CEREPS SUMMIT 2024, Spain (Seville)

CEREPS Summit in Seville

Under the topic “The Impact of Physical Activity on Mental Health: Emotional, Psychological and Social Well-Being from Childhood and Adolescence through Adulthood“ the CEREPS Summit 2024 was organized by the Faculty of Educational Science at the University of Seville from June 24th to 26th. The inauguration of the event took place with a welcome address from the Vice Rector of Student Affairs and the Faculty Vice Dean of International Affairs. Prof. Dr. Francis Ries was the host as the personal head of the Summit and responsible for the programme in communication with the executive board of CEREPS.

The Summit programme was structured by four different formats. Three keynote speakers were invited and presented parts of the conference and several workshop lectures took also place. Invited by CEREPS, Dr. Arja Sääkslahti from University of Jyväskylä (Finland) hold a commemorative lecture on Prof. Dr. Risto Telama about his merits of many research contributions on physical education development and health-related physical activity of adolescence. Another beneficial part of the Summit was the International Multiplier Event of the Erasmus+ project “QualiTePE”. All partners of the project were present and highlighted shortly the outputs and research results of the project with attendance of other Summit delegates.

Finally, two CEREPS-related sessions completed the full programme. Dr. Manolis Adamakis (Greece) and Prof. Dr. Roland Naul (Germany) reported on the state-of-the-art of the mission, vision, the values, goals and the operational structure of CEREPS. Prof. Dr. Erin Gerlach (Germany) led a panel discussion with Prof. Dr. Fernández-Rio (Spain), Prof. Dr. Gregor Jurak (Slovenia) and Engso Youth’s project manager Nadica Jovanovik (North Macedonia) about the question “Why do European Associations in Physical Education and Sport Science need CEREPS?” There was consensus among the panel, but also with attended delegates of the Summit that more interdisciplinary work, cross-border cultural intake, and linked mutual cooperation between different European stakeholders in physical education and school sport should become stronger in the future since former cooperative networks (e.g., International Committee of Sport Pedagogy, Global Forum of Physical Education Pedagogy) declined some years ago. All keynotes and conference presentations are available as PDF files on the website of CEREPS.

As hosts of the Summit, we would like to thank you all for your valuable contribution to the Summit, and thus to the development of Physical Education and School Sport.