#SIMPLE: Sports weekend for the children of Varna
The sports weekend, organized by the IYII team, attracted the attention of many children aged between 7 and 14 years, their parents and friends. The event started with a full day of sports and entertainment activities on 19.10.2024. (Saturday) on the lawn behind the Crooked Tree in the Sea Garden. Over 26 children participated in competitive games in the form of “Games of the Will in Nature”, quizzes on environmental protection and brain power, as well as a post-event litter clean-up campaign.
The children were challenged to share how regularly they exercise in their daily lives, what kind of sports activities and clubs they attend, and whether they like to go hiking or picnic outdoors with their parents. The whole day was dedicated to the motto “to play sports together in nature” and “to learn a little more about how to protect and preserve it”.
Divided into two teams, the STRONG and the BRAVE, they went through a series of relay and competitive games to make them feel a community and win together. At the end of the competitive games, and similar to the so attractive reality show in our country “Games of Will”, the children had to arrange a puzzle of words that formed the message – “KEEP NATURE”. There were individual and team awards for all players, as well as a Certificate of Excellence. The sports day ended with an action to clean up the meadow around, and sacks and gloves were distributed to the children. With great pleasure, the students managed to collect more than 10 bags of waste.
The purpose of the event was to show the young generation the connection between sports and environmental protection through physical activity in the local nature and giving every child the opportunity to be physically active.
We called the event a sports weekend for the children of Varna, because we challenged all of them to come the next day again to the Sea Garden and this time together with their parents and friends to play sports together again or simply to clean another part of the park.
The sports event is organized under the project “SIMPLE – Sport, Inclusion, Movement, Participation, Learning, Environment”, funded under ERASMUS-SPORT-2023.
