ENSE and SPEACH: Bringing Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) into Sport

Bringing Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) into Sport
the SPEACH Project: Sport Physical Education and Coaching in Health

November 2016, Groningen, The Netherlands.

From 6-10 February 2017, around 70 students from six European countries will join a week in which three newly developed HEPA modules will be offered by teachers from seven EU countries. These modules are part of the ‘Sport Physical Education and Coaching for Health’ (SPEACH) project, a project that is co-financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (2015-2017). The feedback generated during this pilot will be used to review and validate the HEPA modules. Aim of the HEPA modules and the SPEACH project is to increase awareness and behavioral change in sport professionals and European citizens towards an active and healthy lifestyle. It is intended that the developed HEPA modules should be able to be integrated in Physical Education Training,  Education structures and Sport Coaching courses.

Professor Johan de Jong (Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen): “After finishing the need analyses phase, all partners put a great effort in the development of the HEPA modules. Beside that, a teach-the-teacher course was developed and held in Odense (DEN). Ultimately three HEPA modules were selected which will be tested in a real-life setting with physical education and sport coaching students and teachers in February 2017. So, I am very satisfied with the progress we made and really looking forward to the SPEACH week to see teachers and students from different EU countries working together on this important topic”.  

During the last project meeting in Lisbon 25-28 October, partners worked intensively together on the detailed preparation of their module. Another important point on the agenda of this meeting was the sustainability of the project results. The European Network of Sport Education (ENSE) formerly known as ENSSEE, will take the lead on this issue.

President elect Dr. Karen Petry: “It is exciting to have the opportunity to test these modules in a real-world setting. Not only does it show how well this project has been moving forward, but it also gives us an opportunity to integrate invaluable student feedback”.

ENSE will host its next biennial forum in Aarhus, Denmark, from the 11th to the 14th of September 2017 and will be used as a platform to further disseminate information about the SPEACH project.

To stay updated or to find out more about the project visit the SPEACH website or follow @SPEACHproject on Twitter. Interested parties can contact the project organisation through the website.

Contact information:

Professor dr. Johan de Jong (project lead): jo.de.jong@­pl.hanze.nl / Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen / Zernikeplein 17 / 9747 AS Groningen / the Netherlands / +49 031 6 41 74 68 72

Press release pdf