Citation
(2006), "European Year of Education through Sport: the Commissions response", Education + Training, Vol. 48 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2006.00448dab.009
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
European Year of Education through Sport: the Commissions response
The European Commission has outlined ways in which it thinks Europe could follow up on the 2004 European Year of Education through Sport campaign, based on an independent evaluation of the initiative. The Commission suggests:
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increasing the knowledge at EU level of the place of sport and physical activity in education;
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raising awareness of the benefits of closer co-operation for the worlds of education and sport;
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intensifying co-operation within the sport movement on issues like volunteering, women’s participation in sport, the fight against racism and xenophobia, and the education and protection of young athletes;
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making better use of the possibilities offered by EU programmes to support initiatives related to sport;
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improving the recognition of qualifications and facilitating mobility in sport-related professions; and
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raising awareness of the importance of physical activity in helping people to lose weight.
The European Year of Education through Sport was launched to increase awareness of the potential of sport as a tool for education and social inclusion. Political decision-makers, teachers, students, managers of sport organisations, young people and deprived social groups were its main targets.
The evaluation notes: “The campaign has spread the message that in our multicultural societies, sport can and must become a tool to be used in formal and non-formal learning … Throughout the numerous projects and initiatives carried out, the campaign significantly contributed to fostering recognition of activities in the field of education through sport and to changing the attitudes of the European public in this area. But, more importantly, the initiative contributed to raising the expectations of European citizens on EU actions aimed at promoting a better use of the educational and social values of sport in formal education and informal learning”.