What is the Outsport method? Education Through Sport, LGBTQIA+ and more
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.
Education Through Sport, the core of the Outsport method
Education Through Sport (ETS) is an excellent tool for fostering LGBTQIA+ inclusion and deal with SOGIESC topics (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Sexual Characteristics). It is a non-formal educational approach employing sports and physical activity to promote personal development and positive, sustainable change.
ETS uses sports in non-formal learning programs focused on various social issues, such as employability, social integration, racism and discrimination. This approach also applies to conflict management, offering a wide range of possibilities to promote inclusion and solidarity.
For example, it can enhance interpersonal relationships and active citizenship, leading to social cohesion. ETS improves aspects such as respect, acceptance, solidarity, and trust, making it useful in workplace environments and group dynamics.
ETS applies the principles of non-formal Education as well as the “learning by doing”element to sports, differentiating itself from the technical-competitive approach (Education FOR Sport) and the more similar but narrower scope of Education BY Sport (e.g., the “sport for all” movements that link charitable initiatives to sports events). It encourages reflection on our attitudes toward minorities and awareness of our privileges or disadvantages.
A central part of the MESIS project were the Capacity Building Sessions (CBS), intensive training sessions for coaches, physical education teachers, and other professionals working with physical activity. During March and April 2024, Rome, Ljubljana, and Lisbon hosted dozens of participants from different countries.
They took part in workshops, theoretical lessons and physical activities, deepening skills and tools to promote inclusion in their communities. This further inspired the project partnership, which just launched the Outsport E-learning Community, a Telegram platform for training and sharing. This community will share news, information, tools, and opportunities related to ETS and inclusion in the sports world. Staring from Februrary 2025, it will provide topics in 8 different languages.
Outsport E-learning Community
The Outsport E-learning Community. updates members on the activities of various national stakeholders, local pilot events, and related initiatives. It facilitates exchange of best practices while supporting the continuous learning and improvement of skills among sports and education professionals.
The community will finally serve as a platform for sharing the multilingual MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), which is one of the final outcomes of MESIS. It will provide free educational resources for teachers, coaches, and other professionals in the languages of the project partners, as well as additional languages. Thanks to the Telegram community, learners will have the opportunity to connect with each other and share their thoughts on the e-learning experience in their own language.
Pictures: ©Tina Éowyn Šmid, ©Sara Palermo