Sport and physical activities have become important tools in international and local development and in addressing social issues such as conflict resolution, reconciliation, community building, social exclusion and human development. Sport is used as a vehicle to approach different processes within society but is often perceived only at the elite, professional level. Even at universities, within sport studies and development studies programmes, sports’ social role is often neglected. The Global Sport for Development and Peace Knowledge Collaborative (GloKnoCo) aims to establish best practice for the teaching and dissemination of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) projects across the EU and internationally in order to establish clear recommendations for the EU higher education sector, member states’ institutions and partner institutions. Through the strategic partnership, the project seeks to establish a dialogue between universities and different stakeholders to ensure that the teaching of SDP courses addresses the needs of the sector whilst helping NGOs to engage with research. Building and consolidating an international network of universities and NGOs in the sector will assess the range and delivery of SDP courses. Through this network, a common reference framework will be developed to align delivery of SDP courses with the sector and an online collaborative tool established to share best practice. Therefore, the seven project partners (3 universities and 4 NGOs) from 4 EU countries - Czech Republic (Palacky University Olomouc, INEX-SDA), Great Britain (University of Brighton, Football4Peace), Germany (Paderborn University, Amandla) and Poland (MSIS) established this cooperation. Each year they will jointly organise an intensive course focusing on SDP topics for 36 students from the partner universities. It will be followed by online activity of students working groups on specific SDP project proposals and it will be ended by a study trip to SDP organisations where the participants (students and also partner NGO young workers) will have the possibility to discuss real problems and practical impacts of the implementation of SDP programs. The project envisages to prepare the participants to be involved in SDP area and co-create mutual understanding among different sectors. The results (SDP methodologies, recommendations for teaching and policy, etc.) will be also shared with all the possible stakeholders in conferences organised during the lifetime of the project. The project argues that the field of SDP needs to develop deeper and intensive discussion among all the stakeholders, with a focal role of the tertiary sector. Universities do not operate in a vacuum and need to establish and share courses that engage with the experiences of stakeholders. The curricula will be enriched through the experiences of the strategic partnerships. GloKnoCo prepares activities demonstrating how sport and physical activities can be harnessed as tools to approach processes that go beyond the mere physical. Students, academics and professionals will understand the potential of sport. This should motivate them to utilise it correctly and to ensure a positive effect in the future. During the blended mobility (study trips) students will encounter different actors including NGOs, ministries, development agencies, sport federations and sport organisations and will discuss with them the issues important for the field.
The project aimed to meet three main objectives, each supported by a specific set of events and outputs. First, establishment of best practices for the teaching of SDP-related topics. The aim was to gather information on various topics present in the European higher education study programmes and modules linked to the SDP. Second, establishment of the dialogue between universities and SDP NGOs (and other stakeholders) so that the research and educational sector informs the professional sector and vice versa. The joint and close cooperation and sharing of practice and experience between academic institutions, NGOs and other parties was the aim here. Third, providing students with specialised knowledge and experience within the SDP field combining both theoretical and practical teaching and studying activities. Students from Palacký University Olomouc, University of Brighton and Paderborn University participated in a series of events to enhance their proficiency and future employability in the SDP sector.
Sport and physical activities have become important tools in international and local development and in addressing social issues such as conflict resolution, reconciliation, community building, social exclusion and human development. Sport is used as a vehicle to approach different processes within society but is often perceived only at the elite, professional level. Even at universities, within sport studies and development studies programmes, sports’ social role is often neglected. GloKnoCo project aimed to support the teaching and dissemination of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) topics in higher education and the NGO sector. Through the strategic partnership, the project sought to establish a dialogue between universities and different stakeholders to ensure that the teaching of SDP courses addresses the needs of the sector whilst helping NGOs to engage with research. Seven partners, universities and NGOs, from four European countries, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and the UK, joined to prepare students and young leaders to be involved in the SDP area and to co-create mutual understanding among different SDP actors and sectors.