Youth & Wisdom – Strength in Unity, Growth in Motion: when sport brings generations together

Y&W is a project co-funded by the European Union.

Across Europe, grandparents play a central role in the daily lives of children and young people. They walk them to school, look after them in the afternoons, accompany them to sports activities, and provide emotional support that families rely on every day.

From this simple yet powerful reality comes the idea behind the new European project Youth & Wisdom – Strength in Unity, Growth in Motion.

The project turns a small everyday gesture—bringing a grandchild to training—into a meaningful opportunity for movement, well-being, and intergenerational connection.

From a small community to an idea with European potential

Everything started in Vada, a small coastal town in Tuscany, where the association TKD Rosignano has long been a key educational and sporting reference point. Every day, grandparents accompany children to the dojo, waiting patiently while watching the training sessions with curiosity and interest.

From these daily observations, a simple question emerged: What if grandparents could also participate in age-appropriate physical activities together with their grandchildren?

This question gave life to the first event dedicated to shared physical activity for grandparents and grandchildren. The response was remarkable: enthusiasm, joy, engagement, and a strong sense of community. The controlled movements of taekwondo, the focus on breathing, and the fluidity of the gestures proved perfectly suitable for older adults, supporting balance, mobility, and bodily awareness.

That first event opened the door to something bigger.

A project that grows, evolves, and becomes European

The success of the initiative encouraged TKD Rosignano to imagine a structured, replicable path capable of reaching other sports associations and communities across Europe.

This is how Youth & Wisdom – Strength in Unity, Growth in Motion was born: a project that places intergenerational relationships at its heart and aims to:

• promote healthy and active lifestyles among older adults,

• strengthen the bond between grandparents and grandchildren,

• equip youth workers and sports instructors with new skills to engage seniors safely and effectively,

• develop a new recreational discipline inspired by taekwondo, inclusive, accessible, and suitable for replication.

This project offers a tangible response to one of Europe’s most important demographic challenges: the ageing population. It transforms a potential fragility into an opportunity for inclusion, health promotion, and community building.

A European partnership united by shared values

To achieve this vision, four organisations from Italy, Bulgaria, and Portugal have joined forces, bringing together diverse expertise and strong community engagement.

• TKD Rosignano (Italy) – Project coordinator and the origin of the idea.

• SPORTSROOM (Bulgaria) – Expert in sport, non-formal education, and social inclusion.

• CDES Miguel Torga (Portugal) – A leading organisation in gymnastics and lifelong physical activity.

• YMCAROMA Empowering Young People (Italy) – An educational and community hub supporting young people, families, and seniors.

Together, they will develop an innovative intergenerational activity model, ready to be shared and adopted by sports associations throughout Europe.

Why this project stands out

Youth & Wisdom is much more than a physical activity programme. It is a new way of imagining ageing, well-being, and family relationships.

It is a project rooted in local communities but designed to grow beyond them.A project that values older adults, empowers younger generations, and creates new opportunities for meaningful encounters.A project that transforms care into movement, waiting time into participation, and experience into energy.

A journey that begins now

The project has officially started. In the coming months, partners will meet, local activities will be launched, and the methodology and resources will be created so that this initiative can be shared widely across Europe.

It will be a journey of movement, learning, and connection.A journey where the wisdom of older adults and the energy of young people come together on the same path.

Welcome to Youth & Wisdom.

Here, sport becomes a bridge between generations.