Project Overview
The VITALITY project empowers sedentary women from low-income, migrant, and refugee backgrounds to adopt and sustain active lifestyles through a culturally adapted physical literacy toolkit and community-based support. It responds to persistent gender and socio-economic gaps in physical activity, where women, especially those facing multiple disadvantages are less likely to engage in regular exercise and more exposed to related health risks.
By combining accessible movement resources, digital peer-support platforms, and partnerships with local organizations, VITALITY tackles cultural, financial, and social barriers to participation. The project aligns with EU priorities on health-enhancing physical activity, gender equality, social inclusion, and digital learning, offering a scalable model that links grassroots action to European policy goals.
Project Objectives
- Physical Literacy & Awareness: Increase awareness of the benefits of physical activity and improve physical literacy among sedentary women through clear, culturally adapted information and tools.
- Inclusive Access to Activity: Provide low-cost, equipment-free, and culturally sensitive movement options such as traditional dances and home-based routines that can be practiced safely in everyday environments.
- Community Engagement: Build supportive peer networks via online groups and community workshops that foster motivation, reduce isolation, and encourage long-term participation.
- Capacity Building & Partnerships: Strengthen cooperation with local NGOs, sports clubs, and community centres so they can integrate physical literacy for disadvantaged women into their regular activities.
- Sustainable Impact & Policy Influence: Develop an approach that can be replicated, scaled, and used to inform local and European policies on health promotion, gender equality, and social inclusion.
Key Tools and Deliverables
Toolkit for Inclusive Physical Literacy
The Toolkit for Inclusive Physical Literacy is a practical, culturally adapted resource that helps disadvantaged women understand, start, and sustain safe physical activity.
- Physical Literacy Modules: Plain-language content on movement skills, health benefits, stress management, and basic nutrition, combined with low-impact exercise routines that require little space and no special equipment.
- Self-Assessment & Adaptation Tools: Simple checklists, goal-setting sheets, and adaptation guidelines so women can assess their own starting point, set realistic goals, and tailor activities to their fitness level, culture, and daily life.
Community Engagement & Workshop Model
The Community Engagement & Workshop Model brings VITALITY into local spaces, making movement more visible, social, and supported.
- Local Workshops & Events: Interactive webinars and in-person sessions hosted with community partners to introduce the toolkit, practice exercises together, and discuss barriers and solutions in a safe, women-friendly environment.
- Community Champions: Identification and mentoring of local women and social workers as “community champions” who help reach target groups, facilitate groups, and keep motivation high beyond the project period.
