It’s inevitable that we have to do something about climate change. Not only reduce, reuse and recycle, but we can actively contribute to protect our planet and take direct action. Pollution is an enormous problem and lack of recycling is an even bigger challenge. Therefore, in the last years, there were new types of activities developed and promoted in order to tackle both – lack of physical movement of people, but also increasing pollution of our nature, beaches, forests….

There are various activities that can be organized combining sport and physical activities with environmental actions:

• picking up the trash – e.g. running, hiking, water sports (rowing for clean water, paddling for the planet, kayaking, surfing, diving – #onwaterforwater), yoga, or other cardio meetups on the beach or in the parks (and before or after clean-up event),

• environmental sport outdoor education programs and games that combine physical movement with environmental learning (for example, recycle relay or eco-scavenger hunt),

• repair cafés, planting trees, building birdhouses, etc.

We are confident that „if many little people, in many little places, do many little things, they can change the face of the Earth“.

Therefore the aim of the project is to promote sport and physical activities that not only contribute to better health but have also a positive impact on the environment (2 in 1).

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OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:

• to promote and develop new methods of environmental education through sport,

• to increase the number of organized events – best practice collection like clean-up events, planting trees, birdhouse building, repair cafés, etc. on a local level,

• to generate public awareness about the possible connection of sport and the protection of the environment,

• to foster citizens engagement in sport, but also encourage them to take action towards a better environment,

• to improve the knowledge and experience of representatives of sports clubs and youth workers about the concept of eco-sports,

• to provide opportunities in the urban lifestyle to keep people’s physical and mental health and to significantly decrease the stress levels,

• to build a society that feels close and attached to nature will contribute to using natural resources sustainably and thus building sustainable cities,

• to contribute to the social inclusion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
   

ACTIVITIES:

• The kick-off meeting of representatives of partner organizations in Bratislava, Slovakia (March 2020);

• Research about already organized events and possible methods – best practice collection how to combine sport and protection of the environment (April – June 2020);

• Development of Sport and Nature Education programs (July – September 2020)

• Mid-term meeting in Portugal (March 2021)

• Local Eco-Sport Events (at least 5) organized in each partner country. Partner organizations will focus on involvement also kids and young people from a different disadvantaged background – e.g. migrants, minorities, NEET, Roma or young people at radicalization, etc.) – around 20 participants at each event (April – October 2021)

• Sport and Nature Education Programs for representatives of sports clubs, youth workers, teachers in Slovakia and Turkey (July – October 2021)

• Final conference and evaluation meeting in Turkey (October 2021)where project results will be presented

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