Partner – The National Olympic Committee of Lithuania
Location – Klaipėda, Šalčininkai and Visaginas regions
Since 2017
Sport is a unique tool through which to transform and develop personal skills, facilitating the forging of ties between different social and cultural groups, while bringing joy into people’s lives and providing social and cultural value to communities.
The Dreams & Teams project was developed in the United Kingdom by the Youth Sport Trust and the British Council, with the aim of facilitating change and closer cooperation in multicultural community settings by employing sport to develop the essential 21st century skills of critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and collaboration, creativity, leadership, personal growth and teamwork.
In Lithuania, this project brought together teachers and students from different schools. During the training and teamwork activities, the participants were introduced to the contemporary skills necessary for sports leadership. Following the completion of the courses and participation in various sports activities that encourage teamwork, the students planned and delivered educational workshops for their school communities, covering topics such as diversity and inclusion, Olympic and democratic values, and healthy living. The final Dreams & Teams events were organised by the participants and united the schools, as well as the wider communities of the regions involved.
The project participants reported that the sports-based activities helped to improve their communication skills, value the opinions of others and solve emerging challenges. Most importantly, through the shared activities and experiences, the project drew different school communities closer together and fostered long-term collaborations.
Throughout the various project activities that included sports and a range of trainings, the young people demonstrated increased leadership, cooperation, teamwork and mutual respect.
During the project:
Over 3,200 school community members engaged in project activities to develop their networks and the cooperation between teachers, young leaders and communities
More than 520 young leaders (aged 13–16 years) developed their confidence, leadership and creativity skills, and consequently became more active within the school environment
Over 250 teachers gained new skills in youth empowerment and mentoring