Did you know the power a compass, a map and a group of motivated young people can have? We do!
We are talking about orienteering, a grassroot sport many will know little about. Originated as a military training in the late 19th century, it has now become a popular sport that, with just a few instruments, has the potential to make people of different ages, of different genders, of different backgrounds and interests work together towards a common goal.
This sport is the foundation of the ORIENT – Young explorers re-discover local communities through orienteering project, that aims to enhance social inclusion by bringing together disadvantaged young people to discover their local urban and natural communities through orienteering with the support of sport trainers, sport associations and workers from civil society organizations (CSOs). In the next couple of years, young people from Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece and Cyprus will have the chance to create orienteering routes in urban and open-door environments in their local area and participate in orienteering contests while staying active, enhancing their competences and networking with peers. In order to give way to the project, the past 3rd and 4th March 2021, partners came together to meet each other virtually for the first time, learn about orienteering and discuss the strategy to make the best of the ORIENT project.
What’s next
Partners have started to produce the ORIENT Anthology, a collection of good practices of the use of orienteering for social inclusion. Based on the results of this research, the ORIENT Curriculum will be developed with a training for sport trainers and civil society organization workers, in place next spring. It will focus on the use of this sport with young people including the use of a map, a compass, the types of orienteering and its incredible potential.
Are you a sport trainer, a sport association or do you work in a civil society organization?
Be part of this new orienteering trend and join us!
About the project
ORIENT – Young explorers re-discover local communities through orienteering is cofinanced by Erasmus + SPORT, Collaborative Partnerships.
Partners
- CESIE (Italy, coordinator)
- BSDA – Bulgarian Sports Development Association (Bulgaria)
- WUS Austria – World University Service-Österreichisches Komitee (Austria)
- SMOC – Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- KMOP – Social Action and Innovation Centre (Greece)
- CSI – Centre for Social Innovation (Cyprus)
For further information
Read more about ORIENT.
Contact Cloé Saint-Nom: cloe.saintnom@cesie.org.