This project incorporates sustainability through green practices into fitness and other physical activities. It is a pan-European project with partners from Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Italy, which will provide the tools and resources that enhance environmentally friendly behaviours whilst simultaneously promoting well-being. This is done through a series of activities including the creation of best practices, green training methods, Eco Fitness systems and another toolkit for users. Through training sessions, EcoFitness open days awareness and social media campaigns, this project has had a lot of outreach and promoted the incorporation of well-being and sustainability into sports to yield a positive societal impact.
Objectives
- Integrate green practices into fitness training
- In order to enhance sustainability and social impact
- Develop innovative training methods and promote sustainable sports facilities
- Enhance physical activity and community well-being
- Bolster environmental-friendly practices and behaviours with positive ecological impacts
Description of the practice:
This project has facilitated several gatherings, workshops, and training sessions to promote environmental sustainability and the aforementioned objectives. This included the creation of recycling tips, and eco fitness systems for both partner organisations and fitness facilities, hosting training sessions to strengthen the incorporation of sustainability into sports and creating a foundation for sustainable practices into sports through brainstorming sessions with focus groups.
Outcomes & Results:
There are a number of both qualitative and quantitative results from this project. Around 120 participants were involved in the testing activities, 160 were active in awareness campaigns, 300 people participated in the open days of EcoFitness activities and more than 1,000 people were reached through a series of social media campaigns.
Conclusion & suggestion for youth workers:
The EcoFitness project demonstrates how we can strive for several societal benefits at the same time, by incorporating wellbeing and sustainability into sports. This form of ‘collateral benefit’ is a fantastic consideration for youth workers and all types of projects. This project also shows the diverse way in which a project can reach its objectives, a combination of outreach and activities shows to be a very valuable insight. Social media and awareness campaigns are crucial, and workshops, toolkits, and open days – a combination of the aforementioned are a great way to reach out to several target groups and maximise visibility and accessibility for project participation and inclusion.
. 