ISCA’s Youth on the MOVE project, co-funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme, has officially come to an end. But even though we’re submitting the project’s final report, we’re closing what seems only the first chapter of the Youth on the MOVE story. As Erasmus+ project coordinators, we know that sustainability is an important part of securing project funding – and it’s also something we want to see: the results we create having a “life after” the project period.

Reporting doesn’t only give us a chance to administratively close the project, but it also gives us an opportunity to look back on the last two years of the project and reflect upon our work, the contribution of young change-makers and their supporting organisations, lessons learned, experiences gained and moments shared. It also gives us input for improvement and motivation to continue working with young volunteers and change-makers in the future.

Overall, we, the team that worked hard on the project, are happy with the Youth on the MOVE project’s results. With the project, we tried to build on and enhance the European experience of youth engagement and youth volunteering. We built capacity in the partner organisation SESC and extended to other Latin American countries, while at the same time enhanced quality of the youth work of also European Project partners (V4Sport from Poland, UBAE from Spain) and further 15 organisations/stakeholders in 17 different EU countries. An international Training and Volunteering Platform was developed for non-formal learning opportunities for youth (18-30) in the field of grassroots sports. Young people’s competencies were strengthened through delivering community-based grassroots sport initiatives and offers. Throughout the online and offline training young participants on both sides were finding a solution/idea/project for a problem in their local or national community. They received theoretical and also practical knowledge on how to do it and after then it was up to them and their supporting organisation to implement their idea, which gave them unique opportunity to test it in real life. The project outcomes were successfully disseminated and exploited to a targeted European and Latin American audience with two conferences and the feedback was very positive.

From the project partners’ side, we examined the strengths and weaknesses of the process and reviewed the training module and curriculum. As some changes and updates are needed, we will continue working on it and looking into the next steps and opportunities to make it better and sustainable. The dissemination and exploitation of the project’s results continues in the further projects and activities that the project partners initiate.

Cross-continental lessons

The realities in Europe and Latin America are different when it comes to opportunities for young people. While being part of various short or long term youth exchange programmes, being able to travel abroad and meet people from other countries and cultures is relatively easy and affordable in Europe, there are not so many opportunities in Latin America.

Despite unique realities and challenges on both continents, the main challenge of getting more people physically active is international and appears everywhere. Youth on the MOVE partners are convinced that the fastest way to find solutions and to improve physical activity lies within international cooperation and projects such as Youth on the MOVE. The solutions are to be found within an open and systematic exchange of knowledge and practical experiences from across the world. Participants of Youth on the MOVE training from Europe and Latin America have realised their ideas in the framework of MOVE Week and/or European Week of Sport in Europe and #SemanaMUÉVELA in Latin America. We do hope that their passion and motivation will continue and spread out, so that together we can really reach the goal of “100 million more Europeans active in sport and physical activity by 2020”.

ISCA team would like to say BIG THANK you to all project partners and staff involved in the project; young change-makers from Europe and Latin America and their supporting organisations; youth trainers involved in online and offline training; all “special helpers” who translated content, proofread materials, made videos, recorded podcasts, designed materials, took pictures, revised platform, made presentations, managed finances and made all the meetings and conferences happen.

If you would like to know more about the Youth on the MOVE project, please visit the project’s website.

By Monika Resetar, ISCA project coordinator