28 participants from 10 countries and 100% positive feedback on knowledge and experience gained – this is the summary of the week-long international training course “Values education through sport: applying the OVEP 2.0 methodology” that took place in Druskininkai, Lithuania.

“The training course was one of the best projects I have ever attended. It guided me through a deep learning and experiential process of non-formal education and Olympic values that will help me a lot in my work with youth. The sessions were led by experienced, qualified and committed trainers who made sure that we effectively reach our goals both individually and as a group. Every aspect of the project – its topic, place, activities, trainers, organizing team – was of very high level,” said the participant of the training, the representative of the Olympic Committee of North Macedonia Monika Naumovska.

“I have attended many theoretical lectures on Olympic Education, but here, in Lithuania I had an opportunity for the first time to try and apply Olympic values in practice. Preparing an interesting lesson for students was a challenge to all of us, which eventually turned into fun. I am very glad about this experience,” said the Vice-President of the Czech Olympic Academy Zdeněk Škoda when sharing his impressions about the training course.

“I had a chance to meet new people and to gain practical skills that I will use for further dissemination of the Olympic Values Education programme. I must confess that I had to get out of my comfort zone, and I learned a lot from the group work. It taught me to be more open to ideas of others and proved that communication and collaboration is vital in achieving common goals. I am eager to introduce the OVEP 2.0 programme to teachers in Slovakia,” said the Director of Department of Olympism of the Slovak Olympic Committee, Ivana Motolikova.

The project organized by the Lithuanian NOC was attended by representatives of the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, National Olympic Committees of North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Poland, and the German Olympic Academy. All these organizations each delegated three specialists working with youth.

Sport is a powerful tool for education

Sport and physical activity are very powerful tools of non-formal education. Sport helps to engage and inspire young people and can be used to develop self-confidence, acquire social skills and encourage to appreciate their own bodies.

In 2016, the International Olympic Committee updated the Olympic values education programme and developed the OVEP 2.0 version which blends sport with education and cultural expression so as to make learning fun and dynamic and to form well-rounded individuals.

It was this programme that the participants of the “Values education through sport” training course learned to apply in their everyday activities. They also shared their experiences, participated in discussions on the application of non-formal and Olympic education in different environments as well as considered and analyzed the ways to make OVEP 2.0 even more effective.

Goal to continue international collaboration

“Olympic Education is one of the priority areas for National Olympic Committees. Therefore, I believe, that sharing experience and knowledge in the field of Olympic values education is crucial. The experience of our NOC shows, that the programmes on education through sport have an enormous influence on children, youth, and the whole society.

I am glad that the Lithuanian Olympic Committee is the one to take initiative in the area of Olympic Education on European level and the one to share good practices. While observing the training course, I had an impression that the goal was achieved – some of the participants discovered OVEP, others found new ways to apply this programme in their countries and gained valuable experience. We plan to continue working actively on Olympic values education and international collaboration. This training course was a good stepping stone for forging strong connections and creating a framework for planning future activities,” said the LNOC President Daina Gudzinevičiūtė.

“Valued education through sport: applying the OVEP 2.0 methodology” training course was partially funded by the EU programme “Erasmus+” which supports education, training, youth and sport in Europe.