📰 Ref4aDay Newsletter #2 – Getting Ready to Step on the Field

NEWSLETTER #2 - 10/05/2025

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Co-funded by the European Union – Erasmus+ Sport Programme

Five months into the Ref4aDay project, the momentum is growing—and so is our excitement. After a successful start with transnational coordination and local engagement, partners are now preparing the Local Activities that will bring the project to life across communities.

⚽ Local Activities Coming Soon!In Portugal, Lithuania and Italy, teams are working closely with schools, sport clubs and educators to design Referee for a Day experiences tailored to young participants. These one-day sessions will allow them to "wear the whistle", take the referee's perspective, and explore key values like empathy, fairness, and conflict resolution.

📚 Training the Trainers

Youth workers, coaches and sport educators are being trained to guide the activities. Using interactive methods and real-life sport scenarios, they will help young people experience what it means to take responsibility on the field—and off.

🧠 Why It Matters

Too often, referees are targets of criticism and verbal abuse. Ref4aDay flips the script: by experiencing the challenges of refereeing firsthand, young people learn to respect rules, embrace dialogue and see sport as a space for growth and inclusion.

💬 Voices from the Field

In the next newsletter, we’ll start sharing reflections from the people at the heart of this process—youth participants, educators and referees—who are preparing to challenge stereotypes and spark change in their communities.

Stay tuned. The real game is about to begin.

🔗 Stay tuned!We’ll be sharing updates, stories and results along the way. Follow us on social media and help us spread the message: Respect starts when we change perspective.

👉IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE THE REF4ADAY NEWSLETTER, SEND US A MESSAGE!

👉 https://www.oltrenetworklab.com/ref4aday

Thank you for being part of this journey.Let’s blow the whistle on hate—and play fair, together!