Successful EduPASS “Learning Teaching Training” event held in Dublin
From October 2 to 6, 2023, the Willibald Gebhardt Institute attended the first of two training programs as part of the EduPASS project in Dublin (Ireland), which was organized by Sport Ireland Coaching. The WGI delegation, consisting of Sebastian Brückner, Roland Naul and the three dedicated coaches Cornelius Reh, Dustin Krzyszka and Jörn Steinmetz, together with 21 participants from the other project partners from Luxembourg, Spain and the Czech Republic, contributed to an inspiring exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of sports coaching for children and young people. The EduPASS project is funded by the EU as part of the ERASMUS+ program, which makes such an exchange possible in the context of quality management within a European framework.
Declan O’Leary and his team at Sport Ireland Coaching not only put together a high-quality program for the week-long “Learning Teaching Training” school, but were also excellent hosts. All the speakers and staff from Sport Ireland and the Technical University Dublin campus, where the Learning Teaching Training (LTT) event was held, contributed significantly to the success of the event and facilitated a positive environment for mutual exchange through their dedicated leadership. The Sport Ireland Coaching lecturers also provided key input with specific target group specific content:
Various aspects of sports coaching with children and young people were covered, including innovative concepts such as “The Voice of the Child”, “The Youth Sport Compass”, the topic of “Physical Literacy” and the “Coaching Toolkit”.
Participants engaged in open discussions as well as practical exercises to develop an understanding of these concepts and improve their application in their own sports coaching practice. In cooperation with a local elementary school, the theoretical foundations were then put into practice on site in the context of their own sports lessons with Irish primary school pupils. All modules were reflected on by an evaluation program and will be incorporated into the development of a European teaching-learning platform. With the help of the online platform, the aim is to contribute to quality management in the training of sports coaches in children’s and youth sport sectors throughout Europe.
As the host city, Dublin presented itself from its best side. A visit to the historic Temple Bar district, known for its pubs and many cultural events, also promoted exchange outside of the project content. An excursion to Croke Park, the third largest sports stadium in Europe, not only conveyed the tradition of Gaelic sport, but also provided an insight into the history of Ireland. The shared experience of a traditional Irish music and dance event rounded off the cultural experience.
The Willibald Gebhardt Institute is now looking forward to the second EduPASS Learning Teaching Training week, which will take place in Luxembourg at the end of January 2024, with a positive conclusion and thanks to important content-related impulses from the first LTT event as part of EduPASS. In Luxembourg the focus will be on non-formal sports settings, i.e. kindergarten and all-day care for children and young people.