"Enhancing skills in sport for development".

On 17 June 2020 the CHANGE project partners, including ISCA, gathered for the 3rd full partner meeting. The meeting was intended to take place in Amsterdam hosted by project partner Women Win but was held online due to the ongoing Coronavirus situation.

The CHANGE project, funded through the Erasmus+ Sport Programme of the EU, is developing professional standards and education in the area of sport for development by implementing the innovative 7 Step Model for lifelong learning and workforce development.

The purpose of the meeting was to review and discuss the results of the research phase of the project. Research included 34 telephone interviews with sport for development organisations from the local to global level, and a literature review of over 100 academic papers, reports and job descriptions.

Simone Digennaro from University of Cassino and Southern Lazio presented the results of the research under key headings including:

• The role of sport
• Recognition of sport for development
• Pathways to working in sport for development
• Challenges and future of the sector
• The role of the sport for development coordinator and activator

Simone also presented draft models of sport for development as understood by the interview respondents and key elements of skills and knowledge needed to work in sport for development which were gathered through the research.

The purpose of the comprehensive research phase was to inform the main outputs of the project and the second part of the meeting focussed on the development of an Occupational Map and Occupational Descriptors for sport for development in Europe.

Geoff Carroll from EOSE presented the structure and main content of the Occupational Map including social value of the sector, organisational structures, occupations in the sector, emerging trends and future projections. Rachel Payne from ISCA presented the key aspects of the Occupational Descriptors for sport for development coordinators and activators, including main duties, skills and knowledge, attitudes and attributes, experience and qualifications.

All partners were active in the online meeting making verbal contributions or using the “text chat function” in the online software.

The main actions from the meeting are to complete the drafts of the Occupational Map and Descriptors and begin work on the Functional Map, Occupational Standards and Innovative education which will be developed for the sport for development sector in Europe.

Partners will meet again online in September 2020.

Full list of partners - European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE); International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA); University of Cassino and Southern Lazio; Leeds Beckett University; General Secretariat for Sports; Greece, Italian Sport for All Association (USIP); Sport Union of Slovenia; StreetGames; Women Win.

By project contact Ben GITTUS, EOSE Director of Standards