Kinesiology students first non-Europeans to take part in EduSport in Italy

UFV students with students from other European countries at the EduSport summer school.

This summer, UFV Kinesiology and Physical Education students participated in EduSport – an International Summer School in Education and Sport Sciences hosted by the University of Bologna in northern Italy. This was the eighth session of the EduSport program, which has run every summer since 2004, and is traditionally open only to students who attend universities which are part of the European Union.

Through two years of perseverance, determination, and hard work Dr. Emilio Landolfi of the UFV Kinesiology department organized a study tour to Italy that allowed students to participate in EduSport. This was the first time a university from outside of Europe took part in the International Summer School program. The University of Bologna, which hosted the summer school, is the oldest continually operating degree-granting university in the world – established in 1088.

Kinesiology students were in Italy for approximately two weeks where mornings were dedicated to health-related lectures provided by university professors from across Europe (10 European universities attended), as well as Landolfi, and afternoons were reserved for a variety of physical activities such as: yoga, tai chi, dance, archery, beach volleyball, etc.

In addition to achieving formal learning outcomes, the summer school focuses on interaction between various nations. It is an intensive program funded by the European Union, which provides an arena for students from many different countries (but with similar interests in kinesiology and physical education) to interact while working towards learning different cultures. Students form “working groups” composed of one person from each attending university, and are challenged to resolve problems collaboratively while confronting specific tasks such as designing a team-building activity with other groups, as well as preparing a final presentation on a health-related topic.

All students had an extremely enjoyable time, and it is anticipated that the Italy Study Tour will be offered regularly to Kinesiology and Physical Education students at University of the Fraser Valley.