Training course in Portugal: Strengthening sport values through learning and practice
09.09.2025.
As part of the S.V.I.T.E – Sporting Values: The Teen Edition project, a 7-day international training course was held in Areia Branca, Portugal, bringing together young participants from Serbia, North Macedonia and Portugal for a week dedicated to sport, experiential learning and exploring key sport values. The program blended physical activity, reflection and teamwork, creating an environment where youth could explore and apply core sport values.
Sport activities designed for learning, not just competition
Participants engaged in a wide range of outdoor sports such as surfing, beach volleyball, skating, tennis, mini-golf and group movement games. Each session was intentionally structured to reinforce key values like:
- teamwork and mutual support
- communication under pressure
- trust-building and cooperation
- fair play and respect
- perseverance, courage and consistency
For example, during volleyball and team-relay challenges, young people practiced how to communicate more clearly, handle mistakes, and encourage one another — essential elements of responsibility and resilience. Surfing sessions helped them confront fear, build confidence and understand the importance of patience and repeated effort.
Educational sessions on sport values
Alongside sport, the program included interactive educational activities commonly used in youth sport pedagogy, such as:
- value-mapping workshops
- fair-play simulations and recognition of unsportsmanlike behaviour
- communication and problem-solving games
- reflection circles after training sessions
- role-play scenarios (coach–athlete, teammate–teammate, referee situations)
- empathy-building activities (“Switch the perspective”, “Step into someone’s shoes”).
These sessions helped young people translate what they experience in sport into everyday life — improving emotional intelligence, conflict management and a sense of responsibility within a team.
Laying the foundations for the S.V.I.T.E memory game
The training course also played a key role in shaping the first ideas and draft structure for the project’s educational tool — the S.V.I.T.E Memory Game. Throughout the week, participants reflected on the values practiced during sports, identified situations where those values appear, and shared examples from their own experience. These insights were collected, grouped and transformed into:
- initial value categories for the game,
- example situations to be featured on game cards,
- ideas on how families, schools and clubs can use the game for learning.
This collaborative process ensured that the future memory game will be grounded in real youth experiences, making it relatable, meaningful and easy to use in sports clubs, schools and family environments.
Creating an inclusive and supportive atmosphe
Beyond activities, one of the greatest achievements of the week was the sense of trust, inclusion and friendship built among participants. The supportive environment encouraged them to:
- express their thoughts confidently,
- celebrate both effort and achievement,
- overcome challenges with help from peers,
- recognize the importance of empathy,
- unity and respect.
The training course demonstrated how sport, when combined with guided reflection and creative thinking, can become a powerful tool for youth development and the promotion of positive sport values.