SMS: Strong Mind for Success
Sports Day #SMS at Kremikovsky Monastery
19.08.2023
On August 19, 2023, at Kremikovsky Monastery "St. George the Victorious," a sports event was held as part of the summer camp at the monastery within the framework of the SMS – Strong Mind for Success project. Children and youth participated in the event, getting the chance to discover the power of sports in overcoming challenges to mental well-being.
#SMS is an Erasmus+ co-funded initiative, aiming to enhance the capacity of contemporary sports organizations in raising awareness and caring for the mental health of young athletes. The "Strong Mind for Success" project provides innovative training on how mental health can contribute to the successful development of young footballers in Bulgaria, Italy, and Slovenia.
The project utilizes information gathered from the goals and policies of European action plans in the field of mental health, focusing on raising awareness among young people about the importance of mental well-being. The project's target group consists of young boys and girls (aged 13-17) as this age range is crucial for the psychological development of athletes. The timeliness and necessity of such project are supported by scarce data on the impact of sports on mental health, rather the opposite. During the project, aspects of how we can utilize mental health to prepare young individuals and achieve quality results on the field, and hopefully at a professional level, will be analyzed. With this project, we aim to further develop managers' skills in approaching the mental aspects of their players and hope that with the help of mental health experts, we will introduce a more holistic approach to the training of young athletes.
Key project outcomes:
• An online platform addressing the significance of mental health in sports.
• Practical development phase for new project ideas throughout the project duration.
• Implementation of high-quality educational and research activities focused on the mental well-being of young footballers.
Partnership: Three distinct EU countries – organizations with extensive experience in sports, project management expertise to share – Bulgarian Sport Development Association (Coordinator), L'ORMA from Italy, and Sports Club Endorfin from Slovenia.
The project utilizes information gathered from the goals and policies of European action plans in the field of mental health, focusing on raising awareness among young people about the importance of mental well-being. The project's target group consists of young boys and girls (aged 13-17) as this age range is crucial for the psychological development of athletes. The timeliness and necessity of such project are supported by scarce data on the impact of sports on mental health, rather the opposite. During the project, aspects of how we can utilize mental health to prepare young individuals and achieve quality results on the field, and hopefully at a professional level, will be analyzed. With this project, we aim to further develop managers' skills in approaching the mental aspects of their players and hope that with the help of mental health experts, we will introduce a more holistic approach to the training of young athletes.
Key project outcomes:
• An online platform addressing the significance of mental health in sports.
• Practical development phase for new project ideas throughout the project duration.
• Implementation of high-quality educational and research activities focused on the mental well-being of young footballers.
Partnership: Three distinct EU countries – organizations with extensive experience in sports, project management expertise to share – Bulgarian Sport Development Association (Coordinator), L'ORMA from Italy, and Sports Club Endorfin from Slovenia.