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Tiberio Daddi, Associate Professor in Sustainability Management at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy, expert in environmental management systems and project manager in the field of sport and environment. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW Tiberio Daddi, associate professor in the well-known University of Sant’Anna from Pisa, Italy, provides his expertise in the field of environmental management strategies and project management related to actions creating synergies between sport and environmental education, underlining the complexity of the topic as well as the richness in opportunities for youth in being engaged actively in these topics contributing to an important long-lasting impact. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Introduction and Experience within Youthwork, Sport, and Environment I am a graduate in Economics with a specialization in Environmental Economics in the University of Florence and have a Master in Management and Control of the Environment in the University of Sant’Anna, and a PhD in Economics and Management focused on environmental management systems. My research interests focus on corporate environmental management, sustainable consumption and production, environmental footprint, performance, LCA, and circular economy.  My current role as an Associate Professor naturally involves continuous engagement with young people through teaching, mentoring, and supervising undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students. Supporting the next generation of sustainability leaders is a core part of my work. In addition to my academic work, I manage several international projects, mainly funded by the European Commission, and have served as a project evaluator for EU programs. Over the last several years, my research group has also seized significant opportunities to connect sports and sustainability. Initially, our work focused on football, but over time, we expanded our research to include a variety of sports, such as canoeing, kayaking, sailing, biathlon, athletics, and more. I’m also a partner in a spin-off company of Sant’Anna University, which specializes in environmental management consulting. I am an accredited third-party environmental auditor for ISO 14001 and EMAS standards, and I’ve published more than 50 articles. In your opinion, what are the main environmental challenges our community is facing? Sustainability encompasses many different aspects, and it goes beyond widely discussed issues like climate change and global warming.  While these are certainly critical, there are numerous other environmental challenges and opportunities that our community faces but may overlook or fail to address effectively, like the loss of biodiversity or overconsumption of natural resources. Additionally, one significant issue is the proliferation of sustainability initiatives, which can lead to confusion and fragmentation in efforts. Many organizations and individuals find it difficult to navigate this complex landscape without the expertise needed, often resulting in mere misleading communication initiatives rather than concrete actions.  On the other hand, this can be seen as an opportunity for young people who want to approach sustainability, as specialized expertise will be increasingly demanded, offering them the chance to play a key role in driving innovative solutions and shaping a sustainable future. In what ways do you think sport can contribute to environmental education for youth? My experience has confirmed that sport is a powerful vehicle for environmental education. In many of the projects I’ve worked on, we’ve seen directly how sports can engage young people and raise awareness about sustainability. Research findings also show that sports encourage teamwork and discipline but can also foster a sense of shared responsibility for the environment. The values of sports are deeply aligned with the principles of sustainability, and sports can have a dual role by working with local authorities to improve the quality of cities through sustainable sporting events, and engaging athletes as key testimonials to positively influence behaviors of local communities. Also, there are many joint initiatives between sports organisations and schools or universities, which help integrate sustainability into education and foster environmental awareness among young people.  What steps should we, as youth workers, take to effectively implement these ideas and tackle environmental challenges? I think that an open and flexible mindset is essential for understanding the specific needs of both organizations and individuals. Sometimes, sustainability is perceived as a huge, complex, and expensive effort, which can discourage people from even trying. However, it’s crucial to emphasize that small steps are better than doing nothing at all. By encouraging gradual changes and showing how even small actions can make a big difference, also within an organisation, we can better engage them and drive the change.  Closing Statement/Suggestions I encourage everyone, especially youth workers, to be curious, stay informed, keep an open mind, and remember that no action is too small when it comes to making a positive impact. Collaboration is also key in this field, as innovative solutions often arise from the contamination of ideas from different sectors.

Michele Zucca, President of Giunone Soc Coop, manager of the Center for Environmental Education of the Municipality of Genoni, and Director of the Museum Cavallino della Giara. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW Michele Zucca, expert on environmental education from the small city of Genoni in Sardinia, Italy, provides his points of view on how important it is to  strive for environmental education for young people. Moreover, he underlines how sport can be used as a way to compare similar values in environmental awareness and inspire young generations to be more active and careful within it. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Introduction and Experience within Youthwork, Sport, and Environment I have a degree in Philosophy with a specialization in museum management and museum education. For over 20 years, I have been involved in museum management and museum education. The museum facilities we manage through Giunone Soc Coop specialize in activities for families, children, residential summer camps, and schools. Our organization is part of HandsOn! International Association of Children in Museums. Through our museums and CEAS, we conduct various educational workshops on environmental themes and participate in regional projects focused on sustainability and environmental care. In your opinion, what are the main environmental challenges our community is facing? The major challenges are certainly related to climate change and the need to educate people about respecting the environment and others. In what ways do you think sport can contribute to environmental education for youth? Sport is both a personal challenge and a moment of teamwork and cohesion. It teaches young people to face life with commitment, to achieve their goals through dedication, and to respect their teammates and opponents with a healthy sense of sportsmanship. These same values can be applied to instilling respect for the environment. So, in this sense, it’s easy to use sport as a way to compare environmental education and inspire young people through it. What steps should we, as youth workers, take to effectively implement these ideas andtackle environmental challenges? As environmental educators, I think we have the duty to raise awareness among young people about respecting the environment, not only from an evolutionary perspective but  also from ethical and moral standpoints. Closing Statement/Suggestions Interacting with young people from different parts of the world helps foster curiosity, respect for others, and the elimination of unfounded fears toward diversity. It also encourages them to aim for high-level goals and global collaboration. Therefore, opening minds of young people through intercultural encounters and exchange of points of view with peers from other countries can be a great way to drive change, especially when they are part of small and rural communities.

David Agius, Deputy Speaker of the Maltese Parliament & Opposition Spokesperson for EU Funds and Sports  SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW  David Agius, Deputy Speaker of the Maltese Parliament and Opposition Spokesperson for EU Funds and Sports, highlights sport as a key pillar for youth education, public health, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. He advocates for integrating daily physical education into schools, investing in qualified coaches and educators, and embedding sustainability measures – such as renewable energy, green infrastructure, and public transport access – into sports facilities. Looking ahead, he envisions Malta becoming a regional leader by investing in modern “sports villages” that combine education, high-quality infrastructure, and environmentally responsible practices, supported by both public and private funding. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS How do you see sport playing a role in educating youth and environmental sustainability? I strongly believe in the importance of sports and education, as well as environmental sustainability. I also believe that we need to integrate sports into the education system, starting from the lower levels. We need to have more coaches, more caregivers, and more teachers who are ready to train and be with our students for at least 15 minutes of physical education per day for every student at every level of education. We have quite a number of people who are obese in Malta, and we have to see that we tackle this problem immediately. And obviously, as regards environmental sustainability, we need to focus on energy, we need to focus also on other items that, with sport, we can generate energy in a way that people are more active and in a way that we integrate more people in society. Integration is also vital in sports and education. What’s the Opposition’s plan for including sports and environmental activities in youth and education programmes? Yes, recently we had a debate, we had a discussion with coaches, with teachers, with sports associations, and we need to do two things. First of all, we need to have a plan to increase the number of teachers in physical education and coaches. We need to have professionalism in coaching, and we not only use that in the normal organisations of sport, but also in education. So, we need to invest money besides infrastructure so that we will have more people in our schools who are ready and available, so that we will have our young people, and we have our students practising sports practically every day. And if we do that, then obviously other natural things will happen. We’ll have more people and more students and more athletes in our organisations, we’ll have more competitions, we’ll have more teams, and obviously we’ll have a culture of sports. In your opinion, what role do youth workers and educators play in effectively implementing sports and youth initiatives, and how can they be supported? They have to be supported because, first of all, we need to encourage youths to choose this profession. We have to make sure that our university is prepared to integrate and to have more students who choose these subjects, so that when they qualify and become professionals in the system, they will be able to help in increasing the culture of sports in the everyday running of schools in our university, etc. But we need to invest. We need to invest both financially and in infrastructure, and we also need to understand that not everyone can be a coach and not everyone can be a teacher, a physical education teacher. We have to be professional because our youths, our students, deserve this. How can environmental sustainability be embedded into national sports policy or sports funding frameworks? Interesting, we have lots of places where, for example, we can use the roof in order to generate energy. We can also have a number of infrastructure sports facilities, where we can add a parking facility. Just recently in Parliament, we gave quite a substantial amount of land to Floriana FC, where today we have a parking system. What are we going to do? Remove the parking system, and we won’t have sports? We have sports, and we won’t have a parking system? We can have both. We can integrate both. So the sports facilities need to have and include parking facilities, environmentally friendly measures, and accessibility. And above all, I think we also need to understand that in sports, we need to have accessibility with regard to transportation. We need to have transport that can actually have our youths travel from their home to the infrastructure, to the sports pavilion without using cars, but use public transport. And that, yes, is doable. And yes, we can do that. Looking ahead, how could Malta position itself as a regional leader in using sport for environmental education? We’re lacking a bit here. I will give you one example, our university. We have to invest in the sports facilities at the university. We do have a very good gym. Close to the gym, we have a very good water polo facility. But see the athletics track. We have to invest there. And that will be one of, I say, four facilities. I call them sports villages, which we should have in Malta. One at university, yes, but we have to invest and upgrade. Second is at Marsa, where we have a number of facilities already, including an athletics track, rugby and others. We have Ta’ Qali, basketball, and football, and we need to improve those as well. And another one in Gozo. If we have these four facilities, these sports villages up and running, then yes, we can promote Malta as a Mediterranean facility for sports. Lately, the Mediterranean University opened near St. Aloysius, which is good. But besides that, we need to invest more in sports. And to invest more in sports, we need to do two things. First, the government will need to invest more in its national budget. Secondly, we need to have the private sector, who I am sure will be

Eman Borg, Human Rights & Youth Activist SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW Eman Borg, a youth and human rights activist from Gozo, shares his background in youth work, sports, and environmental initiatives. With experience as Secretary General of the University of Malta Rowing Club and a Master’s in International Sports and Events Management, he highlights how these areas are deeply interconnected. He identifies Malta’s key environmental issues—pollution, overdevelopment, and traffic—which negatively affect youth’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Borg believes sport can be a powerful tool for environmental education, calling it a universal language that can engage youth in understanding climate issues through active, non-formal learning methods like clean-ups and community events. To address environmental challenges, he urges youth workers to prioritise collaboration and unified action over fragmented efforts. His key message is to act, no matter how small the initiative—collective small steps can create meaningful long-term impact. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS  Can you tell us about your background and experience in youth work, sports, and environmental initiatives? My name is Eman Borg, I am a human rights activist and a youth activist, originally hailing from the island of Gozo, nowadays I live in Malta. My experience with sports, my experience with youth, my experience with the environment, they’re all interlinked really and truly. I served as the Secretary General of the University of Malta Rowing Club from 2018 to 2021 and I also have a Master’s in International Sports and Events Management.

 In your opinion, what are the main environmental challenges our community is facing? We hear often about environmental challenges in Malta, from traffic to pollution, non-planning when it comes to urbanisation. These challenges are faced on a day-to-day basis. These challenges are challenges that we as young people are experiencing and these challenges are also affecting our day-to-day basis. These challenges are challenges that we as young people are experiencing and these challenges are also affecting our day-to-day life. They’re affecting our physical health, they’re affecting our mental health, they’re affecting our emotional health and our health as a whole. And so we are to, as collective youth, to come up with a solid plan, a plan that will eventually render benefit for our long-term future.  In what ways do you think sport can contribute to environmental education for youth? As I mentioned, the challenges of environment, physical health, mental health, emotional health, they’re all challenges that we’re facing and through sports we can combat these challenges, we can all actually understand the language of sports. We often have debates on what is the most spoken language in the world and there’s different answers, Hindu, English, etc. But really and truly the one universal language is the language of sports. You throw a ball and you already have that first communication with someone else who may not understand your spoken language. And that same language can elevate the pressures of environment through understanding the impact that we are having, both positive and negative, in the environment. From a football match to charity beach clean-up to other instances and initiatives, sports can really and truly be a force of non-formal education in order for young people to understand the implications of the climate reality that we are living in.  What steps should we, as youth workers, take to effectively implement these ideas and tackle environmental challenges? There are a number of steps that youth and youth workers can take to combat environmental challenges and I believe that one of the main steps is to have a collaborative effort, one effort that unites everyone’s ideas and one action plan really and truly for the challenges that we’re facing here in Malta. It is futile to have a number of initiatives that are more or less similar to each other and not collaborate, not have that partnership. It is important that we unite, it is important that we have conversations and it is important that we actually have a strategy as a young population here in Malta to have a more stronger voice, you know, it’s one for all, all for one at the end of the day.

 Do you have any closing thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share with us? As a conclusion, my suggestion is one. As small as the initiative you think you’re taking, do it. Do that action because at the end of the day it is that small step that can have a larger impact, it is that small step that can have a larger impact. It is that small step that when you collaborate with another person, with another individual, It is that small step that when you collaborate with another person, with another individual, with your peers at work, at university, at school, that small action will have a long-term ripple effect.

Pembroke, Malta | 09–15 March 2025 We are excited to share that our training course in Malta has been successfully completed! The Training of Trainers, hosted by TDM2000 Malta, brought together 20 youth workers from Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Malta, and Portugal. The event took place in Pembroke from 09 to 15 March 2025. This initiative is part of STELLA (Sport as a Tool for Environmental Sustainability Learning), an Erasmus+ KA220 Cooperation Partnership in Youth. The project aims to strengthen environmental education for youth by encouraging ethical behavior through sport-based methodologies. Empowering Youth Workers through Sport and Sustainability During the training, participants gained valuable skills to be implemented in their local communities, ensuring that the knowledge and techniques acquired are used effectively in real-life contexts. The program was both educational and inspiring, offering a variety of tools to help engage young people in environmental learning through sports. A key aspect of the training was the dynamic and supportive environment fostered by the trainers. Through a thoughtful blend of theoretical insights and hands-on activities, participants explored what it means to be an effective trainer and delved into the core principles that define sports. Interactive sessions included football, volleyball, and a nighttime treasure hunt to explore the historic old town. Toward the end of the training, participants designed and implemented their own sport-based workshops focused on addressing environmental challenges. These workshops were evaluated to identify strengths and areas for development, helping participants refine their skills as facilitators. Looking Ahead One of the key outcomes of this training will be the development of a toolkit that compiles the most effective workshops created by the participants. This resource will support continued learning and ensure the project’s impact reaches beyond this single event. The training was marked by collaboration, creativity, and active participation, with all teams contributing to a rich exchange of experiences and ideas. It was a truly enriching opportunity for everyone involved. We are deeply grateful for this fantastic opportunity made possible for all participating teams. A special thank you goes to our Maltese partner, TDM2000 Malta, and the entire hosting team for their dedication and for organizing such a meaningful and impactful training experience. Thank you for making it all possible!

On December 17th and 18th, EKO hosted the STELLA project’s Transnational Project Meeting (TPM) in Athens, bringing all partners together to discuss key aspects of the project. The TPM focused on the upcoming training course in Malta, scheduled for March, and plans for the next TPM, which will be hosted by AZO in Cyprus. Partners shared valuable suggestions and explored strategies to enhance the project’s impact and effectiveness, fostering a collaborative and productive exchange of ideas. Discussions also highlighted the guidelines and deadlines of the project’s key deliverables, which include: A Collection of 75 Best Practices on using sports for raising environmental awareness. Interviews with Stakeholders and Experts in sports and sustainability education. A Toolkit providing resources and tools to help youth workers effectively use sports to promote environmental education. The STELLA project, a KA2 initiative funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, is a collaborative effort involving five organizations from five European countries. Running for 24 months, from March 1, 2024, to February 28, 2026, the project aims to promote environmental sustainability through sports by fostering international cooperation and innovative educational approaches. Coordinated by TDM 2000 ODV (Italy), the partnership includes TDM 2000 (Malta), Active Zone Outdoor (Cyprus), SYAJ—Associacao Juvenil Synergia (Portugal), and EKO (Greece). Together, these organizations are committed to creating impactful resources and tools to integrate environmental awareness into sports education.