Remote remembrances to foster the future: Traditional Sport and Games potential
There is an important presence of traditional games within the European Community, each with its own history, tradition, evolution, rules, dating back to centuries. However, though these games are still played in local communities – even if in very limited geographical perimeters – there is often a lack of codes and regulatory sources that give them authority and dignity. Firstly, the lack of an appropriate transcription of these games is therefore dangerous, as it can lead to their dispersion and thus their abandonment and disappearance: a loss from a cultural, historical, and sporting perspective for the entire community. Secondly, the lack of regulation both at local, regional and national level, prevents also local communities to exploit TSG as an opportunity to grow and develop from a socio-economic perspective. Therefore, REMIND aims at creating new opportunities, in the fields of education, culture, social and economic growth using Tradition Games (TG) as a flywheel. Generally, at European level, in ”the last decade, EU policy makers have further recognized the importance of sport, not only for the obvious health and wellbeing reasons, but also for a number of key areas such as: social cohesion, innovation and research, territorial regeneration, economic growth or tackling climate change.1” Specifically, the EU has stressed the value of the TSG. Indeed, as promoted in the Work Plan for Sport 2021-2024, under the second priority, focusing on the socio-economic and environmental dimensions of sport, and specifically under the key topic “Investments in sport and physical activity”, REMIND will use sport as a tool to contribute to regional development. Moreover, as recognized by the EU Commission in 2016 by the European Commission, “TSG (Traditional Sport and Games) do not receive a lot of media coverage and their popularity differs from country to country. The reasons for the lack of media attention are as diverse as TSG are. TSG have the disadvantage of not being ‘fashionable’ compared to more popular sports”.
REMIND will foster and strengthen cooperation among the participating organizations, contributing to establish a holistic approach at EU level concerning Traditional Games, characterized by the cultural need to protect traditions, on one side, and new opportunities to promote socio-economic regional development, on the other. Thanks to the cooperation among the involved organizations, there will be sharing of good practice at European level as well as contribution to the creation of innovative educational materials based on the cultural, economic, social value of TG.
Therefore, REMIND will be the tool to create new roles both at individual and organizational level, enabling transformation and change using an innovative approach applied to Traditional Games sector. In the framework of the Erasmus+ program, REMIND will also serve as a tool to encourage healthy lifestyles for all, through the promotion of traditional sport and games, as well as promoting education in and through sport, in particular fostering the employability through sport. Moreover, REMIND will also support active citizenship, by fostering local communities’ participation and civic engagement.
Start: 01-01-2024 – End: 31-12-2025
Project Reference: 101134177
Programme: ERASMUS+
Key Action: Sport
Action Type: ERASMUS-SPORT-2023-SCP
PROJECT PARTNERs:
- ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE DES JEUX ET SPORTS TRADITIONNELS (AEJEST) [FR]
- MV INTERNATIONAL (MVI) [IT]
- INSTYTUT ROZWOJU SPORTU I EDUKACJI (IRSIE) [PL]
- TRAKYA DOGA SPORLARI IHTISAS KULUBU DERNEGI [TR]
- INSTITUT NACIONAL D’EDUCACIO FISICA DE CATALUNYA (INEFC) [SP]
- VLAAMSE TRADITIONELE SPORTEN VZW (VLAS) [BE]
- INFINITIVITY DESIGN LABS [FR]
PROJECT TOPICs
- Social inclusion
- Cultural heritage
- Socio-cultural and economic regional development
- Mental and physical health
- Education and Training
TARGET GROUP:
- Participating organizations staff members.
- Staff members of grassroots sport organizations and socio-cultural associations participating in the project’s activities.
- Staff members and other organizations not directly participating in the project’s activities.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
- To perform comparative research on the needs of the grassroots sport, socio-cultural organizations’ about the skills needed to exploit Traditional Sports and Game (TSG) as a tool to promote regional socio-economic development and on the untracked TSG at EU level that could be used as a flywheel to promote socio-economic regional development.
- To provide grassroots sport, socio-cultural associations staff members, with tools and innovative training materials containing a holistic approach applied to TSG to promote socio-economic regional development and foster the practice of physical activity among different target groups.
- To create a network of grassroots sport, socio-cultural organizations at European level.
APPROACH/METHODOLOGY:
The main idea of REMIND is to create a 24-month long-standing cooperative partnership among the participating Organizations, with clear and balanced division of tasks and shared responsibilities, according to each partner expertise, aimed at the achievement of all the planned objectives of the project. The project has been designed in accordance with the project’s overall aim, namely the creation of a holistic approach applied to Traditional Sport and Games, encompassing cultural safeguarding of traditional activities, related to their exploitation for socio-economic regional development and promotion of physical activity.
The 5 work packages are strictly interconnected, making-up a specific workflow, that must be respected in order to proceed with REMIND’s activities implementation. REMIND is composed of the following core work packages:
WP2- Comparative research & codification of untracked games.
-Objectives
- O1: To identify and investigate the learning needs of the target group about the exploitation of TSG as a tool to promote cultural, socio-economic local and regional development.
- O2: To identify the untacked traditional sports and games at local, regional and national level.
- O3: To provide guidelines to transcribe and codify TSG.
WP3- Design of the innovative REMIND tools: holistic training approach and the REMIND App.
-Objectives
- O1: To produce an innovative holistic training format aimed at volunteering staff of grassroots sport and socio-cultural organizations or associations.
- O2: To enhance the target group with new skills to allow them to exploit TSG as a tool to promote cultural, socio-economic development of their local, regional realities.
- O3: To create an online e-learning course aimed at raising awareness about the potential of TSG to promote cultural, socio-economic regional development.
WP4- Participatory Phase and creation of the REMIND Chart
– Objectives
- O1: To directly involve the target group to pilot the training format.
- O2: To promote the use of the REMIND App.
- O3: To create the STG Chart.
- O4: To create a network of organizations adhering to the TSG Chart, through the TSG Committee.
PROJECT RESULTS:
- Skills to exploit TSG Research Report:
The “Skills to exploit TSG Research Report” will contain the results issued from the field research through the submission of the survey to the target group (volunteering staff of the grassroots sport and socio-cultural associations or organisations, and will represent an in-depth analysis and comparison at European level of the state-of the art about the learning needs and skills to be possessed by participants at European level.
- Play Traditional Sport and Games Report:
The Traditional Sport and Games Inventory Report will be divided in two different sections. The first section will contain the guidelines to be followed to transcribe and codify traditional sport and games. The second section will be issued from the national reports containing the transcription of the untracked traditional sports and games. The Report and the transcription of the TSG will be available on the Project website.
- Training Format:
The Training Format will be directly addressed to grassroots sport organizations and socio-cultural associations operators. It will take the form of a blended programme, composed by different sections aimed at developing their competences in exploiting TSG as a tool to foster practice of physical activity among different target groups, to foster socio-economic development of their regions. It will be composed by an introductory section taking the form of a short video, collecting best practices, and a digitalized content containing the digitalization of the training activities. The Training Format will be hosted in the REMIND App.
- REMIND AP:
The App will have the final objectives of connecting different associations interested in promoting TSG as a tool to foster socio-economic regional development. It will be composed by different sections, allowing the consultancy of the project’s results as well as the possibility to exchange messages and promote sport and cultural events.
- TSG Chart:
The Traditional Sport & Games Chart will be produced by all the participating organizations. It will contain a set of principles and rules to exploit TSG as a tool to promote both socio-cultural and economic regional development and physical activity of different target groups. The Chart will be signed by all the participants to the training activities as representatives of grassroots sport and socio-cultural associations. The Chart will be at the basis of the establishment of the TSG Committees, that will be involved in the organization of promotional events.
