NEXT Project: Europe to promote proximity sport

With the easing of the restrictions caused by the pandemic, the actions related to the Uisp projects are also restarted: Saturday 26 June we start with the online training appointment of the NEXT-Neighborhood Sport project. Get healthy, get closer! 

It is a European project that, in addition to Italy, involves Denmark, Croatia, Romania, Spain and Germany. UISP is the leader and intends to share good practices and experiences in the field of proximity sports, to more effectively combat a sedentary lifestyle and promote well-being in the population. 

“The project, like many others, has suffered delays due to the difficulties related to the pandemic - says Francesca Di Feo, Uisp coordinator for the project - after the phase of research and analysis of the contexts of the various countries involved, we have created two very important tools, which contain the foundations and cornerstones of our path.  The bases of our work have been rationalized and explained in the project manifesto, which contains the principles that move us but also the requirements for external partners who want to contribute to the implementation and promotion of the actions.  

The research phase, which was very thorough and lasted many months, gave rise to the toolkit, which contains the context analysis and the good practices of proximity sports already implemented in the partner countries and in particular by the UISP, which on this approach was pioneering”.  

At this point the actual training is about to start, which includes a meeting (in remote) for Saturday 26 June and another, which hopefully will be in attendance, in the autumn.  

"The project is based on the transmission and transferability of a methodology already implemented by Uisp - explains Di Feo - Saturday we will work on the toolkit and combine it with practical aspects, starting from the experiences of the Uisp Committees, to transmit this knowledge to the people who will carry out the pilots of proximity sports activities, starting in autumn. The training will be attended by instructors from all partner countries who will then organize the activities in their own contexts and will be monitored by the University of Cassino, to get to the drafting of an evaluation and a handbook on the methodology. The goal is to make this approach transferable in all contexts, to involve sedentary people, in all age groups: the important thing is to reach people and offer them sporting opportunities close to home, eliminating the obstacle of distance ". 

Among the trainers there will be Massimo Gasparetto, policy manager for Uisp health promotion and Michele Di Gioia, policy manager for the common goods and Uisp suburbs. Daniela Conti, head of intercultural policies and cooperation will also speak.  

"The methodology proposed with the Next project is absolutely in line with the European and WHO strategies for the promotion of physical activity - adds Raffaella Chiodo Karpinsky, researcher for the Next project - the goal is the well-being and health of people and it represents a very current approach, capable of responding to social and relational needs, also with regard to the long period of restrictions we have experienced. On Saturday will be described Uisp activities tested in Reggio Emilia, Sassari and Florence, proposing concrete examples on how to activate people in proximity environments. A part related to strategies will be added to all this, because it is necessary to know the indispensable preconditions to develop actions of this type. Massimo Gasparetto will illustrate the general Uisp strategy for prevention and health promotion in which this methodology is inserted. Michele Di Gioia will highlight the aspects concerning the common goods and their protection, because these actions live in the territory: by developing activities aimed at well-being, it is also possible to gain greater awareness of the importance of taking care of common spaces. Daniela Conti will discuss how this approach had to deal with the pandemic: the great development of online activities has opened up new communication and relational opportunities, but also given rise to possible critical issues, because Uisp is always attentive to the recipients, people who will have to practice it, therefore great preparation and knowledge of the subjects involved are necessary ".