The project “Sport for Sustainable Development of Youth and Sports Clubs”[#SportClubsYouth4Sustain], № 101184287 — SportClubsYouth4Sust—ERASMUS-SPORT-2024, addresses the Horizontal priority in Erasmus+ related to the environment and fight against climate change as well as the specific priority: promoting education in and through sport with a focus on supporting skills development in sport, and employability through sport.
The main objective of the project #SportClubsYouth4Sustain is to promote education in and through sport with a special focus on eco-entrepreneurial skills development among youth at the transition from secondary school to university and staff members of sport clubs, while promoting sustainable development principles in sport organization management. This will be achieved by: *elaborating Innovative Methodology “Eco-entrepreneurial competences for Youth and Sports Clubs sustainable development”, *testing it through conducting two Eco-entrepreneurial Sports Bootcamps – for Sport Clubs (during the EU Green Week) and for Youth during the European Week of Sport as well as *creating a Virtual Platform that offers e-learning tool “Eco-entrepreneurial Vademecum: Sports Clubs and Youth for Sustainable Development” and an e-library to support the acquisition and sharing of knowledge and eco-entrepreneurial skills. Through these initiatives, the project aims to build green [GreenComp] and entrepreneurial [EntreComp] competences though ETS, enhance sports club management, and contribute to the holistic development of young people, while promoting sustainable practices and principles in sports organizations.
The project target groups are as follows:
1) The Direct target groups:
– young people at the transition from secondary school to university, aged 15-19 years old [1/4 with fewer opportunities due to socio-economic reasons and/or differences in ethno-religious background] and
– team members of sport clubs;
2) Indirect group: coaches, trainers, youth workers, physical education teachers and educational institutions who will be potential users of the #SportClubsYouth4Sustain project intellectual outputs and the Virtual Platform for enhanced sports management, youth and sustainable development.
The specific project objectives are as follows:
- Matching key entrepreneurial transversal competences, identified by the EntreComp conceptual model of the EC [such as: planning and management; taking the initiative; working with others; coping with uncertainty, ambiguity and risk; learning through experience] with key GreenComp competences in sustainability [such as: valuing sustainability, supporting fairness, promoting nature], presented in the European Commission JRC report on “Sustainability competences 2020” in innovative combination of eco-entrepreneurial competences. Thus promoting entrepreneurship as a transversal skill and green skills among youth and staff members of sport clubs. (SO1)
- Developing through sport – green skills and eco-entrepreneurial competences methodology as well as initiatives that promote environmental sustainability in sport clubs. The innovative methodology for young people at the transition from secondary school to university and staff members of sport clubs – “Eco-entrepreneurial competences for Youth and Sports Clubs sustainable development”, aims to empower youth and sports club team members with eco-entrepreneurial skills through sport, while promoting sustainable development principles in sport organization management. (SO2)
- Providing young people (including youth with fewer opportunities) and staff members of sport clubs of all ages with opportunities to find out about the climate change, global warming and sustainability management trough sport and in non-formal education, and to make learning for the green transition a priority in the two Eco-entrepreneurial Sports Bootcamps – for Sport Clubs (during the EU Green Week) and for Youth (during the European Week of Sport). (SO3)
- Realizing people-to-people connectivity between youth and sports club team members from two EU Member States (BG, EL) and a country from Western Balkans with a strong European perspective (RNM), with a special emphasis on sport as a powerful tool for skills development and means to raise environmental awareness. (SO4)
- Enabling behavioural changes for individual preferences, environmental awareness through education through sport among youth. Moreover providing training and support for sports club members on sustainable development principles in sport organization management, including reducing ecological footprints and promoting environmentally friendly behaviour. (SO5)
- Creating a Virtual platform for enhanced sports management, youth and sustainable development, that includes e-library and a learning toolbox that embodies the: Innovative Methodology “Eco-entrepreneurial competences for Youth and Sports Clubs sustainable development”; the “Vademecum: Sports Clubs and Youth for Sustainable Development” for promoting green mind-set, skills and sustainable development through sport as well as supports the use of innovative practices to make learners, sport clubs team members and youth true actors of change. (SO6)
- Organizing and participating in seven events and EU Green Week and European Week of Sport 2025, involving altogether more than 185 participants from the target groups: 1 KOM transnational meetings, 1 Virtual Coordination Meeting, two Eco-entrepreneurial Sports Bootcamps – for Sport Clubs (during the EU Green Week) and for Youth during the European Week of Sport, three press conferences at national level. (SO7)
- Increasing the capacity of the project organizations to operate at transnational level and across sectors. (SO8)