From Transnational to Local: How BTBC Trains Young Athletes, Coaches and Communities

BREAK THE BULLY CYCLE (BTBC) is a project co-funded by the European Union.

The strength of Break the Bully Cycle (BTBC) lies not only in its educational materials but also in the way the project brings people together.Its training path is built around two complementary levels: an international moment where partners share knowledge and methods, and a series of local meetings where young athletes, coaches and communities take part in hands-on workshops. Together, these two dimensions create a learning journey that is practical, inclusive and rooted in real experiences.

The Transnational Meeting: where ideas take shape

The transnational meeting is the first major milestone of the project.It is the moment when the four partner organisations meet in one country, exchange perspectives and develop a shared approach to bullying prevention. The meeting includes training sessions, group activities and workshops designed to explore how bullying emerges, how teams function and how coaches can intervene with clarity and confidence.

This international moment also allows partners to refine the Safety & Inclusion Training Package, test activities together, collect feedback and create a common language that will guide all future work.The atmosphere is collaborative and creative: educators, youth workers, coaches and project managers learn from each other, compare experiences and bring home new ideas to adapt to their own communities.

Local Meetings: bringing the project into real sports clubs

After the international meeting, the project comes to life inside local sports clubs in Italy, Spain and Bulgaria.These local meetings are not simple presentations. They are practical workshops where young people and coaches actively participate, reflect, discuss and experiment with new ways of interacting.

Young athletes explore what bullying looks like on the field and in the locker room, share personal experiences and work together on positive team values. Coaches analyse daily situations, practise communication techniques and identify strategies to manage conflict without reinforcing hierarchies or stereotypes.

Each meeting generates stories, questions and small changes that gradually transform the relationship between athletes, coaches and the wider community.

A continuous cycle of learning

What makes the BTBC approach unique is the connection between the transnational and the local dimension.The methods created during the international meeting are adapted to different cultural contexts; the lessons learned locally are shared again with the partnership; and everything contributes to the refinement of the final outputs.

This circular process ensures that:

• activities remain relevant to the real needs of sports clubs,

• training methods are tested and improved over time,

• every partner contributes with their own expertise and local perspective.

From knowledge to impact

The meetings also generate valuable documentation: materials produced during the sessions, reflections from participants, examples of activities and good practices. All of this feeds into the project’s communication work and will later be included in the final report and the dissemination materials.

Above all, these meetings help young people feel seen, heard and supported. They help coaches understand their role not only as trainers but also as educators. And they help communities realise that sport can become a powerful space for awareness, growth and inclusion.

A path that connects Europe and local communities

Through this combination of international collaboration and local engagement, BTBC creates a bridge between European values and everyday life in sports associations.It shows that meaningful change happens when ideas travel across borders but are shaped by the hands of local communities.