WOW – Wave On Wave – Water sports for young people’s physical activity

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Date/time
Date(s) - 01/01/2017 - 31/03/2019
All day

Project type

Selected participants


The number of people playing sport or who are engaged in another physical activity is decreasing year by year. There were many research conducted focusing on how young people spend their free time and most of them prefer to spend time on computer or smartphone and using social media. The newest research say that around 43% of people in active age (between 18 – 55 years old) do not play any sport at all, and only 7% of people do some sport each day. As for the reasons why they do not practice any physical activities, they stated: not enough time, dislike of sport, health conditions. It has also to be stressed that water sports are not played so much in Slovakia, compared to more popular sportes such cycling, running, roller-skating.

Therefore, the main aim im of WoW project is to encourage physical activity in water sports, increase the number of people practicing water sports and  to reduce the rate of persons in a state of inactivity, with special focus on young people so to promote sport practice, fitness and wellbeing in general to new generations.

The objectives of the project:

-To increase the accessibility of water sports reducing barriers that limit the possibilities of social inclusion, the promotion of equal opportunities and the “sport for all” approach principle

-To reduce the early dropout phenomenon in water sports through new innovative methods of teaching, couching and educating to “sport for all” values

-To enhance the perception of water sports role in young people education through new forms of collaboration between the different actors of civil society

-To strengthen trainers skills in organization and management of activities and events of water sport associations by improving their role as professional providers of personal services

-To remove cultural barriers in kids and young people during special intercultural summer camps

PROJECT ACTIVITIES:

1) kick-off meeting was held from 8 – 10 March 2017 in Pesaro, Italy. All aspects of the project were discussed and planned with all partners.

2) meeting in Nancy, France from 29 May – 1 June 2017. During the meeting, ideas, problems, experiences and best practices were shared related to water sport activities and managemen and training methods, different approaches, methodologies, best practicies and sport education for young population.

Meeting brought together trainers and experts from very broad range of fields, including: education, water sports (sailing, rowing, canoeing and diving), psychology, local authorities. They discussed together topics such as:

-accessibility of water sports by reducing barriers limiting water sport practice (social inclusion/cost of equipment/economic barriers) in light of a “sport for all” approach, how to make and perceive water sports as safer sport environment,

-trainers and volunteers skills in organization and management of water sport associations’ activities with the aim of improving their role as providers of personal services to local communities;

-cultural barriers in young people and adults, especially among teachers and school administrators, thus limiting water sports practice;

– how to tackle the drop out phenomenon through new innovative methods of teaching, couching by educating to “sport for all” values;

– the role played by water sports in young people education

Reccomendations/best practices and lessons learnd from first meeting defined strategies and proposals to be put into practice during summer camp for kids.

3) summer camp for kids 20 – 25 August in Getxo, Spain (6 kids from 10 – 14 years old from Slovakia, 2 trainers and 2 educational experts)

Intercultural exchange and a joint pilot action to implement and evaluate the methodologies and approaches developed during the previous meeting.

More pictures from the project so far are here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ADELSlovakia/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1059772747489967

4) local activities in each country – mapping the local sport ecosystem – research among local sport association and public bodies dealing with health and sport promotion with special reference to water sports. (a database will be created and shared among all members collecting information on polices, project and activities) + dissemination event with the aim to spread among civil society abut benefits offered by water sports, will be shared project results and do some water sports together

5) meeting in Dubrovnik (March 2018, dates will be agreed later),

6) summer camp for kids (July 2018, exact dates will be agreed later)

7) final conference (November 2018, exact dates will be agreed later)

Participating countries: Italy, Spain, Slovakia, France, Croatia

Project was co-financed from Erasmus+ program, Action – Sport, Collaborative Partnerships.

More info about project here: http://waveonwaveproject.eu/ 

Some pictures from project activities here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ADELSlovakia/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1059772747489967