'The new WHO website on physical activity and health reflects the increased focus on the important contribution of being physically active to individual health and wellbeing. Through the website WHO aims at informing her member states and other target groups such as policy makers, media and other "agents of change" about the benefits of physical activity for physical and mental health, as well as for the society and the environment. A strong message is that physical activity should be available to everyone, regardless of gender, functional ability, cultural background, age or socioeconomic status. The site furthermore highlights that promoting active living should not be limited to organized sports, but also encompass other settings, including transport, housing and occupational, school and leisure'.
http://www.euro.who.int/physicalactivity

The website includes equally a prominent link to HEPA Europe as well as the Move for Health initiative.

ISCA President Mr. Mogens Kirkeby is impressed and proud of the four PATHE Associate partners:
»The PATHE project shows the best of ISCA. Engaged members working together, transferring knowledge across borders and transforming international knowledge to national initiatives and development.
Improving physical activity and healthy lifestyle, are some major challenges in our societies today. The PATHE partners are enthusiastic 'Front Runners' showing social political commitment and taking responsibility.
Read the full article and the interviews with Anders Kragh Jespersen, DGI Project leader and Miroslav Zitko, CASPV project leader.

The Danish Network for Sport and Development (NSD) held a conference with the theme: Sport and Development Initiatives: 'what difference do they make?'.

Opening thoughts
ISCA Secretary General - Jacob Schouenborg - threw participants in the deep end with an honest and self-critical opening speech, questioning 'the difference sport for development projects make'.

Lessons learnt and experience
Presentations from the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF) and the Australian Sports Commission gave open accounts of the past experiences and lessons learned of both organisations in conducting sports programmes in developing countries -- programmes  that also prioritise human, social and community development, as well as sport.
Read the full article at www.sportanddev.org.

On Whit Sunday 2009 the academy of the International German Gymnastic Festival in Frankfurt will be opened with a special ceremony. More than 5000 participants have booked over 18.000 workshops. And more than 200 national and international speakers will share their knowledge and skills to pass. Numerous international guests will also attend the academy. ISCA members DGI and SVOLI organized study tours to participate actively in the program.
ISCA vice-president Herbert Hartmann, again chairman of the academy, stated:
“We are happy and proud to be able to offer an extensive, varied and extremely high-quality program.
The festivals academy today is:

"Languages meet Sport" is the first European Conference on Languages and Intercultural Dialogue through Sport.  The Conference is supported by the EU Life Long Learning Programme and aims to provide a forum for all those who work in the field of education, culture, media, sports and public institutions  and in this way offer an opportunity for the participants to meet with the representatives of the EU Commission and Agencies and discuss new actions  to be taken at local and national levels.

The aim of the conference is to highlight how sport can play an important role in language learning and intercultural dialogue. Sport communicates a sense of belonging and observance of rules and can therefore contribute to the understanding and appreciation of cultural differences.

The conference programme includes among others:

• Education and social inclusion
• International events
• Media and communication
• School and sport
  

Visit the Languages meet Sport website here.

Sport is not simply an economic sector like any other and has specific features that have to be recognised and dealt with at EU level, Jan Figel, the EU commissioner responsible for sports, told EurActiv in an interview.

However, Figel said that not many people understand the specific nature of sport, warning that it "does not equal to exclusion of sport from the laws of the EU, and is not a bloc exemption."

Sport's specific nature "means that sport is not business as usual," he said, continuing: "There are specific features, characteristics we have to know and deal with and care for," he continued.
Read the full article on euractiv.com.

Through the Physical activity and Health for immigrant women project sustainable local networks for girls and women with an immigrant background will be created, taking into account their cultural and social life to empower club sports.
The German Gymnastic Federation is one of five sports federations selected for the implementation of the project. The project designs will be tested at first in three major clubs.
The German Gymnastics Union - DTB focuses on the involvement of parents and children. Gymnastics seems to be an excellent tool, as mothers can practice a variety of movement experiences together with their children. Thereby the lack of physical activity can be avoided and active life patterns can be laid. A positive development of the child has a positive effect on the health behaviour of parents and vice versa.
Further information on the network via the German Olympic SportsUnion DOSB www.dosb.de.
For the DTB-project contact maria.irala@dtb-online.de.

As a result of the interest generated at the 2007 and 2008 seminars, ICSSPE will offer the comprehensive training seminar “Sport in Post-Disaster Intervention” for the third time in Rheinsberg, Germany.

From 2-8 November, 2009, disaster workers will be provided with the practical skills and knowledge required in delivering sport and physical activity programmes in a disaster setting.

The one week seminar provides hands-on training in the form of theoretical sessions, practical exercises and team-building scenarios. It addresses pertinent topics, including the potential of sports, teaching and learning in crisis areas, inclusive activities, challenges for physical activities in crisis area, civil-military co-operations, debriefing, cultural aspects as well as the role of psychology in disaster relief.

More information, including the programme, is available on the ICSSPE website since mid-May, registration will start in June.
Read the news on www.ICSSPE.org

The TYSA youth camp is an opportunity and experience for young people participating camps. It works as a means for fostering unity, cooperation, cultural understanding, and appreciation of diversities and above all a learning atmosphere where young people learn by doing and also have an opportunity to practice what they learn. The youth camp will promote the meeting and interaction of people and promote learning through experience and by practice.
Young people more often find themselves on the demanding and agonizing side despite their numerical strength, enormous creativity and energy. This year, the youth camp will focus on building and identifying capabilities, identifying potentials and strength and assist participants with knowledge, skills and attitudes to move from the domain of agonizing to organizing for a better future.
Read more about the camp here.

For more details and how to participate contact us on youthcamp@tysak.org.

Grass roots investment, according to new research from Eurosport, ZenithOptimedia & Synovate, is of critical importance to sponsorship effectiveness during a time of recession. And with corporate social responsibility (CSR) now rapidly becoming a central aspect to the sponsorship of the biggest brands in British business; companies, sporting federations and governing bodies will be taking note of the findings at a time when marketing strategies are coming under serious scrutiny.
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