The Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP) travelled to Krakow (Poland) to start the foundations of a pilot action to implement in the region that aims to promote mental health through community sport. The initiative, part of the European project SportsCom was led by the Metropolitan Executive Officer Orlando Leal.

The seminar in which the AMP participated, promoted by the Krakow Metropolitan Area, focused precisely on the theme of “Impact of community sport policies on mental health promotion”, from promoting resilience and mental strength to better managing emotions and relieving stress.

In addition to the AMP, the municipalities of Maia and Paredes also participated in the event, presenting some of their projects, as well as international partners such as KMOP – Policy Center ASBL (Belgium), the Regional Development Agency Backa Ltd. Novi Sad (Serbia), the Regional Development Fund of Attica (Greece), the Municipality of Heerenveen (Netherlands) and the Nyíregyháza Municipality (Hungary).

Study visits were made to Jordan Park, where informal sport practice is a daily reality, and to the Krakow School and Sports Center, a facility dedicated to integrated preventive medicine using sports activities. An educational equipment, unique in Poland and of the few in Europe, that emerged from the evidence of health deterioration of the younger generation.

The AMP team, led by the Metropolitan Executive Officer Orlando Leal, also got to know the Municipality of Wielka Wies, dedicated to nature sport, offering Nordic hiking trails, micro-expeditions, and exploration and guided visits to caves, with some of the participants experiencing a short visit to the Wierzchowska cave.

The project is now entering a new phase, in which, in addition to the seminars and study visits, the partners begin to establish the first contacts to develop some pilot actions. In this context, the AMP met with the Municipality of Heerenveen, precisely to exchange experiences and share knowledge considering a pilot action in the region.