ERASMUS+ Advocacy for Sport and Society (PASS)

European policy, which dates back to the 2011 White Paper on Sport, has consistently highlighted the potential contribution of sport to inclusion, education, equality and shared values. Against this backdrop, the European sport sector has responded to and aligned itself with these policy objectives, particularly within the framework of the burgeoning ‘Sport for Development’ (SFD) movement, a movement that seeks to consciously harness the power of sport to promote positive social development. To this end, these organisations often offer sporting and social activities designed to bring different groups together, foster social relationships, support civic engagement and develop life skills.

However, many of these programmes and activities face a crucial challenge. Although these activities aim to promote inclusion, diversity and shared values – often by working directly with disadvantaged or at-risk groups – their impact can be limited by a lack of coordination and support from political or institutional actors within their communities. This is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, it may simply be due to a lack of awareness or coordination between the relevant policies and the programmes being implemented, which in turn undermines the programme’s impact and sustainability. Secondly, policy measures or environmental conditions within a community may actively counteract the outcomes the programmes are aiming to achieve.

Political lobbying is of crucial importance. On the one hand, it makes a civil society-led, bottom-up contribution to shaping relevant policy measures. On the other hand, it helps to provide key stakeholders who can influence public policy with important, relevant information. Despite these calls, there is little understanding or support in Europe for policy advocacy that links sport and social development. The “Policy Advocacy for Sport and Society” (PASS) project aims to bridge this gap by developing a comprehensive package of tools and resources to strengthen awareness and capacity for policy advocacy within the important and growing sector of sport and social development. The PASS project will support European sport and social development stakeholders so that they can intensify their participation and engagement in democratic life, and enable them to use this engagement to promote education, equality and European values in and through sport in a sustainable manner.

In other words, this project aims to improve civic participation and engagement in democratic life in the field of sport and social development, and to use this increased engagement in turn to advocate for and support education, equality and shared values within European communities.

The PASS project seeks to achieve these objectives in particular through three interlinked objectives:

1. To highlight current practices and challenges in the field of political advocacy within the European sport and social development sector.
2. Raising awareness of the benefits and practices of political advocacy in sport
3. Building capacity and empowering European sport and social development stakeholders to engage in political advocacy

To this end, PASS will draw on a wide range of partners (academic institutions, sport-based network organisations, international civil society/non-state actors and implementing NGOs) to map current advocacy activities, understand best practices and provide concrete tools for practitioners.

February 2024 – January 2027