sport in nfe

Youth and sport

By the official definition of Council of Europe, “Sport” means all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organized participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels . There is a wide range of activities that can be considered as sport, including organized sports clubs, school physical education, as well as informal activities like playgrounds. This means that nearly every person in the world practiced sport in some form during their lives. Benefits of practicing sport for young people had been point of interest of countless research published over the last few decades. Many advantages are identified and they can be deconstructed in a few categories: emotional development, intellectual development, physical development, psychological development and social development.

Sport is a valuable tool for youth development on many levels. Physical and emotional benefits for young organism are undoubtful and the most prominent include: increased motor skill competences, reduced body mass index, healthy dietary behavior, enhanced mood, decreased depression and anxiety, etc.

Sport offers stimulating learning environment for development of social skills and life competences. Practicing sport at early age can enhance good working habits, responsibility and problem-solving skills. Other, it can teach valuable skills for leadership, co-operation, fair-play and team spirit.

of young Europeans are involved with sports clubs

The analytical report published in 2012 revealed that nearly 35% of young Europeans have been involved in sport clubs during the previous 12 months. It is noticeable that results vary per country, going from highest participation of nearly 60% recorded in Holland, followed by France, Belgium and Germany with around 50%. The lowest youth participation in sport clubs, far below the EU average is determined in Romania, Poland, Cyprus and Bulgaria. Such rigorous discrepancies between countries demand this issue to be addressed at different levels, thus providing equal opportunities as well as access to knowledge and information. Similar data for the Republic of Serbia are not available, but there are research done for the purpose of the Development of the National Sport Strategy that encompasses the habits of the entire population. Those data reveal the disturbing situation, showing that 56% of Serbian population never practices sport. This is a reason more to target this issue through all methods of education.

Not only it is highly beneficial for individual growth, but sport can be a great method for bringing communities closer. This is achieved both through practicing and supporting, since people of various age, background or origin get connected with the same goal. For instance, sport clubs connect different generations through their youth sections which involve entire families at organized competitions and events.

As an excellent development method, sport is recognized on much higher level as well. There is a strong correlation between sports and all 17 Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) brought by United Nations in its Agenda 2030. The strength of sport in combating gender inequality, challenging stereotypes and imposed social roles while creating safe environments for both boys and girls is indisputable. Promotion of peace and prevention of conflict can be enhanced via global attention that sport has. Besides, its universal language offers valuable integration channel for the newcomers in societies.