COSMOS

Sports and physical activity cultures have a unique capacity to address the challenges of the 21st century associated with ongoing social inclusion and transformation processes at the individual, organizational, and societal levels. In particular, locally organized community sports and physical activity programs possess this positive capacity to a great extent. These accessible sports and movement hubs can offer individuals and groups of all ages and backgrounds an inclusive, safe, and supportive environment in which to be physically active, thrive, and feel a sense of belonging. Furthermore, community sports and movement cultures are cultural expressions that can provide a multitude of individual and social benefits—especially for marginalized and “at-risk” groups in society. Taken together, sports and movement cultures constitute an important platform for addressing, among other things, Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, and 10.

This 15-month Erasmus Mundus Design Measure project therefore aims to jointly develop a fully integrated, two-year international Erasmus Mundus Master’s program in Community Sport and Movement for Social Transformation (COSMOS). The planned design initiative for this joint master’s degree program brings together an international consortium of six higher education institutions in Europe and Brazil. Through a collaborative and participatory process, we combine extensive academic and practical knowledge to address the urgent issues of social inclusion, transformation, and marginalization through community development, sports, and movement cultures.

By combining our expertise with that of our associated partners to co-create a vibrant learning environment, we aim to educate the next generations of professional leaders in the fields of community development, sports, and movement cultures. In doing so, we contribute to strengthening international exchange as a driver of innovation in the European Higher Education Area and help foster excellence and transnational partnerships among higher education institutions.