COSMOS

Sport and movement cultures have a unique capacity to address the challenges of the 21st-century associated with ongoing social inclusion and transformation processes at individual, organisational and societal levels. In particular, locally organised community sport and physical activity programmes strongly possess this positive capacity. These low-threshold sports and movement hubs can offer individuals and groups of all ages and backgrounds an inclusive, safe, and supportive environment to be physically active, thrive and belong. Further, community sport and movement cultures are cultural expressions which can provide a multitude of individual and social benefits - especially with regard to marginalised and “at-risk”-groups of society. Taken together, sport and movement cultures constitute an important platform to address, among others, Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, and 10.

This 15-month-long Erasmus Mundus Design Measure project therefore aims to jointly develop a fully integrated 2-year-long international Erasmus Mundus Master in Community Sport and Movement for Social Transformation (COSMOS). The planned design measure of the joint Master’s degree programme brings together an international consortium of six higher education institutions in Europe and Brazil. In a collaborative and participatory process, we bring together extensive academic and practical knowledge in order to address the urgent issues of social inclusion, transformation and marginalisation by means of community development, sport and movement cultures.

By joining our and associated partners’ expertise to co-create a vibrant learning environment, we aim to educate the next generations of professional leaders in the field of community development, sport, and movement cultures. In doing so, we contribute to reinforce international exchange as a driver of innovation in the European Education Area and help to foster excellence and transnational partnership of higher education institutions.