TESA-Brochure
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The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ISBN: 978-606-93838-8-9 2020 Table of Contents Introduction to Traditional Sports ..................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4 Context: Benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle .......................................................................................... 5 Description of our project............................................................................................................... 7 Objectives ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Traditional Sports ........................................................................................................................... 10 Jeu de Paume (France) ................................................................................................................. 10 Vybíjená (Czech Republic) ........................................................................................................... 14 Oina (Romania) ........................................................................................................................... 19 Țurca (Romania) .......................................................................................................................... 24 Archery (Estonia) ......................................................................................................................... 29 Final remarks .................................................................................................................................. 34 Infobox ............................................................................................................................................ 35 Introduction to Traditional Sports Introduction "If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health". This formula for a healthy life was proposed over 2000 years ago by Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician and so-called father of medicine. Two millennia later, healthy living is just as important as ever, and more joined-up thinking that when it comes to policy-making, there could be one possible solution, according to three European Commissioners who have launched a joint call for action.1 In the European Union, 2018 was declared to be the European Year of Cultural Heritage. In its honor, 5 partners from 4 countries applied a transboundary Erasmus+ Small Collaborative Partnership project in the field of Sport, called Traditional European Sport Activities. Traditional European sports are part of our cultural heritage and excellent means of promoting health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA). Research shows that too many people across Europe are not physically active enough. This has a serious impact on general health, the frequency of preventable diseases, and the number of premature deaths. Source: https://www.wikipedia.com/oina The Erasmus+ programme made possible for us to initiate a project that can represent a benefit for the European society. It is our strongest belief that by promoting European traditional sports we contribute both to the promotion of historical and not so popular health-enhancing physical activities, as well as to keep alive traditional sport activities that are about to be forgotten in different parts of 1 https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/promoting-healthy-lifestyles-through-health-sport-education-and-food-policies_en, consulted on 1 December 2019 4 Europe. This brochure will take you on a journey to five traditional sport activities from France to Czech Republic, then to Romania and at the end to Estonia. Context: Benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle Physical activity, including regular exercise and sporting activity, is the best way of staying physically and mentally fit, helps to tackle weight and obesity issues, and plays an important part in preventing or reducing the impact of many other health-related conditions. Apart from the individual health benefits, there is evidence of the positive direct and indirect economic effects of participation in sport and physical activity.2 Physical activity is first and foremost an opportunity to have fun. Use these special moments to relax, forget about work, think about something else and change your mood. Physical activity is good for both your body and your mind, as well as adding years to your life and life to your years! An active lifestyle has many benefits. Studies show that regular physical activity not only improves the quality of your daily life, but also increases your lifespan by reducing the risk of chronic illness. Furthermore, it has been shown that physical activity is the main factor in maintaining a fit body. Source: https://twitter.com/kidsport_ns/status/988402122138894337 2 https://ec.europa.eu/sport/policy/societal-role/health-participation_en, consulted on 1 December 2019 5 Being physically active means that you: . Have more vitality . Are in better shape . Have better mental health . Can manage stress better . Have more self-esteem. Physical activity helps to: . Prevent and better control some risk factors for heart disease: high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension . Improve muscle and bone health (osteoporosis prevention) . Improve sleep . Control weight. Recommendation: Physical activity guidelines advise that we need at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity to achieve health benefits. The guidelines also recommend adding activities that target bones and muscles at least twice a week to help make your bones stronger (...)3. All these benefits can easily be achieved by involving in any of the five traditional sports we are about to explore in the next chapter. 3 https://www.dairygoodness.ca/good-health/healthy-active-living/the-benefits-of-being-active, consulted on 1 December 2019 6 Description of our project The idea of this project sprung from the common desire of all the five organisations to promote traditional sport activities in their communities by raising the interest of the youth for playing them. Our intention is to make these sport activities known and accessible for young people and adults. All the five partners have previous experience in working with young people and promoting sport activities. The partners aim to collaborate in order to commonly achieve the goals of the project. Games or sport activities less known by the large public are present in each partner country. We want to promote, for instance, in France Jeu de paume - a predecessor of today’s tennis, which, according to studies, has lost its popularity during the period between the two World Wars. In Romania, Oina is a game that still has a big popularity at national level. At the same time, it is a game poorly promoted among young people who might show interest for playing and, in this way, preserving the tradition. Țurca became a game played in the north-west region of Romania, in Maramureș, where it has its origins but it is less known at national level. Archery is a traditional sport in Estonia, popular among adults, but less performed by the youth due to the low number of experienced trainers in this sport and extensive need of equipment and open space. Vybíjená is an original Czech game and its popularity decreased because of the fast expansion of other sports. Source: Photo by Authors 7 The problem that our project is tacking is the low level of interest of young people aged 15-22 from the five communities for practicing traditional sport activities. The cause of the problem is the poor knowledge of the rules and the equipment needed to perform these activities. Together with our partners, we decided to involve the 15-22 age group as being the most effective age where young people are willing to discover new ways of spending their time and at the same time to perform and specialize in a specific area, in our case, in sport. In addition, young people of this age have the capability to understand how important it is to perform in a game or do a sport activity and recognize its benefits. The concept of this project originates from the common need of the five partners to promote traditional sport activities in their communities in order to preserve them as a part of the European cultural heritage. We aim to provide correct information for the youth regarding the required equipment and rules to play these sport activities. We created a partnership in which the knowledge and experience of each partner will be put to work for the common goal of the project. An added value to this project is represented by the intercultural impact of all our activities at the level of member staff from each organization involved during the lifetime of the project. Exchanging the concepts of each game or sport activity among all the youth workers, coaches and volunteers engaged in this project will contribute to shaping the form of a Europe united in diversity with important sportive cultural values. Traditional sports are more than physical activities; they offer socialization in the