Sports workshop

A workshop for children and teenagers can not only promote exercise and creativity, but also create team spirit, crafting skills and an awareness of sustainable consumption. The workshop at Treff im Quartier (TiQ) combined the participatory design of functional sports equipment with the interface between craftsmanship and innovative technology such as 3D printing. This gave participants the opportunity to implement their creative ideas within a structured framework. To start with, there was a brief introduction to FDM 3D printing. Not only was the technology explained, a printing process was also started directly, which served as a time frame for the workshop. The participants then formed 3 teams to produce part of the end product in the group with the help of the assigned instructions. The overall picture only emerged when all the group results were compiled. This process was deliberately chosen to promote the dynamics of the group and to allow for individual interpretations in the implementation. After production, the participants were able to develop their creativity and design the individual components individually or with prefabricated stickers to create an emotional connection to the sports equipment, they had created. On the following day, there was the opportunity to test the finished equipment together. Specific exercises were carried out to test functionality and promote the fun of movement. In the workshop for seniors, the focus was on exercising cognitive and motor skills. Using the materials provided in the form of used bicycle inner tubes and the instructions from the “Sportwerkstatt” manual, the participants built resistance bands on their own.

The aim was to be able to continue the learned techniques independently at home later on, which not only creates a unique experience, but also a sustainable basis for further physical activities. In order to establish the “Sportwerkstatt” format in long-term as a valuable resource for educational institutions, youth and senior centres as well as private projects, additional touchpoints are necessary. These could be created, for example, through cooperation with schools, clubs and social institutions. Integration into existing leisure programs or trade fair appearances also offers potential to make the concept accessible to a broader target group. Digital offerings, such as an online platform with instructions, tutorials and opportunities for exchange, would also be conceivable. Network meetings and further training for educational professionals could also be offered in order to integrate the concept into various areas of education in a sustainable way. With a further optimized version of the manual, which is divided into target group-specific chapters, as well as a comprehensive“complete package” consisting of organization, material/tool procurement and implementation, the workshop could also be a valuable addition for sponsors with project-related funds. However, the principle of the sports workshop concept remains in the spirit of Aristotle: to create a whole together that is more than the sum of its parts.