By implementing "ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT" we wanted to increase the awareness of youth about soft skills and initiate the process of developing them. The objective of the project was to increase the level of soft skills among youth, empower them as well as increase quality in youth work by providing youth leaders with new, innovative methods. Sub objectives of the project were to: a) contribute to the better understanding of the link between sport/movement and soft skills among the youth leaders b) contribute to the better integration of youth from various background (different cultural background, geographical obstacles, economical and geographical obstacles, inclusion of disabled youth, inclusion of LGBTQ+ community etc.) c) foster the inclusion and employability of young people with fewer opportunities by increasing their soft skills level e) support youth leaders in access to new educational methods The partners were also aiming at developing the new, innovative cross sectoral learning method, which can be now disseminated to different youth organisations, schools, sport clubs all over Europe.
Our application for the "ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT" project arose from a recognised need for soft skills development among youth, particularly those facing challenges like disabilities and economic and geographical obstacles. Motivated by observing youth gathered around partnering organisations and research indicating the pivotal role of soft skills in job market success, we aimed to bridge this gap through tailored sport/movement activities. This project was developed to create innovative method which combines soft skills with sport and which can be used by partners during daily activities, but also could be disseminated further to other youth organisations. The decision to pursue this project was grounded in findings from the experience of organisations and was supported by desk research ( eg.Future of Jobs Raport 2023 ) , emphasizing the universal importance of soft skills including time management, empathy, and communication etc. are crucial in the job market in all professions.