In Spain, the role of leisure and recreation instructor has existed for decades. However, the importance of this professional profile is not always fully understood until one finds oneself in the position of performing it. The phrase so widely used among some users, ‘playing is easy’, could not be further from the truth. In the common imagination, the job of a monitor seems to be limited to playing with and looking after children. The truth is that it is a much more complex role, requiring training, teaching skills, group management skills, creativity and a deep sense of responsibility.At Escuela Alarca, we have been training leisure and recreation monitors since the 1990s, always adapting to the needs of each generation. Our training programme has been rich, modern and committed, incorporating key topics such as drug addiction prevention, affective-sexual education, early school leaving, bullying, working with the elderly, disability and rural depopulation, among others. Curiosity, empathy towards our environment and commitment to our community have driven us to remain an innovative school. Today, we have identified a new need that motivates us to launch this project: to strengthen the sense of European citizenship among leisure and recreation professionals.The Erasmus+ programme already places European identity at the heart of its initiatives, but it is still necessary to continue promoting its understanding and application in everyday life. With this project, the Alarca School aims to research and develop the role of the European leisure and recreation monitor: a professional, versatile profile prepared to create, facilitate, energise and coordinate leisure activities adapted to different types of users, in different countries and contexts, transmitting both the values of socio-cultural animation and the fundamental values of the European Union. In this way, we will be able to transfer these principles to the leisure activities carried out daily with millions of people, contributing to a more united, aware and participatory Europe.