Promoting RUGby in schools as anti-BULLying "vitamin"

Background Bullying among school aged children is a phenomenon that concerns all EU member states. Its negative effects on mental and physical health, as well as on academic performance of children, have been covered extensively by research studies on school bullying and cyber bullying. Less covered is the field of bullying in sport, even though increasing evidence, coming from research studies and high-profile cases, has drawn attention to the problem of violence in sport. Objectives RUGBULL project’s objectives are: educate younger generations on the importance of prevention, mitigation and tackle of bullying in sport; to encourage participation in rugby, increasing the levels of health-enhancing physical activity; bring people from different countries closer on the issue of bullying in sport, sensitizing on rugby practice as a factor of social inclusion; strengthen cooperation at EU level, promoting anti-bullying policies thanks to a transnational approach. Implementation Main RUGBULL project activity is the implementation of the RUGBULL International Event, with the participation of 10 EU countries in September 2022 in a four-days event with sport, educational, training and cultural activities. RUGBULL International Event was the last project phase for testing the experimental version of the Educational Protocol, implemented by the Technical and Scientific Committee at project start and tested in the local laboratories in schools and in the national Summer Camp. Achievements Main RUGBULL project’s result is the implementation of the Educational Protocol for Anti-Bullying in Sport by the TSC that involved more than 10 local sport and social organizations. After being tested in 3 local schools in Pesaro, with the involvement of 31 classrooms, and in the RUGBULL Summer Camp in June 2022, with more than 150 Italian young athletes taking part to it, the toolkit was finally tested in the RUGBULL International Event (10 EU Countries; 150+ EU young athletes; 18 EU coaches).