone in our pursuit of excellence. Unveiled during the Project Meeting in Athens (November 2023), the platform, championed by the Centre of Excellence of Split-Dalmatia County, boasts interactive features designed to provide comprehensive guidelines and recommendations to registered profiles.
Our commitment extends beyond the platform’s functionality. All project partners have unanimously agreed to contribute to the development of a robust database featuring key service providers specializing in talent identification and orientation within their respective countries. This collaborative effort aims to establish a cross-border network of expertise.
Methodological Handbook Unveiled
In alignment with the impactful outcomes of Work Package 2, the TALENT project Consortium proudly presents the Methodological Handbook. This meticulously crafted document sets forth Standards for the Detection and Assessment of the Potential of Talented Children in Sport. Validated by experts from the fields of sport and education, the Handbook adopts a longitudinal approach, delineating key phases in the talent development process, from animation for sports to talent confirmation and transfer.
The Handbook underscores the imperative of synergy between the biological, psychological, and sociological domains of an individual. Anchored in the Positive Youth Development concept, it emphasizes a holistic approach to talent cultivation.
Drawing inspiration from the Methodological Handbook, the development of educational and training materials for Work Package 4 is well underway. These materials will be presented and discussed during the upcoming project meeting scheduled for June 2024 in Cyprus.
We invite you to stay engaged with us as we continue to navigate the intricate landscape of talent development through the TALENT project. Your ongoing support is instrumental in shaping a future where every talent finds its optimal expression.
Between 19-22 November, the second workshop was organized, this time by the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina. OPES Italia was in charge of creating valuable and useful workshop content which they had planned based on the feedback of the participants. The partners have expressed their need that they would like to enable their participants with more project management skills which help them in the future to run similar projects like Sports As Value.
Besides focusing on technical skills such as project design, implementation, budget monitoring, coordination and evaluation systems, the objective of the workshop was to draft a base of a sustainable grassroots sports event management guideline, as well as to start to form the joint actions. The partners have been paired up to organize cooperatively events in their countries about value promotion and sports. The common work will also enhance their relationship for future cooperation. They are also encouraged to help each other as they own diverse useful competencies.
In the upcoming period, the project team will finalise the guidelines and the plan for the joint activities in the Western Balkan region. The next in-person meeting will happen in Montenegro in June when the Olympic Committee will show us how to deliver a sustainable grassroots sports event locally about values in sport.
The TALENT Project aims to promote equal education, prevent exclusion, support Dual Careers, create a new pattern of behaviour to benefit young, talented children, and prepare for lifelong learning and professional sports from childhood.
3rd Meeting of the Partners in Athens, Greece
The 3rd Transnational Partners’ Meeting took place on the 23rd and 24th of November, 2023, in Athens, Greece, and was hosted by KMOP Education and Innovation Hub. During the meeting, the partners discussed finalising the document for the Standards for Identification of Talented Children and the Methodological Handbook with Standards for the Detection and Assessment of the Potential of Talented Children in Sports. The partnership discussed the quality of the results and how they can be used by the target groups – educators and coaches wishing to support the dual career of students and how to recognise talented children in sports.
During the meeting, the partners developed the structure and content of the modules for the E-Stop Platform, in which children, teachers, coaches and parents interested in the topic can register and create a profile. The platform will contain practical information about recognising talent, supporting children, preventing their drop-out, and helping them maintain this dual status in the future by starting a dual-career program. The partners will develop the content, which will be piloted in the participating countries beginning in September 2024.
The contents of the platform will be:
- Positive Youth Development
- Fostering/Moniting Inclusive Environments
- Implementing Teamwork and Shared Insights in Recognising Talent
- Practical Talent Recognition and Support Strategies
The meeting was fruitful, and the partners ensured the development of qualitative results to enhance and support the target groups (coaches, educators and talented children). We are pleased with the outcome of the meeting and the positive atmosphere held throughout this two-day meeting. All representatives showed interactivity and were highly motivated to reach the goals of our project.
We thank you for your visit and for attending this meeting. It was an excellent opportunity to listen to each partner’s views on the project, evaluate its progress, and inspire the next steps of its implementation.
Stay tuned to learn more about the next steps of the project!
You can contact your local organisation implementing the project in your country to learn more and participate in the upcoming activities!
December 12, 2023 (from 13:55 CET)
13:30-13:55 Online connections
13:55 Welcoming of participants/speakers
Alberto Bichi (Director EPSI)
Prof. Ciaran Mac Donncha, University of Limerick (IRE) Coordinator of the BRAVA DC Collaborative Partnership
Edited by María José Maciá-Andreu María T. Morales-Belando Lourdes Meroño Antonio Sánchez-Pato, and Juan Alfonso García-Roca, the ebook A Holistic Approach to the Dual Career of the Student-Athlete includes the scientific contributions of the 2022 EAS Conference in Cartagena, Spain, and is available at https://www.dykinson.com/libros/a-holistic-approach-to-the-dual-career-of-the-student-athlete/9788411704861/
Hosted by the Portuguese Sport Confederation and coordinated by ENGSO, on October 12-14, 2023, the Sports as Value Team gathered in Lisbon, Portugal to develop the first workshop planned in the project.
In the first day all the participants were invited to merge to the EQUIP Conference to learn about inclusion and diversity witnessing good practices in these areas and getting to know policies, EU documents about gender equality and identities in sports. Moreover, it was possible to participate actively in parallel sessions such as Human Library, Walk of Privilege and Call to Action.
In the morning of the second day, Sports as Value partners, from Region 1, presented their good practices:
- Albania NOC: about digitalisation and partnerships;
- BiH NOC: about the meaning of sports in post-conflict zone;
- Kosovo NOC: about internationalization.
The following periods were dedicated to the participation of all the Sports as Value partners in the European Sport Platform, organized by Engso and Portuguese Sport Confederation, where an active involvement in the following topics was fully recommended:
- Value and policy in sport
- Sustainability dimension in sport
- Sustainability dimension in sport – parallel workshops
- Economical dimension of sustainability
- Social dimension of sustainability
- Environmental dimension of sustainability
- Good governance in sport
- Good governance in sport – parallel workshops
- Youth and integrity
- Safeguarding in sport
- Fair play in grassroots sport
- HealthyLifestyle4All initiative – Legacy of Youth Ideas Labs
The EAS was represented by António Figueiredo.
Further information will be shared by EAS ExCom in future contact moments, with a especial in the Annual Conference to be held in Katowice, Poland, next September 24-26, 2024.
Sports as Value project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
REG. NUMBER: Voluntary Organisation registration VO/1270
PIC NUMBER: 913459865
Email: info@dualcareer.eu