HEPA Olympics

ongoing

The HEPA-O seeks to address this gap by placing educators at the center of the initiative. The rationale is grounded in the understanding that teachers play a crucial role in shaping students' attitudes, behaviors, and values. By engaging educators (all of them not only PE teachers) in HEPA, the HEPA-O aims to deepen their understanding of the importance of physical activity, not only for their personal health and well-being but also as a crucial element of their teaching practice. The main aim of the project is to create and test an innovative event concept – the HEPA Olympics for educators - with the ultimate goal to involve educators from all academic disciplines in HEPA interventions and as a result to turn them to HEPA ambassadors. The project will create adaptable HEPA resources, create HEPA capacity-building programs and see 3 pilot HEPA-O events in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania with 30+ educators. The HEPA-O project is conceptualised to engage three key groups with its ambition to foster a culture of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) within educators. - School educators across various disciplines from Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia, who will actively participate in HEPA-O trainings and events, serving as the primary catalysts for change. - Students from the participating schools being witnesses of “Practice what you preach” momentum thus having the nudge to shift from passive recipients of HEPA messaging n to active participants in their own health and learning, fostering a lifelong appreciation for physical activity. - School administrators and policymakers, recognizing their pivotal role in embedding HEPA principles into the educational framework, thereby ensuring the sustainability and institutional support for these initiatives. Together, these groups form the backbone of the HEPA-O project, each contributing to the overarching goal of creating healthier, more active learning environments.