RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL AND OF THE MINISTERS FOR YOUTH MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL

of 17 December 1999

on the non-formal education dimension of sporting activities in the European Community youth programmes

(2000/C 8/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE MINISTERS FOR YOUTH MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

Having regard to Decision No 818/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 1995 adopting the third phase of the "Youth for Europe" programme(1),

Having regard to Decision No 1686/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 July 1998 establishing the Community action programme "European voluntary service for young people"(2),

Whereas:

(1) the Declaration on sport annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam emphasises the social significance of sport, in particular its role in forging identity and bringing people together;

(2) the European Parliament Resolution on the role of the European Union in the field of sports(3) calls on the Commission, in particular, to take account of sport across the entire spectrum of its activities, especially in the regional, social, educational, youth training and health fields,

(1) NOTE that the European Community youth programmes aim, inter alia, at promoting young people's integration through non-formal education and that in this context sporting activities are a useful means and not an end, and emphasises that young people's sporting activities may have a pedagogical value and also promote active citizenship, participation, solidarity and tolerance;

(2) RECOGNISE that sporting activities form part of young people's everyday life in that, alongside traditional, organised youth sports, there are growing youth sporting activities stemming from young people's own needs, which are an integral part of the rich variety of youth cultures;

(3) CONSIDER that sporting activities with pedagogical aims and objectives may contribute to the strengthening of the civil society and play an important role in the socialisation and social integration of young people, in particular as regards disadvantaged and disaffected young people;

(4) ARE AWARE that sporting activities, with pedagogical aims and objectives can provide a useful means of preventing and combating chauvinistic and xenophobic attitudes and behaviour which are priority aims in youth work, promote dialogue between generations and help to overcome various forms of risk behaviour and promote social inclusion;

INVITE the Commission of the European Communities to devise, in cooperation with the Member States, a coherent approach with a view to exploiting the non-formal educational potential of sporting activities in the context of European cooperationg policy in the youth field. Such an approach could:

(i) encourage cooperation between youth and sports bodies with a view to promoting exchange of best practice in this field and to providing room for youth sporting activities which address the needs of young people in the area of non-formal education while ensuring the equal access of all young people;

(ii) capitalise on the potential inherent in sporting activities in terms of the implementation of the youth, education and training programmes and ensure that youth sporting projects are fully in line with the pedagogical aims and objectives, priorities and criteria of the programmes;

(iii) encourage the development of appropriate youth worker training schemes addressed to those involved in sporting activities so as to improve their knowledge and skills to carry out youth projects at European level;

(iv) identify priority themes in work with young people which can be promoted through sporting activities, such as democracy, participation, tolerance, mutual understanding, the dialogue between generations and sustainable social and environmental development.

(1) OJ L 87, 20.4.1995.

(2) OJ L 214, 31.7.1998.

(3) OJ C 200, 30.6.1997, p. 252.