Mentoring as a tool to motivate young people with challenging behaviours to adopt a healthy lifestyle and engage in sports

Adolescence is considered to be a major period in the structuring and establishment of personality. It is generally at this time that behavioural problems can appear. These problems can be associated with difficulties at school (failure, expulsion or dropping out), risky behaviour (drug and alcohol abuse and risky sexual behaviour) or even delinquency. Another problem facing teenagers is a lack of physical activity. And yet sport has major health benefits, preventing cardiovascular disease, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improving learning and thinking skills. Despite these proven benefits, over 80% of teenagers worldwide do not get enough physical activity (WHO). The SportyMentor partnership has therefore sought to address these issues by creating a targeted sports mentoring programme for young people aged 13 to 19 with challenging behaviour.

The ambition of the project was: - To develop an innovative approach that combines the use of mentoring, sport and the use of a mobile application to support the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the socio-professional integration of young people in vulnerable situations (with little family support) or with a disability who display difficult behaviour; - Develop the skills needed for professional integration through sport: remobilisation, self-confidence, gender and social diversity, living together, awareness of the values of work, mutual aid, solidarity, team spirit, fighting spirit and cohesion. - Raising young people's awareness of the benefits of sport: reducing cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, etc; - Reduce the consequences that can be caused by the behaviour of these young people: difficulties at school, difficulty or even impossibility of integrating into working life and developing independence, risky behaviour, etc; - Increase their digital skills to promote young people's professional integration and social inclusion; - Raising young people's environmental awareness during mentoring activities.

Firstly, to develop a guide to define the scientific basis of a sports mentoring programme for disadvantaged youth (PR1), we defined the research guidelines and identified key competences, then organised validation workshops with professionals working with the target group. Afterwards, we analysed the results and cross-referenced them with findings from the literature review. Secondly, to develop the sports mentoring programme (PR2), we selected and recruited mentors and mentees, designed a training programme, and trained the mentors. We then piloted the programme and analysed the results. Thirdly, to develop an eco-citizenship toolbox (PR3), we conducted a desk research to identify relevant tools, then organised a peer review to evaluate the selected tools, and finally tested the toolbox with mentors and mentees. Then, to develop the mobile application (PR4), UBI designed the initial scenario and user journey map, and then created a guide outlining the app features, mock-ups, and graphic design. Following partner feedback, UBI developed the app, which was tested by mentors and mentees. Finally, 2 learning activities were organised, 5 multiplier events, 5 transnational meetings and 21 online meetings.

After three years of implementation, the Erasmus+ SportyMentor project, which brought together 6 European partners (in France, Romania, Portugal, Ireland and Belgium), has created several valuable resources for youth sports mentoring in Europe: - A Guide to defining the scientific basis of a sports mentoring programme for young people - A Sport Mentoring Programme that can be adapted to different contexts - An Eco-citizen Toolbox to support the sports mentoring programme by giving mentors 18 ideas for eco-citizen activities - A SportyMentor mobile application that enables mentors and mentees to communicate, find all the resources they need and plan their mentoring sessions. - A tutorial for using the app available in all project languages - A project Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SportyMentor - A project website: https://sportymentor.eu/