GUM - Generations Uniting through Movement

Physical activities that appeal to both young and old are often more about staying active rather than organised sports. GUM wants to bring old and young together with activities that are both fun and accessible.

The GUM project is aimed at playing traditional games and sports as a way to improve relationships between generations and to stimulate being active. For this we want to set up an innovative and sustainable GUM programme, which includes a European platform and network, training modules, an e-learning platform and policy instruments. The project partners have indicated they would like to see the realisation of a platform and a European network. They would also like to map the means, strategies and initiatives for intergenerational sports and activities programmes that already exist. The GUM project offers an innovative solution: it is a sustainable and accessible model that meets these needs through the creation of a network at EU-level (of more than 100 stakeholders) with a combination of intergenerational initiatives in the field of sports and activities, an e-learning platform with an e-learning training about this specific subject and the testing of the GUM programme in various countries.

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The objective of the GUM programme is identifying, recruiting, training and supporting a cohort of volunteers and professionals to facilitate local projects for both young and old in order to stimulate their participation in sports and physical activities. Thirty-five professionals and twelve national coordinators will bring the generations together through this programme. A training module for professionals will be developed and professionals in participating countries will be selected and trained (both face-to-face and online). They will facilitate the interaction between young and old by designing sports and activities sessions and to teach these during a period of eight weeks.

The GUM project will stimulate health-promoting physical activities for two important demographic groups:

Older people (defined as 65 and over in this project) whose participation in sports and physical activities declines as they get older.
Young people (defined as 24 and younger in this project) whose habits concerning physical activities will be shaped.

Simultaneously the project will work closely together with local partners and national coordinators during the pilot phase in order to make sure they reach the specific target groups: young people who are currently not involved in education, work or a training; young people with a low socioeconomic background; young people from minorities or with a migrant background and young people with special (educational) needs and requirements.

ISCA (International Sports and Culture Association) offers a GUM e-learning module about the specific topic of intergenerational physical activities. The module is the result of all activities in the project and is available to professionals, researchers and other partners who are part of ISCA. The module is aimed at a combination of intergenerational sports and physical activities and how best to set these up and organise them.

Dr. Remo Mombarg

Lector Bewegingsonderwijs en Jeugdsport

[email protected] Remo Mombarg
Zernikeplein 17, 9747 AS Groningen

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Dr. Johan de Jong

Lector Healthy Lifestyle, Sports and Physical Activity

[email protected] Johan de Jong
Zernikeplein 17, 9747 AS Groningen

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