Exercise's positive impact on kids' mental health is well-known. Amid a shift to online teaching during the pandemic, many schools embraced digital tools for subjects like language, math, and science. However, physical education (PE) lagged behind. Recognizing the urgent need to teach PE online, our project aimed to: Enhance school teachers' mental health competences through online PE. Pilot online courses using meditation and sports for well-being. Stimulate peer learning among students in well-being methodologies. Boost mental health education through local activities and Learning, Teaching, and Training sessions. The project focused on five strategic objectives: raising awareness, promoting visibility of health risks, fostering European values, encouraging citizenship, and creating networks. Main objectives included exchanging sports and nutrition practices, exploring the link between lifestyle and personal development, and creating a compilation of youth-friendly advice on healthy living. Specific goals involved providing a multi-sector learning experience on youth health, PE, inclusive sports, and environmental sustainability, fostering cross-cultural exchanges, offering mobility opportunities, and connecting participants.
The project provided online courses for secondary school teachers, enhancing their skills in online PE instruction. It also encouraged peer education among students for self-care and a healthy mindset in the digital era, involving collaboration with formal education (schools), non-formal education (training centers), and the digital business world (IT company). Key goals included raising awareness about unhealthy lifestyles, promoting youth responsibility for well-being, supporting local production of quality food, and fostering long-term cooperation among diverse cultures, particularly focusing on youth from rural or economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The project aimed to deliver an intercultural learning experience through activities addressing environmental sustainability, respect for nature, inclusive sport, and a healthy lifestyle. Workshops, role plays, intercultural evenings, and trust-building exercises facilitated by non-formal education experts were conducted. Emphasizing the urgent need for online PE amid the shift to online teaching during lockdowns, the project addressed the insufficient physical activity of students, recognizing its impact on mental health.