Studies compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2019 point to a global prevalence of youth violence of around 36%. In Europe, the prevalence of bullying was 9%, physical fighting 23% and sexual violence 9%. The organisation also believes that this is a public health problem, with an estimated 200,000 homicides per year of young people between the ages of 10 and 29, which represents 42% of the total number of homicides. The consequences of youth violence also have devastating effects on the survivors, since for every young person murdered, at least 20 to 40 others are treated in hospital for serious injuries because of youth violence. According to the PSP's analysis of criminal behaviour by young people in 2021, there has been a ‘decrease in the age of young people who commit crimes, a worsening of violence and the more frequent presence of girls’. This reality in Portugal is common to Europe as a whole, which has worried global organisations, as it portrays a very wide-ranging and frankly frightening situation. Since the problem of youth violence is a serious one that urgently needs to be resolved, the problem we are tackling with this project is precisely that, in the hope of contributing to resolving it through prevention. Furthermore, when we analyse the problem of youth violence in the light of different socio-economic contexts, we can easily see that not all young people are subject to youth violence in the same way. There are identified risk factors, mainly associated with the surrounding context (family and community): for example, children exposed to domestic violence have an increased risk of becoming involved in violent youth acts; and young people living in poor socio-economic areas, with no prospects of employability, find it easier to resort to violence and crime as a way of recognising and supporting themselves (Council of Europe). This means that youth violence naturally proliferates in societies with low levels of social cohesion, marked social inequalities and unemployment, i.e. within poor, marginalised communities at risk of social exclusion. In fact, there are areas of endemic violence, usually (semi-)urban areas in which aggressive behaviour is seen either as a social norm or as a need for protection (WHO, 2015). However, conversely, there are also individual protective or buffering factors, such as low levels of impulsivity, pro-social attitudes, good relationships with carers, strong ties to school, or peers without deviant behaviour. This leads us to believe that, to prevent youth violence, investing in the development of personal and social skills in young people and raising their awareness of European values is a logical way to intervene - particularly with young people in vulnerable situations. In fact, in terms of the effectiveness of youth violence prevention strategies, the WHO states that one of the most successful is precisely the promotion of adaptive skills and positive behaviour that enable young people to cope better with everyday challenges. Needs Considering the above, as evidenced by bibliographic literature, statistical data and the consortium's practical experience, we realised that there was an urgent need to offer young people learning opportunities that would open up their horizons and future prospects, supporting them in the following areas: - Developing key competences, especially life skills; - Strengthening positive relationships with peers; - Recognising and incorporating European values. Objectives and strategy From this perspective, we have designed a project aimed at preventing youth violence, supported by the following specific objectives: 1. Develop personal and social competences; 2. Foster positive and healthy environments with peers and adults; 3. Raising awareness of European values; 3. Put in place resources to deal with adversity, frustration and conflict, increasing their resilience and impulse control. In the ‘Doha Declaration’ (2015), and its subsequent Global Implementation Programme, which includes a component on the prevention of youth crime through sport, the UN recognised the power of sport as an instrument for promoting peace and strengthening the resilience of young people. Seeing sport as a powerful strategy for the personal and social development of young people, as well as for creating positive relationships between peers, and capitalising on the expertise of the partners, in this project we work with young people - aged 13-18, particularly those with fewer opportunities - through sport.