Engage
Simple digital invitations, such as group challenges or QR codes, help lower the barrier to a first session.
RISE AUSTRIA PROJECT
Hybrid
Athletes
Helping young people discover grassroots sport through familiar digital tools and accessible activities.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
A digital invitation to take part in real sport.
Hybrid Athletes works with inactive and digitally oriented young people aged 15–25, especially those with fewer opportunities. RISE Austria and its Slovenian partner are developing a practical, low-cost way for grassroots sport organisations to welcome young people and help them stay active.
Familiar digital tools spark interest and support reflection. The main experience is an accessible sport session built around movement, cooperation, skills and enjoyment.
THE METHOD
Act
Phones go away while participants move, cooperate and build confidence in an accessible sport activity.
Reflect
Short digital reflections and group contact help young people recognise their progress and motivation to return.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Develop usable activities
Co-create six to eight multi-sport activity templates following the Engage → Act → Reflect method.
Equip coaches
Train eight coaches and youth workers through a four-day joint training in Novo mesto, Slovenia.
Test with young people
Run local Hybrid Sport Labs in both countries, reaching at least 50 young people, including inactive youth, migrants and those with fewer opportunities.
Share the approach
Publish a free toolkit with session plans, facilitator guidance, inclusion tips and simple evaluation methods for grassroots sport organisations.
Build cooperation
Strengthen the partners’ ability to develop future European sport and youth initiatives together.
HOW THE PROJECT UNFOLDS
Prepare and listen
The partners establish the project and each holds a local design session with four to six young people in Vienna and Novo mesto.
Design and train
The partners draft six to eight activities, then test and refine them with eight staff and coaches at a four-day training in Slovenia.
Run sport labs
Each partner pilots three to four sessions in local parks, sport halls or clubs. Together, the pilots aim to reach 50–60 young people.
Learn and share
Feedback informs the final toolkit. The partners share the method, a short video and plans to continue using the activities.
M1 is the first month of the project; the month labels show relative timing.
PLANNED RESULTS
Hybrid Athletes Toolkit
An open-access guide with six to eight ready-to-use activity templates and facilitator notes, planned in English, German and Slovenian.
Tested local sessions
Six to eight pilot sessions across Austria and Slovenia, with feedback from young people and facilitators to improve the method.
A short project video
A two to three minute video explaining the approach and sharing learning from the pilots.
THE PARTNERS
Coordinator · Austria
RISE Austria
Coordinates the partnership, leads Austrian activities and the digital youth engagement approach, and guides monitoring, the toolkit and dissemination.
Sport partner · Slovenia
ŽOK Krka Novo mesto
The club contributes sport pedagogy, hosts the joint training in Novo mesto, leads Slovenian co-design and pilot sessions, and supports the toolkit and dissemination.
Formerly TPV Volley Novo mesto, the name used in the project plan. Club name update
FOLLOW THE PROJECT
Updates & stories
Find project news, activity reports and reflections as the project develops.
View project updates