ESSD2022 - European School Sport Day 2022 - Going green in Sport

European School Sport Day® (hereinafter: “ESSD”) is a pan-European initiative with the main objectives to promote sport and health enhancing physical activity (PA) at international level and involve as many children and young people, schools, and organizations in PA programs as possible. By identifying different focus topics each year, ESSD aims to break down cultural barriers and contribute to social inclusion. The program has been organized annually since 2015, continuously increasing number of participating countries and students, reaching almost 2 million students in 38 countries in 2020, even despite the challenges raised by the COVID-pandemic. By extending its main objectives, ESSD2022 will aim at exploring the ways to shift the focus onto sporting events that stress the importance of engaging sustainability and environmental responsibility. We want to leverage the power of sports to drive meaningful impact and advance social engagement. We all play part in pollution and there are efforts everywhere to eliminate it. For change to happen, every single person can act to eliminate the problem. ESSD2022 emphasizes the urge and need for keeping spaces for PA clean. In 2022, the priority focus topic and the recommended activities that can promote it will be introduced in a toolkit, which provides schools and pupils relevant methodological and practical information on how they can organize their own PA events and how to find new, sustainable ways to connect the #BeActive and the #GreenSport approaches. The project implements the objectives included in the EU policies on education and sport in a holistic way, interlinking the policy areas defined in the Guidelines: sport, health, and education. It contributes to the development of lifelong behaviour patterns in connection with PA. Through the establishment of flagship events, ESSD aims to connect European youth through PA and by addressing a huge audience, forming a community of physically active pupils across Europe.