• Welcome to

      Equal GEMS

      Promote a new Gender Equality Programme in School Physical Education 

      Equal GEMS is a European project that is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport programme. The project aims to promote a sports-based model of physical activities in schools that can include girls in a new gender equality programme and utilise the potential of sports in all formal and non-formal educational contexts.

    • Student Perception Monitoring

      Develop a permanent monitoring system to assess girls' and students' perceptions of physical education.

      Empowering Inclusive Educators

      Improve the skills of PE teachers and coaches in designing new gender-sensitive activities and explore the new role of mentoring to support the empowerment of girls in sport.

      Collaborative Sports Access

      Encourage collaboration between schools and sports organisations to offer diverse sports, increase opportunities for disadvantaged groups, and support girls facing barriers to participation.

      Inclusive PE Curriculum

      Create the conditions for a new negotiation of the PE curriculum in schools, based on sport as a means of inclusion and empowerment, with the student at the centre of their learning journey.

    • Results


      Final Report

      A summary of outcomes and insights gathered by the mediators’ team across all phases of the assessment.

      Equality Toolkit

      A practical resource for PE teachers and coaches to promote gender equality in school sports.

      Skills Portfolio

      A structured portfolio outlining the essential skills for advancing gender equality in sports coaching.

      Coaching Badge

      A new digital badge recognising coaches who have demonstrated core competences in gender equality.

      Girls’ Clubs

      New student sports clubs formed through the empowerment of girls by newly trained coaches.

      Student Videos

      A series of videos created by students to highlight gender equality issues in school sport.

    • Main activities

      A Gender Equality Monitoring System

      An exploratory study analysing girls' perceptions of physical activity and physical education will be conducted, with a particular focus on how gender affects relationships in schools and determines what is expected, permitted and valued in the lives of young people. The assessment will focus on:

      • girls' and students' perception of PE and engagement,
      • girls' and students' life context (families – parents),
      • coaches' and PE teachers' mutual support and exchange of opinions and practices.

      This activity will be supported by the implementation of the following assessment tools:

      • Online Reflective Diary: a digital monitoring tool 
      • Interviews between PE teachers and coaches
      • Workshops for parents


      Definition of a new training methodology

      The project will define a learning methodology that can create a new portfolio of skills for coaches and PE teachers.  The main aim is to create new learning environments that implement differentiated strategies for students, taking into account various factors, including gender differences. During this process, it is crucial that teachers focus not only on how they teach, but also on how they learn and reproduce concepts in relation to their biases, ideas, and assumptions.


      A new training programme

      Implementing a training programme based on the Equal Gems methodology will improve the skills of coaches and PE teachers, equipping them with the tools to:
      • New awareness of their learning style (type of sports, games and motor activities, relations with girls and students, and verbal and non-verbal communication).
      • New resources and tools to initiate a creative process for applying and testing new gender-sensitive learning approaches.
      • Methods to empower girls and students in a new way of participating in sports, starting from formal contexts (schools) and opening up to non-formal contexts (sports organisations networking with schools).

    • The consortium

    • Access the monitoring tool

Site announcements

Girls’ Empowerment through Sport: a new gender equality programme in school physical education

by Lazaros Vrysis -

Equal GEMS is a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport programme, aimed at promoting gender equality through physical education at school. The project involves schools and sports organisations from four countries (Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Hungary), with the aim of enhancing female participation, strengthening the skills of teaching staff and promoting more inclusive (formal and informal) sports environments.

Why is it important?

Numerous studies show that girls are at greater risk of dropping out of sports during adolescence, often due to environments perceived as competitive, judgmental or unrepresentative. The physical education provided at school still tends to favour performance-centred models, which are not always attentive to the well-being, motivation and body identity of female students. Furthermore, many girls report experiences of exclusion or invisibility during motor activities. The school context, however, is a key resource for promoting active participation and inclusion through sport. Targeted interventions such as inclusive sports clubs and training courses for school staff have proven to be effective in improving self-esteem, a sense of belonging and female leadership.

General project objectives

In order to promote a school model of physical activity based on sport and oriented towards gender equality, the Equal GEMS project proposes an intervention with the following objectives.

  1. To develop a monitoring system, aimed at analysing the perceptions of female students (and students) with respect to physical education, increasing awareness with respect to their motor skills
  2. To strengthen the skills of PE teachers and coaches in planning inclusive and gender-sensitive activities by promoting the use of non-stereotypical language and the adoption of a mentoring role to support the empowerment of female students
  3. To foster collaboration and networking between schools and sports organisations, strengthening the bridge between physical education and motor activity, and expanding the range of sports disciplines accessible to all
  4. To create conditions that encourage a renewal in the way physical education is delivered, placing the students' interests at the centre, enhancing their individual talents and motor skills

Programme and proposed activities

September - December 2025: Listening and analysis of the school context

  • Introductory meeting with the project team
  • Data collection using digital tools (Online Reflective Diary)
  • Administration of the Student Sport Profile to assess students' perceptions, attitudes and interests

 January - April 2026: Training for teachers and sports coaches

  • Free training course for sports science teachers and coaches
  • Topics covered: sport and gender, inclusive language, mentoring, involvement of girls in sport

May - October 2026: Activation of Student Sport Clubs

  • Co-design and start-up of student-run school sports clubs with the support of teachers
  • Experimentation with new non-competitive and accessible sports disciplines and formats

From spring 2026: school-territory collaboration

  • Involvement of local associations and sports clubs
  • Offer of extracurricular motor activities also aimed at inactive girls or girls with fewer opportunities

October - December 2026: Communication and creative production

  • Production of videos, graphic materials and student-led awareness-raising campaigns
  • Focus on inclusion, sport and gender equality

Early 2027: Final event and awards

  • Final event with presentation of results
  • Issue of certificates, participation badges and visibility for the schools involved

Why participate?
  • Promote the school as an environment that promotes well-being and equal opportunities
  • Strengthen collaboration with the sports organisations involved
  • Offer teachers and sports coaches free training and operational tools
  • Experience an innovative educational approach, recognised at European level
  • Give a voice to all students, especially less active girls, making them protagonists
Strengthen the sense of belonging and participation in the school community

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Equal GEMS in Action — First Steps and Upcoming Activities

by Lazaros Vrysis -


With Equal GEMS officially underway, our project team is already taking the first steps toward building more inclusive school sports environments. We are assembling a team of mediators to guide our assessment process, developing a Gender Equality Toolkit for PE teachers and coaches, and designing a Skills Portfolio and Coaching Badge to recognise new competencies.

In the coming months, we will work with schools to empower girls through the formation of new student sports clubs and encourage creative student-led projects, including a video series on gender equality in sport. These early actions lay the foundation for meaningful, lasting change—and we look forward to sharing progress and celebrating achievements along the way.

Follow our journey and join the Equal GEMS community as we champion gender equality in school physical education!

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Why Equal GEMS Matters — Advancing Gender Equality in School Sports

by Lazaros Vrysis -

The significance of Equal GEMS lies in its mission: to promote true gender equality in school sport. Sport has the unique potential to teach, inspire, and unite, yet too many girls still encounter barriers to full participation and leadership. Through Equal GEMS, we seek to address these gaps by introducing a new gender equality programme that makes physical education more accessible and inclusive for all.

By supporting PE teachers and coaches with new tools, training, and awareness, Equal GEMS aims to foster environments where every student—regardless of gender—can benefit from the confidence, skills, and lifelong lessons that sports provide. We believe that change starts in schools, and together, we can pave the way for a more equitable future in both education and sport.

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