WOOF Project – Second Transnational Meeting and Outdoor Sports Event in Rome

20 October 2025

The second transnational meeting of the Erasmus+ project WOOF took place in Rome, hosted by ASD Centro Cinofilo Casalotti, and brought together 15 participants from Italy, Bulgaria, and Portugal. Representing the three partner organisations — ASD Casalotti (Italy), SportsRoom (Bulgaria), and CATTT (Portugal) — the participants worked side by side to design, implement, and evaluate an inclusive outdoor sports event.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

This meeting marked the culmination of the project’s training phase and the realisation of one of its key objectives: enabling young participants to directly experience the planning and management of a sporting event while actively pro

moting gender equality, social inclusion, and the benefits of outdoor sport.

The event was entirely coordinated by the young participants themselves, who had previously taken part in training workshops focused on gender awareness, European policies, diversity management, and sustainable event planning. Roles were assigned according to individual interests and skills: some took care of logistics and safety, others of communication and media coverage, while others managed the administration and monitoring processes.

The event was open to the local community and included agility demonstrations, inclusive sport activities, and moments of dialogue around the topic of gender balance in the sports sector. Participation was high, and the public responded enthusiastically, proving once again the strength of community-based initiatives in promoting both healthy lifestyles and social cohesion.

This hands-on experience allowed participants to:

• Strengthen their soft and organisational skills;

• Better understand the variety of career paths linked to the sports sector;

• Reflect on the importance of inclusive approaches in leadership roles;

• Learn how to manage real tasks within a team, dealing with pressure and unforeseen situations.

The WOOF project is strongly aligned with the Erasmus+ priority on Inclusion and Diversity, involving participants with fewer opportunities, and is committed to providing accessible and meaningful experiences for youth from underrepresented communities. The Rome event confirmed how local sports associations can play a strategic role in supporting young people’s development, especially in disadvantaged areas.

In addition to this core priority, WOOF also responds to the Erasmus+ transversal objectives on:

• Environmental sustainability, by promoting green event management practices and assigning an Environmental Manager within the team;

• Digital transformation, through the integration of digital tools for documentation, communication, and storytelling;

• Civic engagement and common values, by fostering active participation and a sense of European belonging through sport.

This second transnational meeting represented a true turning point for the project: it transformed theory into practice, gave shape to months of collaborative preparation, and provided a concrete example of how inclusive sport can become a platform for empowerment, education, and transnational cooperation.

The project will now move into its final stages, including the creation of visual outputs, interviews, educational materials, and a video reportage of the event, all to be shared through the project’s website and social media channels.