‘MENTORS’ is the latest international project of which AF Bragança is a part.
Led by CUS Palermo in Italy, the 30-month cooperation project aims to extend the role of referees into the field of children’s sports education. The opening meeting took place on 6th and 7th February in the Italian city of Palermo.
Modelling new systems of collaboration with parents and sports coaches to enable children to grow up according to the right sporting values is the main driving factor behind the ‘MENTORS’ project. Sport can provide children with many benefits, including the development of physical fitness, socialization, teamwork and character development, because when they play sport, they have the opportunity to learn important values such as respect, fairness, perseverance and responsibility. These values can help children develop a strong sense of self-discipline, integrity and sportsmanship, which can be applied both on and off the pitch.
In addition, participation in sport contributes to the development of important life skills such as goal-setting, time management and decision-making. These skills can be applied to all areas of life, including academic and professional life.
The following organizations are part of this consortium led by CUS Palermo (Italy): Bragança Football Association (Portugal), Italian Volleyball Federation (Italy), Nest Berlin (Germany), Centre for Social Innovation (Cyprus), Croatian Volleyball Federation (Croatia), University of Sevilla (Spain) and the International Federation of Sports Referees (Netherlands).
