In June 2024, a unique Erasmus+ training course brought together youth workers from across Europe to the town of Paola, Italy. The program, titled “Green Playgrounds: Promoting Inclusion and Environmental Awareness through Sports,” aimed to explore how sports can be used as a tool to foster social inclusion, raise environmental consciousness, and promote European values. Through a mix of practical activities, theoretical sessions, and cultural exchange, the training offered a creative platform for young professionals to rethink the way sports are used in their communities. Participants from the Greek NGO Go Alive joined the project with high hopes, eager to learn new approaches and return with innovative ideas to empower youth back home.
Before attending the course, the local situation in Greece showed a strong need for inclusive initiatives in youth work. Although sports are an important part of Greek culture, many young people from marginalized backgrounds still feel excluded. Refugees, ethnic minorities, and youth with disabilities often face challenges when trying to participate in local sports programs. At the same time, environmental issues, such as plastic pollution on beaches and urban green space degradation, continue to affect the quality of life in many cities and coastal areas. Despite growing awareness, there was little connection between environmental action and sports-based activities. Many community programs worked on these areas separately, missing the chance to combine the two for greater impact. In this context, Go Alive saw the Erasmus+ course as a chance to bring change.
The experience in Paola was eye-opening. One of the most powerful moments came during a workshop where participants created sports games with environmental themes. Instead of simply playing football or volleyball, the group designed activities that included educational tasks, such as collecting symbolic “trash points” or completing challenges linked to sustainable practices. This showed how physical movement can carry deeper messages, especially when connected to real-life issues. The training also offered deep conversations about inclusion, diversity, and EU values. Through structured reflections and discussions, participants explored how sports can help build bridges between young people from different cultural backgrounds.
Meeting youth workers from other countries also provided valuable insights. A team from Portugal shared how they used basketball tournaments to bring together locals and migrants in small towns. A group from Latvia presented their approach to outdoor learning in parks, mixing running and cycling with environmental storytelling. These best practices, shared through interactive presentations and teamwork, encouraged the Greek participants to think beyond their usual methods. They realized that inclusion does not always require large budgets or professional infrastructure. Instead, it depends on mindset, creativity, and the willingness to engage everyone equally.
After returning to Greece, the team from Go Alive started working on a new initiative called “EcoSport Connect.” This project was designed to blend physical activities with environmental education and social inclusion. Inspired by the models they saw in Paola, the team organized sports sessions in Thessaloniki parks that included diverse groups of young people—locals, migrants, and youth with different abilities. Each session focused not only on movement, but also on themes like recycling, water conservation, and teamwork. Simple exercises like relay races were turned into awareness tools, where participants had to answer environmental questions or perform tasks such as sorting symbolic waste between runs.
One highlight of EcoSport Connect was the creation of a weekly “Green Champions Club,” where young people who showed initiative were invited to help plan the next sessions. This gave them a sense of responsibility and encouraged leadership. Some of them even created short social media videos to promote sustainability and inclusion, using tools and methods learned during the training in Italy. To reach a wider audience, Go Alive also partnered with local schools and youth centers, offering weekend workshops open to all. In each session, facilitators used storytelling, role play, and sports-based games to deliver important messages while keeping the atmosphere fun and inclusive.
The impact of the project was soon visible. Young participants started expressing more interest in protecting their environment, not because someone told them to, but because they had lived it through fun and collaborative activities. Parents reported that their children talked about climate issues at home and asked to use reusable bottles or join clean-up events. Youth from underrepresented communities said they felt welcome and accepted during the sports sessions. This was a big achievement in a society where many still face barriers to participation. For the local community, the project brought a new way to think about sports—not only as competition, but as a space for cooperation, learning, and change.
At an educational level, schools began to show interest in integrating similar methods into their physical education classes. Go Alive was invited to present the project to school staff and youth workers from other cities. They shared tools, games, and lessons learned, encouraging more organizations to use sports for wider social goals. Some municipal representatives even began discussions about including environmental topics in public youth events and creating more inclusive recreational spaces. This shows how a local project, inspired by international experience, can grow into a larger movement that affects education and policy.
Looking back, the Erasmus+ training in Paola was much more than a professional exchange. It was a place where different people, ideas, and values came together to imagine new futures. For the youth workers from Go Alive, it showed that change starts with small actions, repeated with care and purpose. It reminded them that sports are not only for the strong or the skilled—they are for everyone. And when used with intention, sports can become a powerful language that speaks of unity, justice, and care for the planet.
Moving forward, Go Alive plans to expand EcoSport Connect to more cities in Greece. They also hope to invite partners from the training in Italy to collaborate on a larger international project. Their dream is to build a European network where youth workers continue to learn, grow, and act together. The long-term vision is clear: communities where every young person feels included, heard, and able to make a difference—on the playground, in the neighborhood, and for the environment. Through this journey, they have seen that youth have all the energy needed to shape the future. All they need is the space to run free, play fair, and grow green.