After decades of positive excitement about Europe and the growing together of Europe we currently observe difficult times of challenges and tendencies to drift apart. At this critical point in the process of European unification, intercultural integration is becoming as important or even more crucial than before. A major aspect of this project therefore is the cooperation between students from four of the largest European countries. Another addressed fact is the alarming decline of physical activity among young students at the age of 14 to 17, partly being replaced by modern-media based occupations e.g. with computers and smartphones. Another observation is the decrease of students' motivation and the willingness to learn at school.We want to combine these issues by using and understanding physical activity for intercultural integration and strengthening of a healthy lifestyle and the cognitive abilities of students. We do not aim to oppose physical activity and computer usage but instead to integrate them in a fruitful way, the developed electronic tools serving to enhance physical activity and intercultural collaboration at the same time.The main idea is a a project spanning from the most eastern border of Europe in Poland, traversing the two countries Germany and France in the heart of Europe to the nearly most western country Spain, covering almost the whole width of Europe from East to West. We will bring together and integrate students from these participating countries and cultures by the means of sports, one of the best ways to overcome language barriers. The students will both, feel and – what is important to us – analyse, think about and understand the positive effects of physical team activity on integration of culturally mixed groups, their own health, their academic performance and their general motivation and well-being. For this purpose, the students will thoroughly plan, actively execute and scientifically investigate common sports activities with focus on team spirit in multinational groups.There are two main levels of these activities during the two years of the project. First, the four transnational one-week meetings in the four participating countries with typical sports for each of the regions. Secondly, one of the constantly ongoing activities between the multinational meetings will be the semi-virtual European School Run consisting of real running in international teams and the electronic display of the completed distances on a European map on the project's website that the students will develop, as well as the needed smartphone app to collect the running data. With each kilometre the students run in reality, they will see their team advance in the virtual map of the project's website. The current positions of the teams will be enriched on the virtual map by pictures and information of the European region they are currently passing during their run. Hence, several tools will be developed during the project. A clear scientific approach will be used for the investigation of the impact of different physical team activities on integration, health and mental performance, including tools for preparing, realisation and analysis of the sport events as well as the understanding and documentation of the research results. The school communities, i.e. all classmates of the Erasmus students will be involved in the analysis by the means of questionnaire-based surveys.We will test the integrative power of different sports with intercultural groups. This will lead to a transfer of scientific techniques and knowlegde and best practise between the countries and a learning from each other. Another main aspect of our research is the perception of the positive effect of physical activities before, during or after mental work by different cultural groups. The gained knowledge can be transferred to a general recipe for integrating different cultures by sports.Once the process structure and the needed (electronic) tools are developed within this project, more and more schools, students and teachers could be convinced in the following years to take part in a yearly European School Run, the idea becoming bigger and bigger and spreading out with an increasing number of participants. The running route will also pass through more and more cities, integrating more and more countries and cultures. Our vision is this project being the initiative and starting point for a constantly growing yearly event that integrates many involved European schools and, at the same time, increases physical activity, health awareness and academic performance. By running through Europe, the message transported by this movement will be the importance of European integration and a healthy, physically active lifestyle.
The main idea is a project that stretches from the easternmost border of Europe in Poland, crossing the two countries, Germany and France, in the heart of Europe, to the almost westernmost country of Spain, covering almost the entire width of Eastern Europe. to West. We have brought together students from these countries and participating cultures through sports, one of the best ways to overcome language barriers. The students have felt and, what is important for us, have analyzed, thought and understood the positive effects of physical activity, the integration of culturally mixed groups, their own health, their academic performance and their general motivation and well-being. The students have planned, executed actively, focusing on team spirit in multinational groups. There have been two main levels of these activities during the two years of the project. First, the four transnational meetings of a week in the four participating countries with typical sports for each of the regions. Secondly, as a transversal activity, the European School Run, which has consisted of real international teams, with the aim of reaching the distance of 4000kmts during the two years of the project. Each student has written down weekly the physical activity carried out in an Excel, elaborated among all, by means of several logarithms, the time and the modality was transformed into kilometers. A clear scientific approach has been used to investigate the impact of different activities on integration, health and mental performance, including tools for the preparation, conduct and analysis of sporting events, as well as the understanding and documentation of results Of the investigation. The school communities, that is, all the classmates of the Erasmus students, have participated in the analysis through surveys based on questionnaires. Another main aspect of our research has been the perception of the positive effect of physical activities before, during or after mental work.