As the Generations Uniting through Movement (GUM) project is all about bridging the generational gap between young people and seniors, it seemed fitting for the project’s latest consortium meeting to be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the “city of bridges”. ISCA and the GUM project partners, from the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Spain, France, the Netherlands (all in-person) and Bulgaria (online), gathered at the meeting, hosted by the Sports Union Slovenia (ŠUS) on 8-10 April 2024, to continue their mission to help different generations come together and #sticktogether.

This meeting was a follow-up to the previous consortium meeting in Madrid, held just before the MOVE Congress 2023. This time, the GUM partners seized the opportunity to their share progress, update on the milestones achieved so far, and share their learnings as well as the  challenges faced during the implementation of their pilot activities. The agenda for day one included a lively brainstorming session focused on one of the core goals of the GUM project: mapping out EU networks. Session facilitated by Stichting Hanzehogeschool Groningen (Hanze) gave an opportunity to share ideas on how to bring their A-game to spread best practices throughout Europe.

One of the milestones achieved through cooperation in the GUM project was launching a comprehensive GUM training tool and GUM app which are specifically designed for sport practitioners and coaches. Recognising their crucial role, we are constantly developing guidelines that will set the wheels in motion to support their effort in facilitating GUM Programme activities. 

Just as important were partners' updates regarding their pilot activities. Some projects were already in progress, while others awaited the official kick-off. This provided an opportunity to exchange valuable tips, share experiences, and discuss strategies to overcome challenges. 

Kindly hosted by the Sports Club Šentvid-Ljubljana, we had a chance to take part in the pilot activity where we could witness theory smoothly transitioning into practice as we actively engaged in the physical exercises. Not only did we get to test our coordination, but we also embraced the healthy competition that injected more excitement into the sessions. It was truly eye-opening to realise that physical activity serves as a universal language, bridging not only generational gaps but also cultural differences among participants of various nationalities.

Pilot activities involving the target groups - the elderly and youth - are one of the pillars of the project. Are you excited to see the results? Then stay tuned!

The project meeting reached its peak with a trip to Lake Bled, organised by ŠUS. The majestic mountain views (and the slightly challenging hike) were truly breath-taking and embodied the essence of GUM's goals: movement, fun, and energy that inspire us to #sticktogether.

Visit the GUM project website for more information https://www.generationsmove.org/ 

The Generations Uniting through Movement (GUM) project partners are ISCA (lead coordinator), Youth Sport Trust (UK), Sports Union of Slovenia, BG Be Active (Bulgaria), Deporte Para La Educacion Y La Salud (DES) (Spain), Stichting Hanzehogeschool Groningen (Hanze) (the Netherlands) and Azur Sport Sante (France).

The GUM project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.