Four training workshops were developed with professionals and managers from different sports organisations, in the framework of the project ACTIVE – Focus on Children; Strengthening Policies in Sport and Leisure ACTIVities, the aim of which is to combat violence against children and young people in sport and leisure contexts.
The workshops, which took place both in a digital and face-to-face format, aimed at improving the professionals’ skills for better prevention of violence against children and young people in the sports environment and to empower organizations to implement policies for the protection of children and youth.
In the workshops, the project and the results of the assessment carried out in the four countries involved, including Portugal, were presented, as well as an online self-assessment tool and training modules for sports professionals. These tools aim to support clubs and sports organizations in the continuous training of their professionals and in the evaluation of their strategies for implementing the rights of children and young people, namely the right to protection against all forms of violence.
A total of 51 participants represented 17 local and national sports organizations.
In this context, it is worth highlighting the participation of ‘Sport Lisboa e Benfica’, an entity that was represented by seven professionals. Also noteworthy is the close collaboration of the project with the Authority for the Prevention and Combat of Violence in Sports (Autoridade para a Prevenção e Combate à Violência no Desporto – APCVD). Thanks to this collaboration, it was possible to organize one of these workshops where, besides the APCVD itself, the presence of Federations of different sports, the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth, and the Ministry of Education stands out.
In all working sessions, the need to reinforce a culture of promoting the rights of the child and young people and, in particular, of protection from all forms of violence, was underlined. The materials produced by the project – a self-assessment tool and training modules, both online – were well received by the participants.
