News

5th Transnational Project Meeting

Sofia, Bulgaria | 4–5 November 2025

The 5th Transnational Meeting of the project took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on the 4th and 5th of November 2025, bringing together all partner organizations for two days of collaboration, reflection and planning.

This meeting offered partners the opportunity to review progress, share experiences and coordinate the next steps before the project’s conclusion. Over the two days, participants discussed key results, assessed ongoing activities and explored ways to ensure the sustainability and long-term impact of the project outcomes.

The meeting concluded with a sport activity focused on golf, held at the National Sports Academy “Vasil Levski”. Participants were introduced to the basic rules and techniques of the sport and had the opportunity to practice and play it together. This activity perfectly embodied the project’s commitment to promoting sport as a tool for learning, inclusion and collaboration.

As the consortium moves into the final months of the project, the outcomes of the Sofia meeting will guide partners toward completing their final objectives with renewed energy and shared vision!

POP-UP Multiplier Event – Belgium

As part of the European Week of Sport and the Erasmus+ POP-UP project, the AID Federation organised the InterAID Sportive Day on Monday, 23 September, at the Fernelmont Sports Centre.

The event brought together around 75 participants from various AID training centres, trainers and coordinators, for a day dedicated to discovering how sport can support learning, empowerment and inclusion.

The morning combined presentations and participatory workshops to explore the outcomes of the POP-UP action research, highlighting the representations and barriers that adults in training may have towards sport, and how physical activity can become a lever for self-confidence and skills development. Participants also reflected on the pedagogical tools developed during the project, including “My relationship with sport” and the Observation Tool for Transversal Skills.

The afternoon focused on practice and creativity. Trainers took part in a series of inclusive sports workshops — walking football, tchoukball, yoga dance, kin-ball, self-defence and orienteering — designed to demonstrate how diverse and accessible physical activities can be.

A second creative session invited participants to imagine the ideal pedagogical support sheet to help trainers integrate sport into their training courses.

Throughout the day, a strong message emerged: sport is not about performance, but about participation, confidence and connection. It can foster cooperation, perseverance, and well-being — all essential competencies for learning and professional reintegration.

A heartfelt thank you to all participants, trainers and facilitators for their enthusiasm, and to our partners for their continued collaboration. This event demonstrated once again that sport can be a genuine driver of empowerment and inclusion in adult education.

POP-UP Multiplier Event – France

As part of European Sports Week and the European POP-UP project, Unis Vers le Sport organised the En Mouvement Tournament on the afternoon of Thursday 25 September at the Jean Nicolas Muller Sports Centre. This event brought together 60 young people from four partner organisations: EPIDE, E2C, Émergence and Unis Vers le Sport.

The young people from EPIDE distinguished themselves through their sportsmanship and won the tournament.

The Fair Play Trophy, awarded to the most supportive team, went to the UVS team.

A big thank you to all the participants – young people and supervisors – as well as to the partner organisations for their commitment. See you very soon for another tournament!

Focus on two inclusive activities tried out during the tournament:

🟠 Poull Ball

Origin: Belgium, 2009
Mixed teams of 5 players
Non-contact team sport, accessible to all
Objective: to knock down one of the opponent’s targets with a large ball
✅ Skills developed: communication, cooperation, precision, emotion management.
🎯 Educational value: inclusion, responsibility, team spirit and confidence.

🟢 Tchoukball

Origin: Switzerland, 1970
Teams of 7 players (mixed possible)
Cooperative, non-contact sport
Objective: to throw the ball at a frame to score after it bounces off the ground
✅ Skills developed: anticipation, responsiveness, solidarity, respect.

🎯 Educational value: confidence, initiative, shared leadership and kindness.

This tournament has demonstrated how sport can be a powerful lever for re-engagement, inclusion and skills development.

POP-UP Multiplier Event – ITALY

On Friday, 26 September, CasaLarga (Via del Carpentiere 14, Bologna) hosted POP UP: Sport for Empowerment, a morning dedicated to sport as a tool for inclusion and work integration. After an introduction to the project with Laura Minieri, Consorzio EVT, there was a focus with Claudia Parisini, It2 social cooperative, on soft skills and tools, realized during the project, for observing and evaluating oneself in personal and professional growth paths.

In the second part, two experiential workshops: Baskin, inclusive basketball with Manuel Fassina, and a Mindfulness workshop with psychologist Martina Toccaceli. An opportunity to reflect and act on the transformative power of sport. This was followed by a lunch buffet organised by Osteria sociale La Tìz, a social enterprise that guides work integration social paths addressed to disadvantaged people.

POP-UP Multiplier Event – ROMANIA

On Friday, September 26, 2025, the Multisport Experience Sports Club, in partnership with the BRAVII Arad Sports Club Association and the “Preparandia – Dimitrie Țichindeal” College, organized a sporting event as part of the Erasmus+ funded project “POP-UP, Sport for Empowerment and for Hoping-up Your Personal and Professional Pathway.”

The event, hosted in the gym of the “Preparandia – Dimitrie Țichindeal” National College, brought together 78 participants, including athletes with intellectual disabilities, students, teachers, instructors, volunteers, and Erasmus+ students from Italy and Malta. Through basketball, bocce, warm-up exercises and motor skills circuits, participants experienced firsthand how sport fosters social inclusion, strengthens communication and creates meaningful connections. In addition to the sporting activities, the program included a presentation of the project and its results, offering insights into the impact and achievements of the initiative.

The activities highlighted the importance of sport in acquiring soft skills and maintaining a healthy lifestyle while showcasing the joy and energy that physical activity can bring. Appreciation is extended to all partners and participants for their involvement, with the hope that such initiatives will continue to bring communities together through sport.

POP-UP Multiplier Event – POLAND

On 26 September 2025, the Institute for the Development of Sport and Education organised the European Week of Sport event under the motto “A Sporting Step Towards Integration”. Bringing together more than 50 participants, the event aimed not only to promote physical activity, strengthen social bonds, and showcase sport as a tool for fostering a healthy lifestyle and community integration, but also to support the development of transversal skills that enhance employability.

The programme featured two main components. The seminar opened the event by presenting the objectives of the POP-UP project, an Erasmus+ co-funded initiative aimed at supporting the education and integration of adults through sport and physical activity. During the session, participants learned about the project’s rationale, methodology, and first results, which highlighted the potential of sport-based learning activities to improve health, well-being, and employability. The seminar also served as a platform for exchanging experiences and discussing innovative approaches to using sport as a driver of inclusion and skill development.

The second part of the event was a walking football tournament, designed as an engaging, inclusive, and intergenerational activity. Open to all interested participants, it offered a fun and accessible way to experience the benefits of sport without the barriers posed by high physical demands. The tournament brought plenty of positive energy, mutual support, and shared enjoyment, embodying the spirit of integration that guided the entire event.

POP-UP Multiplier Event – BULGARIA

The 10th anniversary edition of the European Week of Sport #BeActive was officially opened at “Asics Arena” in Sofia. On 23 and 24 September, hundreds of children and young people joined the Sport Fair, where more than 30 sports federations and clubs presented their activities through engaging demonstrations and information stands.

Among the official guests were Deputy Ministers of Youth and Sports Petar Mladenov and Dimitar Georgiev, Tanya Mihaylova – Chief of Staff of the Minister of Education and Science, Dr. Eleonora Lilova – Head of the Regional Department of Education in Sofia, as well as many successful Bulgarian athletes. The event was attended by Olympic bronze medalist Reneta Kamberova, World Boxing Vice-Champion Rami Kiwan, volleyball player Teodor Salparov, World and European Wrestling Champion Ivo Angelov, World No. 3 in sabre Yoana Ilieva, European Judo Vice-Champion Ivelina Ilieva, swimming talent Petar Mitsin, Paralympian Stela Eneva, and football player Blagoy Georgiev.

The European Week of Sport is an initiative of the European Commission to promote physical activity among EU citizens. In Bulgaria, the national coordinator is the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the initiative is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The motto of this anniversary edition was “Make your day green, live with sport, be active all year round.” The program included numerous activities aimed at encouraging an active lifestyle and promoting healthy nutrition.

The Bulgarian Sports Development Association (BSDA) is an official partner of the campaign in Bulgaria and traditionally took part in the event, presenting its ongoing Erasmus+ co-funded initiatives over the two days of the fair, including the POP-UP Project, aimed at supporting the education and integration of adults, especially women and people with disabilities, by offering innovative learning activities linked to physical activity and sport. Special focus is placed on health, well-being, and developing skills important for employability.

Getting Ready for the POP-UP Challenges Multiplier Events

The European Week of Sport is almost here and we are getting ready for the POP-UP Challenges multiplier events happening across all our partner countries — Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. Expect exciting sports demonstrations and interactive workshops! We will share more details soon — but for now, stay tuned and remember to #BeActive!

Find out more about the European Week of Sport here: https://sport.ec.europa.eu/european-week-of-sport

Shaping Tools for Health, Sports & Transversal Skills

We are excited to announce that we are one step closer to publishing two brand-new tools that we have recently designed and tested, with the aim of empowering vulnerable adults through sport, health and skills development:

• Sports & Health Positioning Tool – A motivational, non-intrusive tool to help individuals assess and track their physical activity level and progress over time. Its focus is on recognizing effort, encouraging movement and building healthy habits.
• Passport of Transversal Skills – A practical tool to identify and showcase key soft skills developed through sport, such as teamwork, discipline and leadership. This helps translate sporting experience into valuable assets for training, employment and personal growth.

By means of these tools, our goal is to provide a concrete response to the question: “Beyond the general health benefits of sport, how can sport be used as a genuine tool for the personal and professional development of individuals, supporting the acquisition of specific socio-professional skills?”. In this way, we can equip trainers, coaches, supervisors and sports leaders the necessary support to work with, formalize and enhance these skills in their work with the public.

Stay tuned for more updates as we move forward! We will let you know when the tools are made available on our website.

Empowering Pathways Through Sport: 4th Transnational Meeting of the POP-UP Project

Arad, Romania – 4-5 June 2025

The fourth transnational meeting of the Erasmus+ POP-UP project was held in Arad, Romania on the 4^th and the 5^th of June 2025. The meeting brought together the project partners to assess progress, strengthen collaboration and plan future steps in the project’s mission to promote sport as a powerful tool for personal and professional development.

Hosted by Asociația Clubul Sportiv Experiența Multisport, the meeting opened with presentations on the project’s progress and future directions. Among the main topics was the development and testing of two innovative pedagogical tools, aimed at helping educational coordinators, trainers and coaches foster empowerment through sport. Partners exchanged insights, refined methodologies and planned upcoming activities and events. The team also reviewed quality measures and outlined the timeline for the next phases of the project.

Participants also joined a sports activity organized in collaboration with Asociația Clubul Sportiv BRAVII Arad, where they trained alongside individuals with intellectual disabilities. This practical session served as a powerful reminder of the project’s core message, that of sport fostering connection, confidence and growth.

The POP-UP project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport Programme, aims to leverage the transformative power of sport to empower individuals, by promoting personal and professional growth, cross-disciplinary skills and inclusive learning tools. With its network of partners and innovative approach, POP-UP continues to make a meaningful impact across Europe.

Stay tuned for more updates as the project advances!

Strasbourg Meeting – 22/23 January

The third transnational meeting of the POP-UP project took place on the 22^nd and the 23^rd of January 2025, in Strasbourg, France. The meeting was a key milestone in the project, the partners discussing several important aspects for its implementation, including:
• Validation of the Action Research reports;
• Presentation of the implemented activities and of the practices collected by all partners;
• Brainstorming and sharing good practices between partners;
• Development of a “Sport and Health” positioning tool and of a tool for observing and valuing acquired cross-disciplinary skills;
• Planning of future activities and identification of key dates.

As always, sport activities were not only discussed, but also practiced. Thanks to our host, Unis Vers le Sport, we got the chance to experience boxing, as well as a team sport, and to discuss their benefits for acquiring transversal skills.

It was a fruitful meeting, bringing us one step closer to reaching our aim of developing tools, activities and methodologies that will enhance the practice of sport and support the acquisition of socio-professional skills through sport, among vulnerable, low-skilled groups enrolled in training or socio-professional integration programs. 

Some highlights from the project meeting can be seen in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dieeIt95Ofc&t=5s 

Stay tuned for updates on how POP-UP is transforming lives across Europe!

Transnational Work

Our first transnational project meeting took place on February 7th & 8th, 2024, in beautiful Bologna, Italy! The partners had some insightful discussions and work sessions that are essential for the next steps in the project development and engaged in various thematic activities, such as yoga and mindfulness sessions.

On July 25th & 26th, 2024, the second meeting of partners took place in Warsaw, Poland. Reporting sessions were interspersed with diverse activities – we had the opportunity to tour the Old Town, visit the KS Polonia Warsaw club stadium, and participate in a walking football training.

On July 25th & 26th 2024, the second meeting of partners took place in Warsaw, Poland. Reporting sessions were interspersed with diverse activities – we had the opportunity to tour the Old Town, visit the KS Polonia Warsaw club stadium, and participate in a walking football training.

Our First Activities in the POP-UP Project

As part of the POP-UP project, the partners have held focus groups to enhance training and integration pathways for vulnerable people. Coaches, persons with intellectual or cognitive disabilities and unemployed people took part in the focus groups. Their aim was to point out the impact of sports or physical activities on health and skills development and investigate what are the main obstacles in these areas.

With a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, our project aims to create personal and professional growth opportunities for vulnerable populations. Stay tuned for more updates on our journey towards empowerment through sports!

The participants in the picture are from Bulgaria and Italy.