Mountains, fresh air, natural landscapes. Outdoor sports inspires people in many places, especially in Bavaria. However, there are also risks to nature, such as athletes' intensive use of habitats.
The Europe-wide project SEE (Sustainability and Environmental Education in outdoor sports) of the Associate Professorship of Didactics in Sport and Health provides educational methods for guides, trainers and instructors as multipliers to minimize the adverse effects of using natural areas and promote sustainable behaviour. The project is being supported by the European Union's Erasmus+ program with 400.000 euros. "I am delighted that this international project has enabled us to combine key aspects of our research expertise, namely physical activity in natural spaces with health aspects and regarding education for sustainable development," explains Prof. Dr Filip Mess, head of the Associate Professorship of Didactics in Sport and Health.
High-profile international partners from nature conservation, outdoor sports and educational institutions participated in the interactive final conference of the three-year project at Burg Schwaneck from November 13 to 15, 2023. Project manager Dr. Barbara Eigenschenk was delighted with the event, which offered practical workshops as well as networking and presentations. "With this event, we succeeded in bringing stakeholders from outdoor sports and nature conservation into a dialogue and demonstrating a variety of practical ways in which the topic of sustainability can be implemented in the training of outdoor sports multipliers," said Dr. Eigenschenk.
In four development phases, a toolkit of over 70 games and methods was developed to raise awareness of the sustainable use of habitats. "Just because someone often goes out into nature doesn't mean they know how to behave there. People have a special responsibility in nature. This involves topics such as respecting the habitats of animals, travelling with public transport services at best, and how to experience nature in a particularly intensive way," explains the Associate Professorship of Didactics in Sport and Health staff member.
The cross-national and cross-sport method kit is available to all European outdoor sports associations and training organizations and contains various topics such as wildlife, waste avoidance, and mobility. The multipliers are also provided with a description of how the methods can be integrated into their training programs. "Trainers and athletes need to be made aware of the need to identify and tackle problem areas in their sport to promote sustainable sport," explains Dr. Eigenschenk.
Experiencing climate protection together in a playful way - with the raus! project
The joint project raus!, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action with a total of 121.000 euros, is aimed at the family target group and aims to enable them to experience exercise in their neighbourhood and learn about sustainable development simultaneously. "The idea was born during the coronavirus pandemic," explains project manager Dr. Eigenschenk: "The three-year project aims to strengthen the ability to act on climate protection and at the same time increase the level of activity."
To achieve these goals, a "family toolbox" is to be developed with different play and learning approaches: "The box will contain a wide range of games and tasks for the different needs of families. This ranges from basic tasks such as discovery exercises in the nearby forest or family photos with natural materials, to more complex exercises such as an upcycling Olympics or mobility bingo," says Dr. Eigenschenk.
In addition to developing the toolbox, which is being carried out in collaboration with experts, municipalities, and educational centres, and a subsequent test phase with families, it will also be integrated into a web app that provides easy access. Finally, the toolbox will be distributed throughout Germany via various channels:
"With the raus! project, we want to implement a systemic, cross-world approach and address important social challenges - health behaviour, health and climate protection - with and in their environment with playful elements, even among the youngest children," explains Prof. Mess.
To the homepage of the Associate Professorship of Didactics in Sport and Health
To the "SEE" project page
To the homepage of the "SEE" project
To the homepage of the "raus!" project
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Filip Mess
Associate Professorship of Didactics in Sport and Health
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24520
e-mail: filip.mess(at)tum.de
Dr. Barbara Eigenschenk
Associate Professorship of Didactics in Sport and Health
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
e-mail: barbara.eigenschenk(at)tum.de
Text: Bastian Daneyko
Photos: private