The Outsport method is a training and coaching approach for youth and adults that uses sport as a learning tool to foster personal growth and social competencies in the field of diversity, inclusion, and community building.
It’s part of non-formal education, specifically Education Through Sport (ETS), and was recognized as a good practice by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023.
Outsport builds on the ETS foundation, acknowledged by the University of Southern Denmark in 2009 and further developed in the first “Move and Learn” manual in 2013. As a form of ETS, the Outsport method refers to the broader context of Human Rights Education, inspired by the Compass Manual from the Council of Europe since 2002.
The Outsport method focuses on LGBTQIA+ issues and has been implemented to address sexism,racism, and ableism from an intersectional perspective.
By addressing sexual orientation and gender identity, learners are encouraged to engage with personal characteristics that are often invisible. This helps them reflect beyond appearances and stereotypes, gaining a better understanding of diversity as a universal feature.
The Outsport method was first implemented during the Outsport project (promoted by AiCS, Associazione Italiana Cultura Sport, in collaboration with the German Sport University of Cologne), which conducted the first EU-wide research on LGBTI people in sports and highlighted the need to use sport as a pedagogical tool. After the publication of the Outsport Toolkit in 2019, the MESIS follow-up project has been developing capacity-building actions and the Outsport E-learning Community.
Sources:
- Compass – Manual for human rights education with young people, 2nd edition, updated in 2023 – Council of Europe Publishing F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex – https://www.coe.int/en/web/compass
- Jespersen, E. (2009). 17. Education Through Sport: Towards Recognition of Popular Practice. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 3(3), 426–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/17511320902983459
- Move and Learn – Manual for Non-Formal Education Through Sport and physical activities with young people, 2013, Copenhagen, International Sport and Culture Association https://www.moveandlearn.org/files/Move&Learn.pdf
- Inclusive, sustainable, welcoming national sports federations: health promoting sports federation implementation guidance. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2023. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/370624/WHO-EURO-2023-5216-44980-64040-eng.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
- Menzel, T., Braumüller, B. & Hartmann-Tews, I. (2019). The relevan-ce of sexual orientation and gender identity in sport in Europe. Findings from the Outsport survey. Cologne: German Sport University Cologne, Institute of Sociology and Gender Studies. https://www.out-sport.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/OUTSPORT-RESEARCH-Report-EU-Relevance-of-SOGI-in-Sport-in-Europe.pdf
- Outsport Toolkit – Supporting Sport Educators in creating and maintaining an inclusive sport community based on diversity of gender identities and sexual orientations, 2019, Italian Association for Sport and Culture (AiCS). https://www.out-sport.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OUTSPORT-TOOLKIT-EDUCATION-THROUGH-SPORT.pdf
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