15th Forum of the European Network of Sport Education at the University of Vienna: Sport, Education, Society, Links & Solution.
More than 100 participants and presenters from all over the world joined the 15th Forum of the European Network of Sport Education (ENSE) in Vienna, Austria, which was held during the European Week of Sport on the 26th and 27th of September 2019. Researchers, practitioners and students met at the Institute for Sport Science at the University of Vienna to discuss issues related to the theme “Sport. Education. Society. Links & Solutions”.
Dr. Karen Petry (President of ENSE 2017 – 2019) and Louis Moustakas from the Institute of European Sport Development and Leisure Studies were both members of the Conference Organizing Committee. Furthermore, Louis Moustakas was elected at the General Assembly of ENSE as General Secretary for the next two years, whereas Dr. Karen Petry handed over the Presidency to Prof. Thomas Skovgaard from the University of Southern Denmark.
The Forum offered a space for reflection and discussion about the potential of sport to address the societal and educational challenges facing Europe and ways to maximize this potential. Through more than 30 interactive sessions, working groups and presentations, the Forum generated knowledge and recommendations that will help both researchers and practitioners alike. More than 35 speakers showcased their current research projects and discussed current societal challenges in regard to European sport and sport education.
In his keynote presentation, Mr. Jean Francois Laurent from The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA) spoke about the future challenges in the field of grassroots sport and how education can help address those very challenges. And, in a lively round table debate, Michal Bronikowski (AWF Poznan), Marcela González-Gross (Polytechnic University of Madrid), Kirsi Hämäläinen (Finnish Olympic Committee) as well as newly-elected ENSE president Thomas discussed how the lessons learned through sport education could be transferred into real life settings.
13 students from the M.A. International Sport Development and Politics also joined the Forum and took part in the poster presentation. The selected posters are results from the research project class of the 2nd semester and covered different areas ranging from sport for development, gender equality, and sport governance. The international master students took this great opportunity to gain valuable insights into the academic world and used the platform for exchange with leading researchers and educators in the field of sport.
The next ENSE Forum will be hosted in Guimarães, Portugal, in 2021.
More information as well as the full program can be found on ENSE’s website under: http://sporteducation.eu/