Physical Education Students Test Human Rights Education through Sport Workshop

The pilot workshop was part of the joint Erasmus+ Sport project Dare to Team Up: Human Rights Education through Sport, led by the Finnish League for Human Rights and European organisation ENGSO Youth. The one-year project is coming to an end at the end of October.

Almost 40 students participated in the workshop. The participants were young people aged 16–17, with diverse backgrounds in different sports. Some are already active as assistant coaches in their clubs. As many of them will go on to work closely with children and young people as future professionals, the workshop placed particular emphasis on the role of coaches, instructors and other sport actors in creating safe, equal and respectful sporting environments.

Children’s rights are at the heart of sport

The workshop also focused on children’s rights in sport. Participants learned about the rights of children and young people and discussed practical situations that may arise in sporting environments. Through case studies, they analysed different scenarios and considered how adults and sport actors can better protect children’s rights and wellbeing.

The discussions were particularly active when participants could connect the examples to their own experiences in sport. As many of the participants were themselves under 18, the workshop also strengthened their awareness of their own rights as young athletes and members of sporting communities.

Reflecting on our own role through practical examples

During the workshop, interactive discussions and small-group work proved to be particularly effective learning methods. Participants actively shared experiences from their teams, clubs and sporting communities, helping to connect human rights concepts with real-life situations.

Exchanging perspectives deepened participants’ understanding of a human rights-based approach to sport and made the topics more concrete and relevant to their everyday lives.

Based on the feedback, participants particularly appreciated the discussion-based activities, group work and opportunity to explore topics that are not usually addressed in as much depth in physical education and sport-related studies.

The workshop methodology, together with guidance on how it can be used within sport organisations, will be made freely available during the autumn. As part of the project, the human rights board game developed by ENGSO Youth will also be updated and can be used as part of the workshop.

Stay tuned!